Canton Blues Festival

Friday, June 8 & Saturday, June 9, 2012

Boogie woogie your way to Northeast Ohio’s premier Blues Festival for a 2012 lineup that’s sure to strike a chord with blues fans large and small! The 11th installment of the FREE summer festival, presented by the Canton Development Partnership (a department of the Canton Regional Chamber), is happening in downtown Canton on Fri., June 8, & Sat., June 9, with headliners Walter Trout and Coco Montoya!

2012 Headliners

Walter Trout | Friday, June 8 at 8:30 p.m.

Walter Trout’s practical schooling in blues started when he arrived in Los Angeles in 1973 and got gigs behind Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Finis Tasby, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulsom, Percy Mayfield and Joe Tex. But the real turning point was his tenure with British blues giant John Mayall. Trout became part of the Bluesbreakers’ lineage of great guitarists along with Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor. Beginning in 1984, he shared six-string duties with Coco Montoya in Mayall’s band, creating a flexible guitar dynamic that helped provide the Bluesbreakers a renaissance that returned the group to the apex of the international blues touring circuit. Trout began leading his own group in 1989, and cut his debut album, Life In the Jungle, rapidly becoming a star in Europe. His first stateside release, 1998′s critically heralded Walter Trout, made him start down the road towards becoming the fixture of the American blues-rock scene that he is today.

Promo photo courtesy of Walter Trout.

Coco Montoya | Saturday, June 9 at 8:30 p.m.

Mentored by legendary bluesman Albert Collins, self-taught guitar slinger Coco Montoya went on to become the guitarist for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers for ten years before leading his own band. Billboard called Montoya “the real McCoy in a world of blues guitar pretenders,” and the Village Voice. Montoya plays with an emotional intensity few string benders possess – and he plays left-handed and up-side down in the style of Albert King and Jimi Hendrix.

Photo © Peter Berger.

Canton Blues Fest VIP Passes are available again this year. Buy your two-day pass online for $75 and take advantage of FREE food, beer and incredible views of the stage. One-day Blues Fest VIP Passes are also available for $45.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about the 2012 Canton Blues Festival? Click below to review some of our most common FAQs or contact us for more information.
Blues Fest FAQs

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