Bowling Green kicks off first Blues Fest

The first annual John Cephas Piedmont Blues Festival in Bowling Green takes place Saturday.
This event has been an initiative of the Bowling Green Arts Commission since last June when a historical highway marker was dedicated to Cephas, the legendary blues guitarist who grew up in  Bowling Green and always called it home.
From 2-8 p.m. on the main stage, festivalgoers and blues enthusiasts will enjoy live music by various artists paying tribute to Piedmont blues, the genre of blues that Cephas is world-renowned for pioneering.
Confirmed musicians include Cephas’ longtime partner and harmonica master, Phil Wiggins, MSG Acoustic Blues Trio, Piedmont Bluz Acoustic Duo, Eleanor Ellis, Rick Franklin and Robert Flowers with Jay Summerour, Warner Williams, and Eric Selby.
Performing artists will also be offering hands-on instructional workshops before live performances begin, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This is an opportunity for fans to meet the artists and for beginners to learn the fundamentals of playing instruments commonly used in blues music such as harmonica, guitar, and banjo. In addition, attendees will browse food vendors, arts and crafts booths and activities for all ages.
John Cephas was born in Washington, D.C., but was reared in the town of Bowling Green. Having a rich history of gospel and blues music in his family, Cephas developed a banjo-like technique of playing guitar.
Cephas and Phil Wiggins teamed up after meeting at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1976, and released several albums through a German record label. Cephas and Wiggins enjoyed their breakthrough to American blues enthusiasts with “Dog Days of August,” winning the W.C. Handy Award for best traditional blues album in 1987.
Cephas’s influence on Piedmont blues was further recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts when he was presented with the National Heritage Fellowship award. Cephas and Wiggins went on to release over a dozen albums.
John Cephas died March 4, 2009, in his home, just outside of Bowling Green. The Bowling Green Arts Commission hopes to keep his legacy alive through an annual festival.