The 14th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival and Silver Spring Blues Week is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for Festival Day Saturday, June 17th at Downtown Silver Spring.

Join us Sunday, June 11th at 6pm on the lawn at Wolf Trap as we Kick Off Silver Spring Blues Week with Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell with Samantha Fish ft. Jesse Dayton and the Robert Randolph Band.. Buy your Lawn Tickets NOW while supplies last and join our group for an exciting evening of music with Buddy Guy!

Blues legend Buddy Guy’s Damn Right Farewell Tour features the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer performing with Samantha Fish and Robert Randolph Band, two acts poised to carry the torch Guy championed during his more than 50 year career. Look forward to hits like “First Time I Met the Blues,” “Damn Right, I’ve Got the Blues,” and more, plus new fan favorites from his latest No. 1 album, The Blues Don’t Lie (2022).

Look for us as you pass through the gates and head toward the center part of the lawn. Since most of us will be bringing chairs to sit on, we will need to be at the upper/back part of the lawn. We will try to get space as close to the center/rear lawn as possible. Look for a group of SS Blues fans wearing Silver Spring Blues Festival t-shirts. T-shirts in all sizes and a variety of colors. $12 each!

Get your tickets from Wolf Trap, but please RSVP to let us know you're coming and how many people will be with you. lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com.

Rick Franklin was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1952 to a military family. The family traveled the US and England until 1968 when the family returned to Virginia and his father retired from military service. Since 1981, the Arlington, Virginia resident has been playing acoustic guitar and singing the Blues at community events, local festivals, international festivals, as well as various clubs, cafes and other venues. Rick's musical style is an acoustic finger style blues with vocals known as the "Piedmont Blues” identified with such legendary players as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller and William Moore along with players and friends like “Bowling Green” John Cephas, John Jackson, and Archie Edwards. Rick has taught guitar to youths and adults both nationally and internationally. He is personally committed to the preservation and diffusion of the Blues, especially amongst the young. Rick has been on the European Blues Association Blues Week faculty, the Port Townsend Blues Week faculty, and the Augusta Heritage Center Blues Week faculty. He has been an Executive Board member of the DC Blues Society and helped organize and performed in the first annual DC Blues Festival. Rick also contributed to the DC Blues Society as a music critic for their monthly and quarterly publication. In addition to solo performances and performances with “Harmonica” Phil Wiggins, Rick also performs in the area with the popular acoustic blues trio Franklin, Harpe, and Usilton and the more recently popular acoustic blues trio, Rick Franklin and His Delta Blues Boys. These groups perform blues and ragtime music and songs from the 1920s and 1930s in the Memphis, St. Louis guitar-duet and Piedmont style. Franklin, Harpe and Usilton have released a CD entitled "Hokum Blues" and the trio has also been featured on cable television for Arlington, Fairfax and Montgomery Counties. Franklin & Harpe have also released a CD entitled “Doin’ The Dozens”. Rick's third release, “Searching for Frank” is also a joint project with Mike Baytop. Rick’s latest release “Dancing With My Baby” is a joint project with Tom Mindte. Rick Franklin and His Delta Blues Boys have been featured on cable television for Arlington County and perform monthly in Arlington since 2005. Rick has performed throughout the D.C. metropolitan area at events such as the Washington Folk Festival, Northern Virginia Folk Festival, the DC Blues Society Blues Festival, the Columbia Pike Blues Festival, the Herndon Blues Festival, the National Portrait Gallery, Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress and at Arlington schools as a member of the Arlington County Public Schools Humanities Project. Rick has also performed at out of town events such as the Old Songs Festival, Altamont, NY, the Port Townsend Country Blues Festival, Port Townsend, Washington, the Kastav Blues Festival in Croatia, the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Festival in Bristol, Virginia and for the Baltimore Blues Society

Reserve your table now.

Celebrate the 14th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival and Blues Week with an unforgettable evening, featuring an exclusive three-course prix-fixe dinner and a live performance by world-renowned Boogie Woogie Bluesman Daryl Davis & vocalist Deletta Gillespie.

Dinner and Show: Tuesday, June 13th, Seating 5.30PM – 6.45PM; Show: 7PM - 8.45PM

Reserved seating in dining room for dinner & show: $25 per person ticket plus $45 blues-inspired prix-fixe dinner. Free parking available for all dinner guests.

Seating is limited. Reserve your table now.

Please Note: The $25 ticket price supports the artists as well as the Silver Spring Blues Festival. It does not include food and beverage.

Cancellation policy: Contact J.Hollinger’s for a full refund of the $25 ticket price up to 7 days prior to the event (June 6^th). Because of limited space, there are no refunds after June 6^th. Space is limited. RESERVE TODAY!

J. Hollinger’s Waterman’s Chophouse is Silver Spring’s latest dining destination. The latest creation from chef and restaurateur Jerry Hollinger features chophouse classics, a raw bar, fresh seafood, and hyper-seasonal local produce, using only the finest ingredients from around the globe.

DARYL DAVIS is an award-winning international music recording and touring artist, author, actor, and lecturer on race relations. Known for his energetic Blues, Boogie Woogie virtuosity, as well as his Rock'n'Roll piano playing and singing, he has shared the stage with Chuck Berry and many other musical icons.Daryl is equally renowned for his expertise in facilitating deep dialogue on race relations, having helped over 200 KKK members leave the Ku Klux Klan. Through his work transforming hearts and minds, he has been recognized as the Rock'n'Roll Race Reconciliator, receiving numerous invitations from around the globe to share his incredible story.

DELETTA GILLESPIE is an impassioned performing artist and a well-sought after vocalist. Having performed on stage her entire life, she has a lush yet powerful voice that soars with the Blues as well as with a wide range of musical styles. Deletta is also a multi-disciplinary teacher in the fields of theatre and Black history, and an activist who is deeply committed to creating opportunities for challenging and courageous conversation.

About the Silver Spring Blues Festival & Blues Week: This performance is part of Silver Spring Blues Week, June 11 - 17 and in celebration of the 14th Annual Silver Spring Blues Festival. Learn more at www.silverspringbluesfest.com

Enjoy all the good vibes that the Blues and a natural setting can bring on a relaxing summer afternoon! Join us for a special Blues Week Picnic featuring the acoustic music of Spice Cake Wednesday, June 14th 4pm-7pm at the magical, urban oasis known as the Koiner Farm. Bring your picnic blankets and chairs along with your own picnic basket including your favorite beverage.

Between Spice Cake's sets, you can also hear a SPARKL:E Blues Through Poetry Open Mic with Poet Brenda Bunting & friends. Details below.

Spice Cake blends Yaya Patterson’s vocals with Miles Spicer’s acoustic guitar to create a tasty blues treat. Miles has been a part of the Washington, DC area acoustic blues scene since the 1990’s. Yaya has played music from a young age She studied music therapy and jazz voice at a collegiate level and, in addition, is a songwriter and guitarist. Yaya’s youthful, exuberant energy and Miles’ extensive experience, especially playing Piedmont blues, are Spice Cake’s key ingredients, and their performances of original songs and blues standards alike will leave you wanting more.

Celebrate Silver Spring Blues Week with a "Blues Through Poetry" Open Mic hosted by Award-winning Poet Brenda Bunting Wednesday, June 14th at 4pm at the Koiner Farm. Gather under the Tulip Poplar and enjoy an afternoon of poetry inspired by the Blues with roots in the African American experience. Poets of all abilities are welcome to share their "Blues-inspired" poetry.

Award-winning Orator, Poet, and Spoken Word Artist Brenda Bunting is the author of Poems of Love and Violence In Between Life and Death. She has her Masters in Teaching from New York University. She is a Literary Leader in Prince George's County, MD and a life member of the Kentucky State Poetry Society. Brenda has been widely published in print and online in anthologies and other forums. She has been a featured poet on cable TV, Blogtalk Radio and internet magazines. Brenda is the immediate Past President of Silver Spring Town Center Inc. and a Humanities Teacher in Washington DC.

Presented by SSTCi in collaboration with Silver Spring Village. The SPARKLE Program is a monthly community outreach series in the Silver Spring Civic Building that enriches the lives of seniors in our area. SPARKLE stands for Senior Programs Aimed at Re-Kindling Lifetime Engagement. *Events are now held virtually at this time.

Reggie Right Eye & the Missing Pieces features top musicians from the DMV region -- led by longtime Takoma Park resident Reggie "Right Eye" Stout doing blues, roots rock, eclectic covers & originals.

The band was formed in 2018 from a group of seasoned musicians who have played locally, regionally, and nationally for many years -- and originally rotated through as their other commitments allowed. They have settled into a solid regular line-up (and still have first rate back-ups available, if needed). Reggie fronts the band, sings, plays guitar, and writes songs with Jim Ter Maat on guitar, Lucinda O'hh on bass, Neal "Bam" Feldman on drums, Greg Meyer on saxes and vocals, and Barefoot Dave Gorozdos on keys and vocals.

Reggie Right Eye & the Missing Pieces will start with a set of blues originals and covers and then start incorporating jammers from the sign-up list (sign ups start at 6). Blues onlyplease--but all instruments welcome. Missing Pieces will help back up jammers or pair you with others from the list. Backline provided. 3 songs or 15 minutes per jam set, and then if time allows, we can start through the list again. Reggie and the crew will close the evening with a couple of songs around 9.

So come and join the jam, or just come for an evening of Blues and delicious Latin food under the stars on El Golfo's patio!

El Golfo Restaurant is located at 8739 Flower Avenue, Silver Spring, MD.

David Minckler has worked on a wide range of documentaries examining American culture, from steeplechase racing, Appalachia, and Southern literature, to the Obama inauguration, the Women's March and the January 6 riot.

Michael Ford started Yellow Cat Productions, in Oxford, Mississippi in 1972.  Yellow Cat’s initial project was "HOMEPLACE" a 16mm folk documentary. Since then Yellow Cat's work has been seen on ABC, Discovery Channels, Showtime, A&E and PBS stations. Yellow Cat has won numerous awards.

Michael is a writer, producer, director and director of photography.

Still Projects include:

The Berlin Project

The Mississippi Project

The Senegambian Project

The Capitol Hill Project.

The Mississippi work is in the collection of the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. A book, North Mississippi Homeplace, was published by the Library in 2019.

You may pay by check or online at Paypal & send an email with the registration info below.

* Brief description of what you will be selling/promoting ONLY original arts & crafts permitted for sale or informational booths

After completing, please email to lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com to ensure your space. Participation is subject to approval from property owners. Items & services to be sold or promoted cannot compete with area merchants.

or lisa@silverspringtowncenter.com for details.