Guitar sensation Joanna Connor and rising star King Solomon Hicks added to the four-day destination festival lineup
The 7th annual Big Blues Bender is honored and humbled to host four-time GRAMMY Award-winner Delbert McClinton’s final performance in the U.S.
With a career spanning more than six decades, McClinton’s influence on the blues genre and in the Bender community has been significant. The “Godfather of Americana” (Rolling Stone) was originally scheduled to perform at Big Blues Bender 2020 and rescheduled for Big Blues Bender 2021, but following his most recent win for the 2020 GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and receiving the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance in 2019, McClinton announced his retirement in April 2021.
Hoping for one final chance to celebrate the “roots music visionary” (Rolling Stone), the Big Blues Bender and Delbert McClinton agreed for his final U.S. performance to take place at Big Blues Bender 2021, as the most fitting way for him to say farewell to his beloved fans.
This year, Big Blues Bender will mark the final opportunity ever to see the multi-GRAMMY Award-winner perform in the U.S. This once-in-a-lifetime retirement celebration will take place on Thursday, Sept. 9 at Big Blues Bender at Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. No single tickets will be sold and this performance is only available to Big Blues Bender attendees.
Big Blues Bender also announced two additional top-notch performers to the lineup, including guitar sensation Joanna Connor and rising star King Solomon Hicks.
Nearly every artist planned for the 2020 festival will return for Big Blues Bender 2021, including Buddy Guy, Delbert McClinton, Tab Benoit, North Mississippi Allstars, Victor Wainwright & The Train, Bettye LaVette, One for The Kings, Mike Zito and His Big Blues Band Colin James, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Sugaray Rayford, Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Albert Castiglia, Southern Avenue, Jimmy Hall, John Németh, Joanna Connor, Bender Brass Band, Mike Zito and Friends: A Tribute to Chuck Berry, Chris Cain, JP Soars and The Red Hots, Carolyn Wonderland, JP Soars’ Gypsy Blue Revue feat. Anne Harris & Jason Ricci, Johnny Sansone, Monster Mike Welch, Jason Ricci, Dwayne Dopsie, Kevin Burt, Jimmy Carpenter Band, Leon Blue, Chris Tofield, Terrie Odabi, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, King Solomon Hicks, Steve Marriner, Anne Harris, Lindsay Beaver, Kat Riggins, Catfish John “Grateful Blues” feat. Albert Castiglia, Sunday Gospel feat. Sugaray Rayford and Friends, Cary Morin, Horojo Trio (2020 IBC Winner, Band) and Hector Anchondo (2020 IBC Winner, Solo).
This only-in-Vegas hotel takeover gives fans the opportunity to see the biggest names in Blues music in an exclusive, intimate setting over the course of four days in the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” Tickets are now on sale at bigbluesbender.com.
For more information, visit bigbluesbender.com and follow the Bender on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.