Warner Williams and Jay Summerour perform on stage at last Saturday’s John Cephas Piedmont Blues Festival in Bowling Green. (CP photo by Greg Glassner)
Bowling Green’s first John Cephas Piedmont Blues Festival last Saturday got off to a warm start, both in terms of the weather and the enthusiasm of those who attended.
Shaded areas on the Courthouse lawn were the preferred vantage points as temperatures hovered in the high 80s and low 90s with humidity to match throughout the festival. Folks also found front porches and shady sides of buildings on which to congregate while grooving to the mellow sounds of the blues popularized by the late John Cephas.
Bowling Green Police Chief Steve Hoskins, Vice Mayor Glenn McDearmon and Bowling Green Arts Commission chairwoman Robin Sieg all said they had hoped for a larger turnout, but attributed the moderate attendance to the toasty weather and the fact that the festival was in its first year.
Heat aside, no one complained about the quality of the music or the wide variety of food offered. Visitors could choose from local Bowling Green establishments, Café on Main Street, Swanky Franks, K Jo’s To Go, and Union Station, or stroll among street vendors who offered Hispanic and Thai cuisine, plus fair fare, like Italian sausage, gyros, corn dogs, steak and cheese, nachos, chicken tenders, barbecued turkey legs and much more.
Beverages ranged from iced tea, lemonade and soft drinks to cold beer and Native American wine from Spotsylvania’s Mattaponi Winery.
Other vendors on the Courthouse lawn displayed jewelry, rubs, bottle art, handcrafted hats, metal art, handmade soaps and other items.
Early arrivals Saturday lounged under the trees or strolled down to Town Hall, where the musicians congregated for workshops, informal jam sessions and conversation. Some of the stage performers had never met or had not seen each other in a while, and the atmosphere was akin to a family reunion.
Harmonica virtuoso Phil Wiggins, who performed and recorded with Cephas for years as Cephas and Wiggins, offered advice to budding musicians and shared stories of life on the road.
In the area where town council normally meets, musicians Warner Williams and Jay Summerour worked on their timing as a small, but appreciative audience listened. Before heading up to the stage, many of the musicians gathered for a photo op.
Once the acts took to the stage, the music was nearly continuous from 2-8 p.m.
Especially popular were veteran performers Williams and Summerour, Eleanor Ellis, and the lively MSG Acoustic Blues Trio. The name stands for the initials of performers (Jackie) Merritt, (Miles) Spicer and (Resa) Gibbs.
Outside of attendance issues, feedback on the festival was very positive, said Sieg. The festival booth sold 135 T-shirts and nearly 30 Cephas and Wiggins CDs to help defray costs. Sales of CDs by artists appearing on stage were also brisk.
The Arts Center exceeded its attendance record, which had been set during the last Harvest Festival. There were 224 visitors, Sieg said. Although some were lured by air conditioning and free chocolate, others were pleased to discover this hidden gem and browsed the exhibit of Sidney King paintings.
The food vendors reported good, if not great, sales. Many said they anticipated slower demand due to the heat. Lemonade and beer sales were booming, however. Food vendors indicated they were satisfied and would be willing to come back, Sieg said.
Many in the audience were knowledgeable acoustic blues fans.
“People came from Virginia Beach, D.C., Richmond and even Colorado,” said Bowling Green Events Coordinator Jo-Elsa Jordan. “One couple flew in from Ontario, Canada, for this event.
“We did what we set out to do, which was to honor the legendary John Cephas, and to build a foundation for Bowling Green to be known for its history. We brought people together for the arts, for the music and we laid the building blocks for the future, not just for this festival, but for revitalization.
“This was a team effort that involved the Arts Commission and many, many volunteers. For this we are truly grateful,” Jordan said.
Local musician, recording studio owner and businessman Jay Johnson rounded up the musicians, with the help of Wiggins. Johnson’s Union Station did a brisk business with cookie and bottled water sales while providing a cool haven for the performers. Johnson tended to the stage sound system out in the heat all day long.
“My phone keeps ringing,” Johnson said Monday. “I’ve already received accolades from Maryland, Tennessee and New York.”
Once Wiggins put out the word that the festival was going to happen, Johnson said, there were more musicians interested in playing than they could handle. “There were 10 more that wanted to come, and we figured we could only do six groups this year.”
Not everyone who came to spectate knew what the Piedmont blues style was all about, but many new fans were won over Saturday,” Johnson noted.