Pastures of Plenty Waterfront Blues Festival Special: Portland Blues Greats

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KBOO
Air date: 
Wed, 07/02/2025 - 5:30am to 7:00am
2025 Waterfront Blues Festival Poster
Waterfront Blues Festival Special: Portland Blues Greats

Join me on Pastures of Plenty on July 2, 2025 to celebrate music from the best of Portland’s incredible blues musicians to get you in the mood for the Waterfront Blues festival July 4 & 5.

Featured artists include Kelly Joe Phelps, Back Porch Blues, Lauren Sheehan,  virtuoso guitarists Terry Robb and Mary Flower, Lloyd “Have Mercy” Jones, and blues harmonica masters Bill Rhoades, Curtis Salgado, and the incomparable Paul deLay.

You’ll hear great vintage performances from past Blues Festivals, including some from the very first event in 1987, called the Rose City Blues Festival until the name was changed to Waterfront Blues Festival in 1991, and more fantastic Portland blues.

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Genre(s): 

Episode Playlist

  • Time
    5:30
    Artist
    Kelly Joe Phelps
    Song
    Crossroads
    Album
    Waterfront Blues Festival 1993
    Label
    Burnside Records
  • Time
    5:34
    Artist
    Back Porch Blues
    Song
    Mean Old Man
    Album
    1993 Portland Waterfront Blues Festival (1993)
    Label
    Burnside Records
  • Time
    5:38
    Artist
    Lauren Sheehan & Terry Robb
    Song
    Right or Wrong
    Album
    Live at the 2008 Waterfront Blues Festival
    Label
  • Time
    5:47
    Artist
    Terry Robb
    Song
    Judge Boushay Blues
    Album
    When I Play My Blues Guitar
    Label
    Burnside Records
  • Time
    5:50
    Artist
    Bill Rhoades & Alan Hager
    Song
    Shake 'em On Down
    Album
    Runnin' & Ramblin'
    Label
    Burnside Records
  • Time
    5:53
    Artist
    Tony Furtado
    Song
    Oh Berta, Berta
    Album
    Live at the KINK FM Bing Lounge
    Label
  • Time
    6:02
    Artist
    Mary Flower
    Song
    Facebook Blues
    Album
    Live at the Waterfront Blues Festival July 2, 2009
    Label
  • Time
    6:04
    Artist
    Mary Flower
    Song
    Waiting for the Times to Get Better
    Album
    Live at Home for Doc Watson Week of Merle Fest
    Label
  • Time
    6:08
    Artist
    Mary Flower
    Song
    So Far Doin' Alright
    Album
    When My Bluebird Sings
    Label
    Bluesette Records
  • Time
    6:11
    Artist
    Mary Flower
    Song
    River of Joy
    Album
    Livin' with the Blues Again
    Label
    Little Village Foundation
  • Time
    6:14
    Artist
    Mary Flower (with Curtis Salgado)
    Song
    Hard Day Blues
    Album
    Misery Loves Company
    Label
    Yellow Dog Records
  • Time
    6:16
    Artist
    Curtis Salgado & Alan Hager
    Song
    I Want My Dog To Live Longer (The Greatest Wish)
    Album
    Rough Cut
    Label
    Alligator
  • Time
    6:18
    Artist
    Lloyd Jones (with Curtis Salgado)
    Song
    Lazy Bones
    Album
    Highway Bound
    Label
    Underworld Records
  • Time
    6:24
    Artist
    Host Jack Bohl
    Song
    Portland July Folk Concert Calendar
    Album
    Label
  • Time
    6:27
    Artist
    Lloyd Jones
    Song
    Key to the Highway
    Album
    Highway Bound
    Label
    Underworld Records
  • Time
    6:30
    Artist
    Lloyd Jones
    Song
    Big Ol' Shirt
    Album
    Blue Monday at Home in Portland
    Label
  • Time
    6:33
    Artist
    The Lloyd Jones Struggle
    Song
    I Got 'Em Bad
    Album
    Rose City Blues Festival 1987
    Label
    Front Avenue Records
  • Time
    6:42
    Artist
    The Norman Sylvester Band
    Song
    Hard Times
    Album
    Rose City Blues Festival 1987
    Label
    Front Avenue Records
  • Time
    6:45
    Artist
    The Paul Delay Band
    Song
    Look What You've Done
    Album
    Live at the 2003 Waterfront Blues Festival
    Label
  • Time
    6:49
    Artist
    The Paul Delay Band
    Song
    Maybe Our Luck Will Change
    Album
    Ocean of Tears
    Label
    Evidence Music Inc.
  • Time
    6:57
    Artist
    Mary Flower
    Song
    Crooked Rag
    Album
    Live at Waterfront Blues Festival 2022
    Label

Comments

jack bohl's picture

Here is the July Portland Folk Concert Calendar, with a Focus on local blues:
July 2025 Folk Calendar

Let’s start with some music taking place all summer:
• Blue Mondays with Portland blues great Lloyd Jones at Muddy Rudder Pub at 8 pm
• The Americana Harvest Fest at Topaz Farm on Sauvie Island all summer
• Portland Parks & Recreation has free concerts in parks, find the schedule at Summer Free for All

Here is the folk calendar for July:

JULY 4 & 5: WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL
July 4:
• Main Stage
o Son Little
o The Main Squeeze
• Stay and Sway Stage
o Norman Sylvester
o LaRhonda Steele & Bonnie Wright with the PDX Soul Collective
• BLUES CRUISE ON PORTLAND SPIRIT FROM 1 to 10 PM: Sail on Sister with Mary Flower & Lauren Sheehan, Northwest Women Rhythm & Blues, and more

July 5:
• Main Stage
o ZZ Ward
o Southern Avenue
• Stay and Sway Stage
o Lloyd Jones & Mark Shark with the Bayou Boyz
o Ben Rice & the PDX Hustle

July 11-13 OREGON COUNTRY FAIR
• Veneta, OR: no tickets on site!
• Jim Page: Fri & Sat
• T Sisters: Sat
• Ashley Flynn & the Riveters: Sat
• Brian QTN: Sun

TOPAZ FARMS AMERICANA HARVEST FEST
• Sauvie Island
• The Steel Drivers July 10
• Milk Carton Kids July 22
• Blind Pilot & John Craigie July 27 & 28
• More shows in August

ARTICHOKE MUSIC
• July 12 2 to 4 pm Final River City Folk show with Tom May: since 1985!
• July 17 1-230 pm Artichoke Afternoons with Tom May
• July 25 7 pm Avery Hill & Jasper Lepak
• July 27 7 pm Mary Flower with special guest Carla Sciaky

Norman Sylvester plays Fri July 11 at 630 pm at Jamison Square Park at NW 10th & Johnson as part of Portland Parks Summer Free for All

Leo Kottke is coming to the Aladdin Theater on Fri July 11

Curtis Salgado plays the Vancouver, WA Sunday Sounds Concert Series on Sun July 13 at 6 pm at Columbia Tech Center at SE 172nd and Mill Plain in SE Vancouver and Curtis plays the Town Club in Portland on Thu July 17

Mary Flower plays a noontime concert Fri July 18 at the Eastside Jewish Commons at NE 24th & Glisan

Alison Krauss & Union Station play Edgefield Sat July 20

You can contact me at pasturesofplenty@kboo.org to say hi or get more concert information..

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