Legends Galore On Second Bluesfest Announcement

The latest bunch of bands announced for Bluesfest 2013 has come through; this announcement is loosely based on blues and roots music, the kind of stuff this festival has been built on over the past couple of decades and what brings so many people back year after year. This list of bands has a bunch of familiar names and a few Bluesfest virgins; importantly though, it's all very bloody good from top to bottom.

This list of artists are some of the most important in the entire history of their given genres and we cannot take for granted the opportunity to see them perform live, partiucularly given some of them are appraoching their twilight years.

The second announcement looks like this:

Jimmy Cliff, Joan Armatrading, Rodriguez, Robert Cray, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Blind Boys Of Alabama, Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, Wanda Jackson, Fred Wesley & The New JB's, Michael Kiwanuka, Bettye LaVette, Luka Bloom, Ruthie Foster, Tony Joe White, Sweet Honey In The Rock, The Duke Robillard Band, Shawn Colvin, Seth Lakeman

They join the already announced:

Ben Harper, Santana, Iggy & The Stooges, Chris Isaak, Bonnie Raitt, Wilco, Dropkick Murphys, Steve Miller Band, Glen Hansard with The Frames, Tedeschi Trucks Band, William Elliott Whitmore, Newton Faulkner, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, Grace Potter, Playing For Change, Ben Caplan

Have a listen to how it's shaping up!

JIMMY CLIFF:

He is one of those artists that you can't do justice to with mere words; Jimmy Cliff is a legend, it really is as simple as that. There are no reggae artists in the world today who can even come close to putting on the kind of show that he does and, with his latest record Rebirth (which was produced by Rancid's Tim Armstrong), he has proved that he is still more than relevant in 2012. If you've seen him before, you'll be overjoyed at the chance of seeing him again. If you haven't, we recommend getting excited.

JOAN ARMATRADING:

The cooler than cool Joan Armatrading hasn't played Bluesfest for a hell of a long time and we are sure pleased to see her back on the bill for 2013. This British folk-rock/blues/pop singer has had an incredible 40 year career in the music industry that has seen her pump over 20 albums, many of them absolute gems. It was through the 1970s and '80s that she had her most success, but she has continued to perform and release records to this day; her latest LP Starlight just released earlier this year.

RODRIGUEZ:

Australia and South Africa were the two countries who got Detroit's Sixto Rodriguez right from the start, which is kind of weird given that one listen to his Cold Fact album proves that he is nothing short of a musical genius who deserves the highest recognition. His amazing music is almost overshadowed by his amazing story; he dropped off the radar after his second record Coming From Reality followed Cold Fact's lead of not really earning much popularity at all. People thought he'd dropped out of society altogether, some even thought he was dead; he sure as hell didn't know that his record had gone platinum in South Africa and that he was a massive star in that country. He toured there (and here) in the '70s and early '80s then dropped off for another couple of decades before being discovered again by a whole new audience. He's played a few Bluesfest shows and we're very excited to hear he's playing in 2013, following straight on from the release of the new feature documentary Searching For Sugar Man.

ROBERT CRAY:

It seems that most households have at some stage had an LP featuring the super slick blues of Robert Cray; seeing as though he released his 16^th studio album this August that is not really surprising. If you've never heard him, he's a fantastic guitarist and vocalist who plays a style of blues that leans slightly towards the pop side of the musical spectrum. He's a true guitar great but has a great knack for writing a tune that'll stay in your head for days; a real talent that's definitely worth seeing at least once in your life.

TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE:

We'd like to see someone complain about the constant return to Australia of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue; one of the greatest party bands currently kicking around, this New Orleans modern funk powerhouse is made up of some of the best musicians from one of (if not the) the best musical cities on the planet. Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews has been playing all his life and it really shows; he is prodigiously talented as a musician and just unstoppable as a frontman. If you go to see this band and you're not dancing like a fool by the time their set is through, we recommend seeking medical advice.

THE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA:

If we could see The Blind Boys Of Alabama at every Bluesfest, we would be more than happy to grasp that opportunity with both hands. The tradition of this group is one of music's most important and heartwarming; in 1939 a group of nine-year-old boys sang together at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind where they attended school. This group continued to sing together as they became young men, cutting their first single in 1948 and touring the United States, their self-proclaimed goal being to spiritually uplift audiences. And, well, it never stopped. They just kept singing and making people happy all over the place; they joined the civil rights movement, singing for Dr Martin Luther King Jr's benefits in the late 1960s and broke through to the mainstream in the 1980s and 90s and started to gain great recognition. They've added Australia to their touring plans over the past couple of decades, and while a number of those original members have sadly passed away, the spirit of these shows remains incredible. You don't have to be religious to appreciate and be moved by the gospel music they sing, you just have to keep an open mind and enjoy their music and their spirit.

MAVIS STAPLES:

She is one of the most important soul singers of all time and recent years have seen Mavis Staples begin to get the kind of recognition she deserves again. As a member of the Staples Singers, a band she shared with her father and sisters, she was responsible for some of the greatest music to come out of the civil rights movement. Following that she remained active, releasing records on a number of different labels and collaborating with a series of different artists and producers, including Prince, Booker T & The MGs and Lucky Peterson. The 21st century has seen her collaborate with John Scofield and Ry Cooder and, most recently Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy who produced her amazing 2010 album You Are Not Alone – we're hoping for a collaboration but if we don't get one we'll be more than happy with the chance to see Staples again.

ALLEN TOUSSAINT:

We can't tell you why New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint has never played Bluesfest before, but we'd be surprised if getting him on the bill isn't something of a dream for the festival's organisers. You might not realise it, but this guy has had such an enormous impact on the world of contemporary music; writing songs famously covered by The Rolling Stones, Glen Campbell, Lee Dorsey, Devo, The Yardbirds, Warren Zevon and countless others. His arrangements and his piano playing have been on so many hit recordings from throughout the ages it hurts our head just thinking about it; all that needs to be said is that this is a genuine musical legend who deserves huge respect and will undoubtedly deliver us something very special come Easter next year.

WANDA JACKSON:

The undisputed queen of rockabilly makes her first Bluesfest appearance in 2013, just another genuinely legendary name on a bill that's already chock full of them. The 74-year-old Wanda Jackson was discovered at the age of 17 and had her first hit in 1954 with the great You Can't Have My Love. Fast forward to this week (today, in fact) and Wanda Jackson has just dropped album number 31 – Unfinished Business, through Jack White's Third Man Records – and she still sounds absolutely devastating. Rockabilly is so much richer for her huge contribution to the genre (though her country songs in the '60s and '70s were equally special) and her Bluesfest debut will have the rockabilly nuts grinning from ear to ear.

FRED WESLEY & THE NEW JB'S:

Funk fans rejoice! Fred Wesley is one of funk's most important musicians; he was a very important part of James Brown's backing band (The J.B.s) through the 1960s and '70s, before he went on to join the Parliament-Funkadelic crew in 1976. Fred Wesley & The New JBs is the latest ensemble that Wesley has put together, playing nasty funk just the way the godfather would have wanted it. The band are set to be hot as hell and the dancing just won't stop from the moment these guys launch into their first groove til they've well and truly left the stage.

MICHAEL KIWANUKA:

He blew us away at Splendour this year and Bluesfest is going to be the perfect environment for young singer Michael Kiwanuka to show off his gorgeous brand of new folk that has won the hearts of so many people in his native Great Britain. It was a support slot with Adele that shot him into the spotlight, but the quality of his music, his performance and that of his band ought to speak far louder than any other association. His debut record Home Again dropped in January and rocketed into the number four spot on the UK Album Charts and sold quite handsomely in other European territories and deservedly so. It's such a gorgeously considered, beautifully layered and diverse soul record that showcases Kiwanuka's rich, warm voice and features some incredible musical arrangements. He'll win many new fans next Easter.

BETTYE LAVETTE:

It was just earlier this year that Bettye LaVette made her first visit to Australia and to Bluesfest, but we are not complaining about her returning so soon as her shows at the 2012 festival were nothing short of incredible. She is no goody-two-shoes gospel singer; she is a powerful, emotive, fun-loving soul powerhouse that celebrates 50 years in the business this year and is making the most of her newfound success. A series of LPs and singles failed to real break LaVette's career, but she didn't give up; eventually she signed with Anti- half way through last decade and has since found a huge audience appreciative of her amazing voice and the performances she just puts so much into. If you missed her this year, don't make that mistake again.

LUKA BLOOM:

Great as his songs are (and they are great), you haven't really experienced the work of Luka Bloom until you have seen him perform live. His shows are so utterly captivating that every visit he has made to Australia since his first one 20 years ago has been met with such massive acclaim; he just knows how to hold the crowd in the palm of his hand with nothing but his electro-acoustic guitar, his unique voice and a whole heap of incredibly poetic songs. It has been a few years since we saw him at Bluesfest and it will be nice to see him back in 2013 as his music just feels like it belongs at the Bluesfest and the New South Wales Northern Rivers.

RUTHIE FOSTER:

Anyone who was there to see Ruthie Foster's first ever Bluesfest performance a couple of years ago won't have forgotten it. A relative unknown in Australia, her performance – in the pouring rain – had thousands of people absolutely gobsmacked and saw her receive one of the more rousing receptions in recent memory. This star of folk-gospel-blues has been back a few times since then and this time brings songs from her brand new record Let It Burn over to Australia to treat us to them in the live setting where we know they will shine.

TONY JOE WHITE:

Many will disagree, but some of us just so happen to consider this guy to be one of the best guitarists on the planet. Tony Joe White has got to be close to the most frequent international Bluesfest visitor, but the year he stops showing interest in making the trip back to Northern New South Wales at Easter time is going to be a very, very dark time. There are few people in the world as cool as Tony Joe White, there are few people who can communicate life in Louisiana so beautifully and few people who can make everything he does seem so damn effortless. He could be the 2013 headliner and we'd be stoked. Everyone has recorded his songs; Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Dusty Springfield, Etta James and heaps more – but no one does it like Tony Joe White.

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK:

Since 1973 this all-female vocal group has been a force to be reckoned with in the world of gospel music. Sweet Honey In The Rock are a powerful group, many readers would remember their a capella styles from early in life as the group has long been a part of many animated segments on the classic Sesame Street program. Their shows have been held in high regard for decades; they currently tour as a six-piece with a sign language interpreter, but you won't believe the sound they are able to produce. They will wrap you up with their effortless beauty when they make their first Bluesfest appearance in 2013.

DUKE ROBILLARD:

One of the true greats of blues guitar who hasn't visited us in what seems like an age, Duke Robillard will bring his cooler than cool brand of electric blues back to Bluesfest in 2013. He is a bandleader, a session musician, a producer and so much more and when you see Robillard go to town on his guitar next Easter you won't be able to contain yourself. This is the guy Tom Waits goes to when he wants a blues guitarist, the guy Bob Dylan hired to put his stamp on Time Out Of Mind, the guy who legends like Pinetop Perkins and Snooky Pryor trusted enough to play on their records. He's had a storied career and he's still going strong, you can be a part of it next Easter.   

SHAWN COLVIN:

One of the undisputed leaders of the new-folk movement, Shawn Colvin was one of the artists who came out of the folk scene and managed to score herself a legitmate pop smash hit with Sunny Came Home, which earned her a couple of Grammys in 1998. Before that she had done plenty, lending vocals to Suzanne Vega's Luka, winning a Contemporary Folk Grammy for her debut Steady On and pumping out great records. She's still keeping very busy, her latest record All Fall Down was made with the great Buddy Miller and features Emmylou Harris, Allison Krauss, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Jakob Dylan – not a bad group of mates to have help you out. It has been getting rave reviews, so make sure you familiarise yourself with it before Colvin joins us next Easter.

SETH LAKEMAN:

After his debut Aussie tour last year, there have been plenty of people eagerly awaiting the return of British folk musician Seth Lakeman. The past decade has seen this artist release no fewer than six full length albums and it's no surprise that he has won over plenty of Australian fans, his style of heartfelt music is the kind of stuff we just can't get enough of. If you loved the virtuosic fiddler when he was here last year then we're pleased you get another chance to see him play when Bluesfest 2013 rolls around.