With a voice that feeds the soul, songs that speak to the heart, and guitar playing that will make you move, Bill Grady is not to be ignored. After discovering the lost art of slide guitar while attending Berklee College of Music, he began studying the classic slide masters and well as the great songwriters and composers of days gone by. Between his soulful vocals, slide guitar prowess, and vivid songwriting, his live shows are unlike any acoustic act you’ve ever seen.

Bill performs both as a soloist and with the full BILL GRADY BAND. He has graced many stages, such as the Chicago Blues Festival, Manifest Chicago, and Blottopia, as well as performing with on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers.  Great Moments in Vinyl (GMIV) with founder William Lindsey Cochran (aka Bill Cochran) has featured Bill covering various artists in many of their performances.

Chicago blues ‘triple threat’ (slide guitar, harmonica, and vocals) Nigel Mack delivers a high-energy show that fuses blues classics with the punch of contemporary original blues. Seamlessly switching between instruments, Nigel Mack is equally proficient at them all. Saskatoon native and former Vancouver resident, Nigel Mack has been living and performing in ‘the home of the blues’, Chicago, IL since 2003. His critically acclaimed CDs include Devil’s Secrets, Road Rage and High Price to Play. The Devil’s Secrets, was the #1 Canadian blues CD of 2012 nationwide in Canada on Galaxy Satellite radio. Mack’s original compositions have been featured on television sound-tracks ‘Dawson’s Creek’, ‘The Street’ and ‘Time of Your Life’.

His many awards include ‘Best Self Produced CD’, by the Windy City Blues Society, Chicago, IL; First Runner Up (Band Category) Chicago Blues Challenge; International Songwriting Competition, Semi Finalist; First Runner Up (Solo/Duo Category), Chicago Blues Challenge; ‘Best Guitarist’ Nominee, Maple Blues Awards; ‘Best Blues/R&B CD’ Nominee, West Coast Music Awards

The Cash Box Kings are bona fide blues royalty. Co-led by vocalist and songwriter Oscar Wilson and Madison, Wisconsin-based songwriter, harmonica giant and singer Joe Nosek, the band plays masterfully raw and unvarnished houserocking blues. Wilson's huge, gritty vocals and Nosek's powerhouse harmonica fuel their razor-sharp original songs. With their top shelf musicianship and trademark good humor, The Cash Box Kings are a one-of-a-kind blues band. In the words of MOJO magazine, the band is "flawless."

Mixing tough Chicago and Delta blues, jumping proto-rock 'n' roll, and steamrolling blues-abilities, they attack every song they play with contemporary authority and old school authenticity. The extraordinary ensemble p laying between Nosek, Wilson, guitarist Billy Flynn, bassist John W. Lauler, drummer Kenny "Beedy Eyes" Smith and their friend, pianist Queen Lee Kenehira. The musicians feed off of each other's ideas and energy, effortlessly moving from a lowdown purr to a full throttle roar. 

We are thrilled to welcome home Will County native and University of Illinois graduate Laurie Morvan, who leads the highly acclaimed and high energy Laurie Morvan Band. Based in Long Beach, CA, the band honed its tight, fiery sound performing over 800 shows together including 80 festivals throughout the USA, Canada and Europe. Their CD, “GRAVITY”, released in 2018, made the 1st Round Grammy Ballot for Best Contemporary Blues, and was nominated for Best Blues Album of 2018 in the prestigious Downbeat Reader’s Poll. “Tasty yet blistering Strat work that hits all the right notes and overflows with soul.” (Vintage Guitar). The band also garnered the attention of the international market with a nomination for Best New Artist in the 2018 Independent Blues Awards. “Laurie is one hell of a great guitarist and if you have not had the pleasure of seeing her, put it on your must do list!” (Blues Blast).

Female blues guitarist Laurie Morvan, WINNER Blues Foundation award for Best Self-Produced CD at the International Blues Challenge, has a unique, fiery guitar style, and has been highlighted in feature articles in Guitar Player, Vintage Guitar and Modern Guitars magazines. Not just a wailin' guitar slinger, Laurie is a compelling lead vocalist and songwriter who writes from personal stories filled with pain, triumph, hope, and her characteristic humor. Performances feature crowd-pleasing harmonies of backup singer/percussionist Lisa Morvan along with dueling solos between Laurie, keyboardist Tom Salyers and bassist Pat Morvan, fueled by the intense blues rock foundation of drummer Robert Gates. 

More info: Joliet Blues Festival