www.roanoke.com

This one is set for Elmwood Park on Oct. 3. More information at http://www.biglickblues.org/.

2 pm – Gates open – vendors open

2:15 pm – Voting begins for U.S. Foods Rib Cook-Off People’s Choice Award

2:30 pm – Mo’ Hippa Band

4 pm – Stacy Brooks

5:25 pm - Martin’s Rib Eating Contest

5:45 pm – Rev. Billy C. Wirtz & Victor Wainwright – The Pianist Envy Show

6 pm - Voting ends for U.S. Foods Rib Cook-Off People’s Choice Award

7:10 pm – U.S. Foods Rib Cook-Off Awards, Martin’s Rib Eating Contest Awards & 50/50 Winner

7:30 pm – Delbert McClinton

9:30 pm – 2:00 am – After Festival Blues Party @ Blue 5

News release is below ...

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, August 14, 2009 – EventZone announces the 3rd annual SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 in downtown Roanoke VA’s Elmwood Park.  The event will take place rain or shine, with the rain location held at the Roanoke Civic Center Special Events Center.  A full day of incredible live blues entertainment will kick off at 2:00 PM and conclude at 9:00 PM.  Taking the stage will be Delbert McClinton, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Victor Wainwright, Stacy Brooks.   The Mo’ Hippa Band, the winner of the 2009 Blue Ridge Blues Society Competition, will open the show.
“We have taken this festival to the yet another level this year with this talent and entertainment,” says Larry Landolt, executive director of EventZone.  “The music has a broad appeal, and the performances will be flat out fun.  Plus the food is another feature of the festival – the ribs, BarBQ are always finger licking.”
Voted one of the best local festivals in the Roanoke Valley, SunTrust Big Lick Blues, has received strong community support and it is anticipated to draw a larger audience than last year’s 2,000 people.  Early tickets sales have been extremely brisk and reflect the regional appeal and reputation the festival has gained.  Tickets have been sold to fans in all bordering states and beyond, most prominently North Carolina and Maryland, and as far away and Canada.
Here are a few other things to look forward to.  Now a tradition at the SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival - the Martin’s Rib Eating Contest has become a spectacle you can not look away from.  Imagine, five eager rib eaters set out to eat as many ribs as they can in 3 minutes.  It’s messy, it’s gluttonous, it’s not recommended dining manners – but it sure is entertaining.
Also since ribs are a major part of this festival – the U.S. Foods Rib Cook-Off competition has been expanded this year to include a “People’s Choice” category.  This way all festival attendees will be able to participate in selecting “Roanoke’s Best Ribs.”  In addition to their regular menu, each Rib Cook-Off contestant will offer a $2.00 – 2 ribs “People’s Choice Sample” for sale – so you can try them all! This year’s U.S. Foods Rib Cook-Off competitors are expected to include Bastian’s BarBQ, Pitt Boss, Blue 5, Martin’s and more.

This year’s musical entertainment is sure to please.

Delbert McClinton
The 3-time Grammy® winner’s music has been called, "Breathtaking, hardcore roadhouse rhythm & blues" by Rolling Stone magazine.  Ask Delbert what kind of music he and his 6-piece band play and he'll say "Fun music".
Texas born and raised, Delbert’s blues credentials really started while playing in The Straightjackets, the house band for an all black blues club south of Ft. Worth, TX.  It’s there that Delbert got to meet and play with the legends he had heard on radio. Sonny Boy Williamson, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Bobby "Blue" Bland, he backed them all. By the late 50's Delbert was making a name for himself around Ft. Worth. He made his first recording in 1960, a cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Wake up Baby" and he played harmonica on Bruce Channel's 1962 hit "Hey Baby", which soared to the top of the pop charts and spawned an English tour. Delbert honed his chops as a songwriter in the 1970's, with his songs recorded by Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings and Doug Sahm. "B Movie Boxcar Blues" was used in the Blues Brothers movie. In addition to his Grammy® awards, he's had two #1 Blues Albums with two others charting in the top 10.  But, it's as a performing artist that Delbert has really made his mark. He began by playing roadhouses all over Texas and has since made his way around the world and is considered one of the most dynamic performers on the music scene.
Delbert’s thirteenth studio album, Acquired Taste, was just released in August 2009. The album is produced by Grammy® winning producer Don Was (Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt). It is the first new studio recording by McClinton in over four years.

Rev. Billy C. Wirtz & Victor Wainwright
Rev. Billy C. Wirtz - From the moment he sits down at the piano and lights into his Southern old-time gospel and blues with a twist, the six-foot-five-inch, goateed, tattooed tongue-in-cheek "Rev." commands the stage and spreads the "gospel" like nobody's business. With puns flying as fast as his fingers, the Rev. plays masterly boogie-woogie and barrelhouse riffs. While widely recognized as a humorist, music is his forte.
Victor Wainwright - is an MTV-weened twenty something who’s sold his soul to blues roots rock R&B. He effortlessly pays frequent homage to past music greats, while simultaneously adding his own youthful excitement. He's a raucous high-octane boogie-billy crowd pleaser.  In addition to his gigs with the good Rev. Billy C., Victor is also extremely busy as a solo act and with his two bands – Florida based band, Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots, and his Memphis based band, The Victor Wainwright Boogie and Blues Revue, is one of the most sought after club bands in Memphis.

Stacy Brooks
With her diverse background, Stacy delivers dynamic vocals and toe tapping, head bobbing feel good music that crosses all barriers. After forming The Stacy Brooks Band in February 2007, she was nominated for "New Artist of the Year" by The Washington Area Music Association. Since she began her quest of the blues she has been working non-stop up and down the east coast bridging the age gap on the blues circuit and importing fans from other genres. She has shared the stage with blues greats like Kenny Neal, Bobby Parker, Memphis Gold, Randy Lippincott, Lonie Shields, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, just to name a few. Her arrangements keep the integrity of traditional Chicago & Delta blues while adding her distinctive flare.

Mo’ Hippa Band
Winner of the 2009 Blue Ridge Blues Society’s band competition.  The Mo’ Hippa Band. From Waynesboro, VA, will prove a terrific act to open the festival.  They’ll bring their fun, hard drivin’ blues back to Roanoke once again.

SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival is sponsored in part by Kroger, McDonald’s, WDBJ-7, Cox Communications, WROV-FM, Budweiser, ESI - Electronic Systems, Inc., Pepsi, City Magazine, U.S. Foodservice, Lee Hartman & Sons, Inc., Martin’s Bar & Grill, Best Western Valley View.

Festival tickets are available at all regional SunTrust Bank locations or through the EventZone website.  For more information about SunTrust Big Lick Blues Festival, visit www.EventZone.org.