20th Annual3
Winter Blues Festival
Saturday, February 8th, 2020
Ramada Inn Ballroom
3333 13th Ave S
Fargo, ND 58103
701-235-3333
Tickets on sale now!








ADVANCE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW $29
* MORE AT THE DOOR * ALL AGES * 12 VIP TABLES AVAILABLE3

~RAMADA INN (formerly Baymont Inn)- (3333 13th Ave S Fargo 701-235-3333)
~MOTHER'S MUSIC (Main Ave Moorhead, 218-287-9601 
~HAPPY HARRY'S BOTTLE SHOPS - 4 Locations: Grand Forks (south) and all 3 Fargo
~Charge by phone at  218-287-7775 or 1-866-55-BLUES
~Charge online by clicking here

Winter Fest Update:
Please do not take chairs from general seating to the VIP section in front of the stage. People pay extra for 
those seats to see the bands perform. Dancing is allowed on the sides of the stage. Thanks for your cooperation. 



Feelin' the blues
By Jeff Baird
The Forum - 02/18/2001

A blues festival in the middle of a North Dakota winter. 

How appropriate. 

And the five bands that rocked Playmakers Pavilion Saturday at the first ever Fargo Winter Blues Festival must have been inspired. The 1,000 or so people that packed the Fargo bar were treated to a show every bit as hot as the temperature was cold outside. 

"How's everybody doing out there tonight?" said Pat Hayes of the Lamont Cranston Blues Band, his band jamming behind him. 

There was no need to ask. The crowd, having already been warmed up by Fargo's own Keller Brothers Band, was loving life. 

Leather, shades, air guitars  for one night, Playmakers might as well been a local blues dive in Tupelo, Miss. And, at just $20, the show was a steal. 

"Those Keller Brothers were really something," Hayes told the crowd at the beginning of his set. "You know there must be something in the water to draw all these good blues players." 

The crowd seemed to agree. 

"For being that young (the Keller Brothers) are really polished," said 24-year-old blues enthusiast Glen Braget. "Their guitar solos were already so good, and they're only in their infancy. They can only get better." 

Braget and friend Herb Osman drove two hours to see the show. 

"For the price, you are getting your money's worth after two acts," Osman said. "What a show." 

Back on stage, the Cranston band was still jamming. 

"I'm going to tell you what my baby did to me last night," Hayes crooned. "You want to know what she did?" 

The crowd answering in a unified, "Yes." 

"You want to know what she did?" Hayes asked again. 

A louder, "Yes." 

"I can't tell you, but it made me feel alright," Hayes sang. 

The crowd was whipped into a frenzy when Mike Keller of the Keller Brothers joined the Cranston band encore and jammed with fellow Fargo native and former Jonny Lang guitarist Ted Larson. 

"It was a lot of fun," Keller said after the set. 

He critiqued his own set, saying the band was still "getting the bugs out" for the release of their CD and tour, which will include some venues with blues legend Buddy Guy. 

The Smokin' Joe Kubek Band followed Cranston. The band's blistering guitar solos kept up the show's momentum. 

Chicago's Otis & the Alligators played next. 

"They're one of the best show bands in the country," show promoter Dan Bredell said. 

Headliner Corey Stevens was the perfect end to the night. 

"We weren't sure we were going to get him," Bredell said. "Bands just aren't routing up here (in the winter.) And Steve's living in California." 

Marcy Baker of Fargo had no problem feeling the music. She was a dancing queen throughout the night. 

"They should always allow room for dancing," Baker said. "I appreciate them not telling me to sit down." 

Kyle Gylland of Barnesville, Minn., on the other hand, came for the guitar solos. 

"I've seen the (Rolling) Stones and ZZ Top, and some of these bands I would pay just as much to see," he said. 

That was the type of response Bredell had hoped for. 

"We were a little nervous about doing this in the middle of winter," he said with a laugh. 



Flashback: The 1st annual Winter Fest...
Home    Buy Tickets    Mail Order    Hotel    History  
Mike Keller at the sold out Winter Fest in 2001
Photo Album
Click to see winterfest pics of past shows
After Fest -  Clevy's Lounge (@Ramada) 9:30 to 1:00AM , with TBA. Free for blues fest ticket holders. Full Bar in  Ballroom. Come and Go As You Please. Enter thru the ballroom entrance on the East side where there is a big parking lot.or blues 
9:00 pm
Scottie Miller Band







5:30 pm

Heart & Soul


4:00 pm 


(701) 235-3333
Bernard Allison


Lamont Cranston 
50th Anniversary


7:00 pm 
20th Album "LET IT GO" #1 on Blues Roots Chart and #2 on Billboard Blues Charts

“Gobsmacking stuff...I can only say, go see, hear and be baptized into Bernard’s stupendous live shows, no matter how good, albums cannot do this justice.”

- Graham Munn with Rhythm & Booze

WEBSITE
Website
Promo Video
“No one infects venues with the party virus quite like Pat Hayes and The Lamont Cranston Blues Band. They’ve always been my favorite.”

- Dan Aykroyd
Video 1
Video 2
Website
2018 MINNESOTA BLUES HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE FOR “BLUES PERFORMER”

TOP #50 “CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR” (STAY ABOVE WATER) 2017 ROOTS MUSIC REPORT
You have found the old website for the Fargo Blues Festival. Please visit the new website at www.fargoblues.com