Houghton Lake Blues Festival

05/30/2026

Get ready, festival fans! The countdown is officially ON! 🎉

The Houghton Lake Area Tourism Bureau is absolutely thrilled to share the spectacular, jam-packed lineup for our 9th Annual Houghton lake Blues Festival this summer on July 17 and 18!

Houghton Lake Blues Festival volunteers and artists have been working behind the scenes to make this year’s event our biggest and best one yet. Share the magic of Houghton Lake.

Do us a huge favor—hit that LIKE button and SHARE this post with your friends and family so nobody misses out on the summer event of the season!

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We are happy to announce the exciting program for the 9th annual festival on July 17 and 18. Please share and like this. Looking for places to stay? Visit the Houghton Tourism Bureau https://facebook.com/hl.a.tourism or https://www.visithoughtonlake.com

05/28/2026

Thank you Houghton Lake Resorter for including us in your 2026 summer guide!
Have a look at page 34. https://www.houghtonlakeresorter.com/pageview/viewer/SummerSeasons2026
We also appreciate the listing on Channel 9 & 10 https://www.9and10news.com/events/?_evDiscoveryPath=/event/3626756-houghton-lake-blues-festival

05/27/2026

Headliner Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials is an example of Chicago Blues. What is the difference between the Delta Blues and the Chicago Blues?
Delta blues and Chicago blues are both important subgenres of the blues, but they developed in different regions and have distinct characteristics. Delta blues originated in the Mississippi Delta and is known for its raw, acoustic sound, often featuring solo performances with guitar and harmonica. In contrast, Chicago blues emerged when musicians from the south migrated to Chicago and adapted the blues to an urban environment. This style is typically electric and features a full band with amplified instruments.

05/26/2026

The good news keeps coming!
Blues Hall of Famer, Lil'Ed and the Blues Imperials, a rock solid, road-tested Chicago blues band, will be the headliner on Saturday evening and close out the Houghton Lake Blues Festival. A short video will give you a taste of what is to come. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/O5lW6QaH39c
You cannot miss this free festival with free parking and food and beverage vendors. Make Houghton Lake your destination for July 17 and 18!
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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

05/12/2026

We are happy to announce the exciting program for the 9th annual festival on July 17 and 18. Please share and like this. Looking for places to stay? Visit the Houghton Tourism Bureau https://facebook.com/hl.a.tourism or https://www.visithoughtonlake.com

05/07/2026

Blues lovers get your Blues Festival Guide!

The Blues Festival Guide team is excited to announce our 2026 magazine cover featuring the talented Vanessa Collier! Photo by Marilyn Stringer. The magazine will hit the streets later this month -- order your copy now at BluesFestivalGuide.com!
https://bluesfestivalguide.com/

04/06/2026

We have great news to share with you.
Motor City guitar hero, Jim McCarty, will be the headliner of the 2026 Houghton Lake Blues Festival.
A blues-rock guitarist, McCarty, is celebrated for his work with Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Cactus, The Rockets, and collaborations with legends like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Seger.
You do not want to miss this! Put it on your calendar! July 18!

01/16/2026

The Houghton Lake Blues Festival will take place on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, 2026. Please like and share this post!!! 🎸🎶🔥🎵😎. Stay tuned for more information about the exciting artist line-up and sponsorship opportunities.

07/25/2025

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Last week Friday, the 8th annual Houghton Lake Blues Festival began. The weather was not great, affecting the attendance but the musicians did an outstanding job. The level of performance was amazing with each artist playing and singing its heart out. We would like to thank them all! Lynn Callihan had the tough job of opening the festival. He was marvelous and boy, does he know how to sing the blues. All the way from Detroit, Lester Hambone Brown, really put it out there, showing off his serious guitar chops. He was supported by Duke Kelley (former Coco Taylor's drummer) on drums, Jimmy Jabara on keyboard and harp and "Smokin" Joe Thomas on bass guitar. A surprise visit of Brenda Taylor Ricci really lit up the night.
On Saturday, festival opened with a really fun band, StoneFolk followed by guitar wiz from Mississippi, Brian T. Curran. Then the stage filled with Brenda Taylor Ricci and a very solid supporting band with Karen Brown (vocals), Brian Curran, Jimmy Jabara, Lester Hambone Brown, "Smokin" Joe Thomas. and Duke Kelley. What a show! The evening wrapped up with the long-awaited performance by Larry McCray and his fantastic band consisting of Jim Alverson on key, Steven McCray on drums, and Joe Belose on bass guitar. Brenda sat in with Larry for a few songs. It was again a treat to have the Aaron David Sound company taking care of the sound and lights. Thank you, Aaron Smith and Doug Marra.

This festival would not be possible without the leadership of Deborah Gouin and Jimmy Jabara. A special shout out to the Houghton Lake Chamber for its partnership and the many sponsors of the event. We would also like to mention Q100Michigan and the Houghton Lake Resorter for their media support.

See you next year!!!

07/19/2025

Rain or shine - the show will go on!