Wilco, Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan lead 2022 Roots N Blues festival field

One of America's most enduring rock bands, an icon of R&B and a familiar face on late-night TV will be among the marquee names when the Roots N Blues festival returns to Stephens Lake Park from Oct. 7-9.

Wilco, Chaka Khan and Jon Batiste will be among this year's headliners, festival organizers announced Friday. Among the other 2022 headliners are the Jack Antonoff-led Bleachers, country legend Tanya Tucker — who pulled out of the 2021 lineup citing health concerns — and stalwart string band Old Crow Medicine Show.

Wilco and Tucker will lead the festival's Friday-night lineup; Batiste and Khan comprise a formidable 1-2 punch Saturday; and Bleachers and Old Crow Medicine Show will share headlining duties Sunday.

The 2021 festival pulled off a historic feat, ensuring female representation in every lineup slot. Looking ahead at 2022 and beyond, the festival will always include women artists and artists of color among its headliners, co-owner Tracy Lane said in a recent Tribune interview.

More: How Roots N Blues festival owners are making music history

"The central focus of our vision for the future of this festival is equity — both on and off the stage," Lane said in a news release accompanying the announcement. "We strive to remove the barriers around live music — gender, age, race, ability and income — for our artists, staff and audience."

For their efforts, Lane and business partner Shay Jasper were honored late last month among the Women of Live 2022 field, selected by leading industry publication Pollstar and VenuesNow.

What to know about 2022 headliners Wilco, Khan and Batiste

A Chicago outfit, Wilco has paid back the influence of indie- and roots-rock artists, reshaping those genres over nearly 30 years as a band. Bandleader Jeff Tweedy owns a long history with Columbia, playing here early and often — first with pioneering alt-country band Uncle Tupelo, then with Wilco.

Thursday's edition of Tweedy's Starship Casual newsletter related a story about Uncle Tupelo driving on a few hours' notice to open for Warren Zevon at The Blue Note in the late 1980s.

Khan, the voice behind hits such as "I'm Every Woman" and "I Feel For You," is a 10-time Grammy winner and ranks among "the most dynamic and accomplished artists to debut during the early '70s," AllMusic noted.

Fans of Stephen Colbert may know Batiste as the late-night host's bandleader, but the Louisiana native does so much more. Batiste, who won't turn 36 until a month after the festival, won a best original score Oscar for Pixar's 2020 film "Soul."

More: How Roots N Blues roared back to life with special musical moments

And Sunday night, viewers can tune in to see how he fares at the Grammys, where he leads the field with 11 nominations, including album of the year, record of the year and best R&B album.

Who else will play this year's Roots N Blues?

Roots N Blues veterans set to return in 2022 include Larkin Poe, Tank and the Bangas, Houndmouth, the SteelDrivers, and California, Missouri, native Kassi Ashton.

Ashton is among the caliber of artist that will headline the fest in a few short years, Jasper recently told the Tribune.

Hippo Campus, Cautious Clay, Jaime Wyatt and The Dip are among the new and emerging names on this year's roster. And Missouri acts The Kay Brothers, Sifa, J.ARTiz & the MO’ Soul Collective, Meredith Shaw and Jen Norman will share the bill.

"We're continuing to expand on what we started in 2021 by exploring all corners of American Roots Music — moving away from a narrow definition and adopting a broader view of what roots music is," Jasper said in a release.

Who plays Roots N Blues Day One, Friday Oct. 7?

MU Health Care Stage:

4:30 p.m. Meredith Shaw

5:45 p.m. Jaime Wyatt

7:15 p.m. Tanya Tucker

EquipmentShare Stage:

5:15 p.m. The Kay Brothers

6:45 p.m. Hippo Campus

8:30 p.m. Wilco

Who plays Roots N Blues Day Two, Saturday Oct. 8?

MU Health Care Stage:

2:30 p.m. The Dip

4 p.m. Cautious Clay

5:30 p.m. Tank and the Bangas

7:15 p.m. Chaka Khan

EquipmentShare Stage:

2 p.m. J.ARTiz & the MO’ Soul Collective

3:30 p.m. Kassi Ashton

5 p.m. Jackie Venson

6:45 p.m. Larkin Poe

8:30 p.m. Jon Batiste

Who plays Roots N Blues Day Three, Sunday Oct. 9?

MU Health Care Stage:

1 p.m. Sifa

2:30 p.m. Brittney Spencer

4 p.m. The SteelDrivers

5:45 p.m. Old Crow Medicine Show

EquipmentShare Stage:

2 p.m. The Heavy Heavy

3:30 p.m. Liz Cooper

5:15 p.m. Houndmouth

7 p.m. Bleachers

Passes and tickets are on sale as of noon Friday. Learn more about Roots N Blues 2022, and find the full artist lineup, at https://rootsnbluesfestival.com/.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. Find him on Twitter @aarikdanielsen. 

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Wilco, Batiste, Khan, Tucker big names in 2022 Roots N Blues reveal