The heart of downtown Shake Rag District in Bowling Green, KY, is about to reverberate with blues from Nov. 20-22 as the inaugural Porter Parish Grainger Blues Festival kicks off. The free public event, hosted by the Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation and organized by Lamont Jack Pearley—a New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee—brings performances, artist workshops and panel discussions focused on Black contributions to the blues.
For Bowling Green locals and music fans alike, this festival is more than just three days of entertainment:
It honours Kentucky native Porter Parish Grainger, a vaudeville-era blues composer, playwright and publisher who once lived in the Shake Rag District, now a registered historic neighbourhood.
The venue itself — the Shake Rag District — carries historic weight, symbolizing the cultural and social roots of a once-thriving African-American community in Bowling Green.
Lamont Jack Pearley, with credentials that include induction into the New York Blues Hall of Fame as both Great Blues Historian / TV & Radio Producer and Great Blues Artist, links the festival to national-level blues heritage.
The festival is free and open to the public, making it accessible to families, students, and anyone curious about the blues and local history.
The Porter Parish Grainger Blues Festival promises an exciting mix of performances and community engagement. Audiences can look forward to sets from both emerging and established blues artists, including Jontavious Willis, Marjorie “Ms. M” Marshall, Michael Gough, John Martin, and Ian Lovellace.
Beyond live music, the event will offer interactive workshops and songwriting sessions where attendees can collaborate with master artists to compose and perform their own original blues pieces — blending education and creativity in true community spirit. Panel discussions will dive into the business, history, and culture of blues, covering topics like songwriting, copyright, publishing, and the genre’s enduring cultural influence.
More than just a festival, this event represents a cultural and heritage boost for Bowling Green. It highlights the city’s role in the wider American blues tradition, encouraging residents to celebrate their local legacy while drawing in visitors and music tourism. As Lamont Jack Pearley noted, “The blues speaks to the human condition — the lived experiences and resilience of the Black South… Kentucky is often recognized as part of the Delta states, which deeply influenced blues themes.”
Bowling Green is about to become a blues destination for a weekend—where the strings, the stories, and the soulful legacy of Porter Parish Grainger will find a stage right here in our city. Lock in Nov. 20–22 and get ready for a blues-infused celebration of heritage, community and musical power.
