The Cash Box Kings are the real deal—raw, swaggering, and steeped in the gritty grooves of classic Chicago blues. Co-led by the commanding voice of Oscar Wilson and harmonica ace Joe Nosek, the band delivers a sound that feels timeless and urgent all at once. Their chemistry on stage is electric, blending sharp wit with deep musical chops.

From hard-driving shuffles to slow-burning laments, The Cash Box Kings bring a setlist that moves feet and stirs souls. Their original songs are full of character and grit, echoing the spirit of Muddy Waters while speaking to the stories of today. Every note they play shows a deep love for the blues tradition—without ever sounding stuck in the past.

This is the headliner for a reason. Get ready to see The Cash Box Kings for a Saturday night blowout that brings the Blues Fest to a roaring close.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.

Celebrating a full decade as St. Louis's premier jump-blues outfit, Sweetie & The Toothaches pack a sprawling 7-plus-piece revue that simply dares a crowd to stay still. Front-woman Emilie "Sweetie" Richard belts with gospel-bright grit while a slamming rhythm section, three-piece horn line, and boogie-woogie piano spin a time warp of 1940s dance-floor magic.

The set list mixes jump-blues and R&B classics with original tunes steeped in the feel-good spirit of Ray Charles, Louis Prima, and even a splash of Huey Lewis. It's vintage at heart, yet sharpened by a modern sensibility that keeps every chorus fresh and every horn stab razor-clean. From high-energy shouters to slow-burn ballads, their shows feel less like concerts and more like celebrations you'll talk about all week.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.

For more than three decades, Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials have stood tall in the cradle of Chicago blues, slinging slide-guitar fireworks and roof-rattling shuffles that trace straight back to Ed's uncle and mentor, J.B. Hutto. Ed's gloriously raw bottleneck tone, deep-blues string-bending, and gravel-rich vocals power a sound the Chicago Sun-Times once hailed as "the hottest purveyors of bottleneck boogie to come out of Chicago since Hound Dog Taylor."

The lineup is a true musical family: Ed's half-brother James "Pookie" Young on bass, rhythm-ace Mike Garrett on guitar, and hard-swinging Kelly Littleton on drums. Nine albums, two Blues Music Awards for Band of the Year, and thousands of sweat-drenched shows later, their chemistry borders on telepathic—one downbeat and the groove locks in like a vise.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.

Hudson-Valley front man Chris O'Leary forged his chops in Levon Helm's Barn before launching a band that blends Memphis-groove horns, roadhouse guitar, and Marine-tough harmonica. His songs read like short stories—barrooms, backroads, and battlefields—sung in a voice that can snarl one bar and whisper the next.

Onstage, O'Leary's harp roars like a freight train while the six-piece lineup shifts from second-line swing to slow-burn soul without spilling a drop. Every solo feels earned; every chorus lands like a toast among friends.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.

Born in Laurel, Mississippi—the heart of the Piney Woods—Ra'Shad "The Blues Kid" McGill grew up soaked in soul and gospel long before he ever picked up a guitar. A knee injury ended his college-football plans at Jackson State, but it lit a fire under his first group, the Groove Band, and set him firmly on a musical path he now calls "songs about real situations."

Guided by blues elders like L.C. Ulmer and T-Bone Pruitt, Ra'Shad adopted the "Blues Kid" moniker in 2016 and began criss-crossing genres without apology. Early singles Shake It and the duet-packed album Country Soul (both 2017) paved the way for twin 2021 releases—Southern Side of Soul and Bluz Me—where trail-ride grooves meet electric-blues sting. His socially charged track "Revolution" even grabbed award-show attention for its timely punch.

Momentum hasn't slowed: Living Blues feature in 2022, Blues Festival Guide spotlight in 2024, induction into the Alabama Blues Hall of Fame, honorary membership at Ground Zero, and a silver-prize finish at the 2025 International Blues Challenge. Ra'Shad's résumé reads like a rocket checklist—and our Saturday stage is the next launch pad.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.

Detroit-bred guitarist and vocalist Doug Deming cut his teeth in Motor City barrooms before relocating to Florida's Gulf Coast, carrying a crisp, vintage tone inspired by T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian, and Robert Jr. Lockwood. His traditional approach earned him the 2013 Blues Blast "Sean Costello Rising Star" Award, but he's never stopped chasing the next great groove.

With four studio albums of mostly original material—most recently Complicated Mess—Deming marries jump-blues swagger to early-'50s roots-rock grit. Two decades on the road have seen him share stages and sessions with Kim Wilson, Lazy Lester, and AC Reed, yet it's his own band, The Jewel Tones, that really lets him shine: upright bass thump, swinging drums, and sax lines that sparkle like chrome.

Live, they glide from West Coast and Texas swing to roadhouse shuffles so tight you could set your watch to them. If you crave rockin' rhythm & blues played the old-school way—no frills, all feel—clear your Friday night.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.

Wichita vocalist-harmonica player Dustin Arbuckle made his name with roots-rock trio Moreland & Arbuckle; with The Damnations he tears down genre walls altogether. Slide-driven blues, swampy Southern soul, and outlaw-country twang collide in sets that trade guitar and harp licks like friendly fire.

Their latest EPs pushes further into Americana, stomping backbeats, and lyrics that read like Steinbeck on the highway. Onstage, Arbuckle's weathered tenor anchors jams that can surge from hypnotic drone to freight-train boogie in sixty seconds flat.

Join us for the 40th-Anniversary Blues Fest on September 19–20, 2025, at LeClaire Park in Davenport, IA, on the banks of the Mississippi River, for two days of incredible music, great food, and unforgettable vibes.