Delbert McClinton, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Ana Popovic to play Sarasota Blues Fest

The Sarasota Blues and Music Festival takes another fresh step outside its namesake genre this year with two-time Grammy Award winner Delbert McClinton, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Ana Popovic, Curtis Salgado, Paul Thorn and prodigy act Pett Crow scheduled to perform at Ed Smith Stadium on Sept. 29.

Texas roots music hero McClinton, best known for the 1981 hit "Giving it Up for Your Love" and penning "Two More Bottles of Wine,"  headlined the festival in 2001 and 2005.

Royal Southern Brotherhood is a Dixie-flavored soul, rock and funk playing supergroup with singer and percussionist Cyril Neville (The Meters, The Neville Brothers, Galactic), vocalist/guitarist Devon Allman (Honeytribe), Blues Music Award-winning vocalist/guitarist Mike Zito, drummer Yonrico Scott (Derek Trucks Band) and bassist Charlie Wooton. Devon fronted his Honeytribe band and then performed with  his dad, Gregg Allman, at the 2006 Sarasota Blues Festival.

Blues-rock singer, songwriter and guitarist Popovic; soul singer/songwriter Salgado; WMNF fave and Mississippi-raised prizefighter turned scrappy singer/songwriter Thorn and Pett Crow are making their Sarasota Blues debut.

New Orleans supafunk star Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews made a big splash at the festival in 2010 while genre-hopping rockers Los Lobos headlined last year. 

For the 22nd annual festival this fall, producer Three Zebras Entertainment promises a Saturday celebration of music, fun and family-friendly entertainment.

This year’s festival will offer VIP ticket buyers food and beverage service, upgraded beer and wine and a separate restroom area, all of which will be in close proximity to the artists on stage. To make this year’s festival more family friendly, fans with children can try out The Family Fun Zone, an area with amusement rides and games for the young ones.

“Ensuring families have a great time from the moment they enter the gates is a big part of how we approached the festival this year,” said Bill Haggett, General Manager of the Sarasota Blues and Music Festival, in a statement. “And continuing the tradition of bringing the best of the blues to Sarasota is apparent in the all-star lineup this year. We can’t wait for September 29th!”

Tickets to the 22nd Annual Sarasota Blues and Music Festival go on sale June 22 and are available at sarasotabluesfest.com. Gates open at 11 a.m. Sept. 29, with musical talent starting at noon and lasting until the festival’s end at 10 p.m. Advance sale general admission tickets are $22 and children under the age of 14 are free with paid adult admission. A limited number of VIP tickets are available for $75.

—Photos of Ana Popovic (top) and Delbert McClinton provided by Sarasota Blues and Music Fest.