The 2007 festival is the biggest and most ambitious to date and Movinmusic in our role as festival programmers and in conjunction with Maryport Festivals Ltd is pleased to have secured major artists to headline along with the very best international musicians performing over the weekend.

Friday Evening
Friday 27th July 7.00 p.m. -12.00 p.m.

Gary Moore is acknowledged as one of the finest rock blues guitarists of all time and will headline the Friday night at Maryport Blues Festival. Belfast born Moore will join another great Belfast born musician, Van Morrison, who headlines the festival on the Saturday with his eleven piece band. In a career that dates back to the 1960s, there are few musical genres that Moore has not turned his adroit musical hand to, and he has graced the line-ups of several notable rock bands: Thin Lizzy, Colosseum 11, Greg Lake and Skid Row as well as having a successful solo career. In 1979, Gary's solo career began in earnest with the evocative hit single, 'Parisienne Walkways', which pitched Gary's tasteful, blues-soaked lead guitar with a moody Phil Lynott guest vocal. The single reached the UK Top Ten in April of that year, and the subsequent album, 'Back On The Streets' was similarly well received. Among many cameo appearances over the years, he performed the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from the album Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3. Gary His biggest British hit single was "Out in the Fields", which reached number five in 1985. Moore now appears as a regular radio host every Sunday and Monday on 'Planet Rock' radio. His show is entitled 'Blues Power' and plays many classic blues tracks, as well as some of Moore's own tracks.

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A performance by Eric Bibb is an enriching experience, both musically and spiritually. His music, like his personality, is intimate, assured and passionate, drawing listeners into the moment more as participants than as spectators. His rich and sensitive vocals and lyrics provide a perfect balance to his fine fingerpicking technique. Purveying a beautifully realized and deftly accomplished soulful and gospel-infused folk-blues, Bibb has no problem blending various genres effortlessly, melding a traditional rootsy American style with a subtle, contemporary sensibility. As one critic wrote, “Eric’s singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genes to become a New World Blues.”

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Blues n’Trouble is simply one of the best British blues bands around. Formed in the early 1980's, they have toured & guested with many blues greats including BB King, Robert Cray, Pinetop Perkins, Charlie Musselwhite, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells and have recorded 10 albums. They recorded with “Sixth Stone “ Ian Stewart, enjoying indie chart success, and also with Lazy Lester, for which a W.C.Handy award was won! Based in Scotland and making a rare trip south of the border, this is B n’T’ first appearance at the festival.

The first session of the weekend is kicked off once again by the local battle of the bands competition winners. This year sees South Quay taking to the stage.

Saturday Afternoon
Saturday 28th July 2.00 p.m. -6.00 p.m.

Harper is an award winning Australian blues artist, known for is known for his huge soulful vocals, unique harmonica performances and his innovative original compositions, and uniquely, the inclusion of the didgeridoo in his live performances. Harper has received multiple Australian Blues awards for "Male Vocalist of the Year", and "Song of the Year" and "Acoustic Artist of the Year". His 2003 release "Way Down Deep Inside" also was awarded, "Album of the Year" and two harmonica awards. Harper's latest album "Down to the Rhythm" was released on Blind Pig Records.

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Another top British blues band, Out of the Blue, also makes their debut at the festival. Out Of The Blue was put together in 1994, by singer, guitarist and award winning songwriter Kevin Thorpe, to fulfil a one-off gig at the Colne Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival. They received such a rapturous audience reception that they decided to stick around. Out Of The Blue respect the blues tradition, but like to stretch the outside of the envelope and create a modern, thoroughly original sound that fuses jazz, rock and of course blues.

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Italy's Top Blues band Family Style is a real family band coming from a small town near Milan and formed in 1994, to play the best Chicago Blues, steamy shuffles, topped by awesome harp and dynamic licks, & lots of swing. This will be Family Style's second visit to the UK during 2007 as they played and made quite an impression on the audience at the Burnley Blues Festival in April. The band is currently on the road celebrating their 10th anniversary around Europe with successful concerts in Belgium, Holland, Poland, England, France, Italy,Switzerland and others ... Italian Blues deluxe in Maryport.

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Saturday Evening
Saturday 28th July 7.00 p.m. -12.00 p.m.

One of music’s most creative, prolific and popular figures, Van Morrison, will headline the 9th Maryport Blues Festival, performing with his 11 piece band on the main marquee stage on Saturday July 28th. Van Morrison was born in Belfast in 1945, the son of a shipyard worker who collected American blues and jazz records. Van grew up listening to the music of Muddy Waters, Mahalia Jackson, Lightnin' Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. As a teenager he played guitar, sax and harmonica with a series of local Irish showbands, skiffle and rock'n'roll groups before forming an r&b band called Them in 1964 and joining the path to worldwide success.

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Grammy Nominee and critically acclaimed James Hunter (UK), renowned for his extraordinary soul voice and impassioned performances will make a rare UK festival appearance on the Saturday. Van Morrison said "James is one of the best voices, and best kept secrets, in British R&B and Soul". There’s no denying that Hunter’s musical style harkens back to the days of classic 50’s and early 60’s R&B. What’s remarkable is that the same timeless quality inherent to the R&B innovators, including Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland, and Ray Charles, can exist in music that is being written, performed and recorded today. Hunter’s voice is smooth, brilliantly controlled, and unapologetic. Through his infectious vocal and guitar performances, clever song writing and arrangements that err favourably toward the simplistic, Hunter proves to be a man of impeccable taste, who has learned from his influences, rather than simply imitating them.

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Sharrie Williams and the Wiseguys - Sharrie Williams Is the Voice! A galactic vocal force to be reckoned with, a ragging flame of fire that has been sprayed with gasoline, she has a message burning within her soul. Sharrie has a powerful voice, with a range that can reach and rattle the castle tower one minute, while soothing the soul of a crying child the next, she possess an unaffected nature, which gives her grace and a sensibility that pays homage to the great female artist of rock and blues without ever being imitative, in short, Sharrie Williams is the real deal, a true original. She brings you in, by singing her insides out, hearing her is a pure delight, but seeing her perform will make you a believer. Williams has a warm and radiant stage presence, that takes hold of you and capture your imagination and captivate your senses, the sound of her voice is compelling, it promises redemption. With every note She makes you cry, laugh and dance, she can even wake up the dead, I guess one would call her the voice of an emotional cocktail.

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Sunday
Sunday 29th July 7.00 p.m. -12.00 p.m.

The Sunday will be headlined by zydeco superstar C.J. Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band (US), who is widely acknowledged as the best living zydeco singer and accordionist. When Chenier stepped onto the main stage at the Chicago Blues Festival and looked over the crowd of 60,000 eager fans, he had one thing in mind: get them on their feet and make them dance and “almost immediately after launching into their first song, the band had people young and old shaking their hips and cheering in unison” A perfect finale to the festival.

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Never the Bride is a female blues rock band, who Bob Harris on his radio show described as “An absolutely brilliant British Band, who have really built up a reputation of being one of the best live bands in Britain “.They are fronted by Nikki Lambourn whose voice has drawn comparisons with Janis Joplin, Tina Turner and Maggie Bell, and songwriter / keyboard player Catherine 'Been' Feeney. Never the Bride are currently working with Dame Shirley Bassey on her latest single (penned by them) and will be appearing with her on a number of stages in the coming months including an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival.

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The Holmes Brothers (US) are "...the undisputed masters of blues-based American roots music" - Chicago Tribune. Their chilling harmonies resonate with a passion and conviction matched only by their inspired musicianship and their ability to perform sanctified gospel, low-down roadhouse blues, deep soul, Americana/country and pure pop - all in one set. They've recorded with Van Morrison, Peter Gabriel, Odetta, Phoebe Snow, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash, Levon Helm and Joan Osborne.

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The Mike Harrison Band is perhaps a classic example of a star that fame forgot: a shining talent of the sixties and seventies musical explosion, to a sometime milkman. Yet in late 1999, Mike Harrison was tracked down by the Hamburg Blues Band, of whom he had a made a substantial impression on during his success in Europe. As a result, he spent a few years guesting with them in Germany. In early 2006 he met the director of Halo Records, Mike Maslen, who as a self-confessed Harrison fan persuaded Mike to put his signature back on a recording contract, even though Harrison had sworn to never make a record for a label again. So in 2006, the forgotten icon of Mike Harrison has been back in the studio recording the tracks which made him fall in love with music over fifty years ago. Classic numbers recorded by Ray Charles, Etta James, Otis Redding and Delbert McClinton all feature on his forthcoming record ‘Late Starter’, and are delivered in a manner which stays true to Harrison’s life-long ethos of ‘keeping it simple’, yet also clearly shows a wealth of singing experience, from a truly definable talent.

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Tickets are on sale from Monday April 16th and are available from:

1. The Carnegie Theatre, Finkle Street, Workington, Cumbria CA14 2BD Tel: 01900 602122 (Credit Card Facilities Available).

2. NEW for 2007 Buy tickets online from Ticketline

3. Maryport Festivals Ltd, Project Office, Maritime Museum, 1 Shipping Brow, Maryport, CA15 6AB Tel: 01900 817200 - No credit card facilities.

PRICES:

Main Stage Tickets

Friday £40 Saturday £50 Sunday £25 WEEKEND £95 (a weekend ticket represents a saving of £20)

The prices are inclusive of the booking fee, VAT and credit card charges. There is small postage fee from Ticketline and the festival office. The weekend main stage ticket includes a weekend trail ticket.

Trail wrist bands:

• Per day £5
• Weekend £12

New site for main marquee - For the last eight years the main stage marquee has been next to the marina in Maryport. This year, due to construction work on this site, the main stage has been moved to the Netherhall Rugby Club grounds.

Further details will be released on the website as they become available. http://www.maryportblues.com

For any enquiries or comments please e-mail info@maryportblues.com