Hemlock fairgrounds to host Fanatics' 'A Weekend of Blues' festival

It may be a little tavern in a little Livingston County village, but Fanatics Pub and Pizza in Lima has, over the past several years, earned a big profile in the area blues scene.

The caliber of national and regional artists who’ve played the bar off Routes 5 and 20 in the village speaks to Fanatics' reputation: Americana singer-songwriter Steve Forbert, who had a 1979 hit with “Romeo’s Tune.” Guitarist Duke Robillard, founder of Roomful of Blues and former member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The Fabulous Thunderbirds themselves, the blues-rock outfit best known to the general public for “Tuff Enuff,” a No. 10 hit in 1986.

So does the lineup that Fanatics owner Jim Shelly has put together for a three-day blues festival June 17-19 at the Hemlock Fairgrounds. “A Weekend of Blues” features the likes of Sue Foley, who last month claimed the Traditional Blues Album award and Traditional Blues Female Artist – Koko Taylor Award at the 43rd annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis. And Joe Louis Walker, a Blues Hall of Fame member with a career spanning half a century. And soul blues artist Johnny Rawls, a onetime member of O.V. Wright’s band who’s played with Little Milton, B.B. King, Bobby Bland and hosts of other blues luminaries.

"It’s a really good mixture of different kinds of blues,” Shelly said, adding, “It’s a great community, the blues community. The people are very supportive.”

Shelly has hosted the Crossroads blues festival at the Lima bar for years, with the next one planned for Aug. 4-7. He put together a fest last year in conjunction with the Western New York Blues Society, when touring acts were just getting off the ground, and is partnering with the blues society again for another fairgrounds festival this September.

The Hemlock fairgrounds is a good fit for the festival, he noted, with bathroom facilities, space for food and beer trucks (there will also be wine, seltzer and hard cider) and camping facilities for those who choose to make it a weekend at the fest site. There are 200 campsites available, with water and power; for camping information call 585-367-3370 or go to www.hemlockfair.org.

The festival will benefit "respectandbekind," a nonprofit started by Tim Hickey of Rochester with his young grandchildren, aimed at promoting the virtues of kindness, respect, empathy, gratitude and compassion.

“The ultimate purpose is to develop a program to offer to schools and kids organizations in particular, teaching about the benefits – actual mental health benefits but also physical benefits – of all the aspects surrounding kindness,” Hickey said.

Growing out of conversations with his grandsons when he had temporary custody of them, Respect and Be Kind became a brand, with stickers on poles and shirts at venues throughout the Rochester region, a logo with a geometric pattern and the simple message, “respectandbekind.” Hickey has both given out and sold the merchandise — shirts, stickers, hats and the like — with the proceeds going partly to area charities and partly to run the nonprofit.

“We’re slowly building momentum to get our message out,” he said.

A weekend pass for the festival is $70 advance, $80 the day of the show. Tickets are $10 for Friday only and $40 for Saturday or Sunday only ($50 the day of the show). Tickets are available at 315-573-2411 or through EventBrite at www.EventBrite.com/e/260264396817.

The lineup for “A Weekend of Blues” is as follows:

Friday, June 17

7 p.m.: Cinnamon Jones, a Rochester-based artist who encompasses soul, R&B, gospel, blues, jazz and pop. She’s the creator of the recent “Lady of Song” stage show featuring singers embodying such artists as Billie Holiday and Tina Turner.

9 p.m.: Miller and the Other Sinners, a Buffalo-based Southern soul band who’ve played some 800 shows since 2015, when Miller came together with members of Rochester-area gospel/R&B band The Campbell Brothers and internationally known musicians.

Saturday, June 18

1 p.m.: Johnny Rawls, a soul blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, arranger and record producer. A multiple Blues Music Award nominee, Rawls was awarded Soul Blues Album of the Year at the 40th Blues Music Awards.

3 p.m.: King Solomon Hicks, a 24-year-old guitarist and singer who grew up steeped in the blues and jazz of Harlem – roots displayed on his album “Harlem,” which garnered the Best Emerging Artist Award in 2021 at the Blues Music Awards.

5 p.m.: Sue Foley Band, led by Canadian blues singer/guitarist Foley who has more then 15 albums to her credit. Foley has played the Rochester area many times.

Sunday, June 19

Noon: Tas Cru Band, a Syracuse-based band featuring Tas Cru, a shuffle-swing-blues singer, guitarist and songwriter with multiple nominations for the 2022 Independent Blues Awards.

2 p.m.: John Nemeth & The Blues Dreamers, featuring electric blues and soul singer Nemeth, songwriter and harmonica player, who has opened for the likes of Keb’ Mo’ and Robert Cray.

4 p.m.: Joe Louis Walker Band, featuring Blues Hall of Famer Walker, a singer and guitarist active in the blues scene for nearly 60 years. NPR Music has called him “a legendary boundary-pushing icon of modern blues.”

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Hemlock fairgrounds to host Fanatics' 'A Weekend of Blues' festival