Blues Unlimited #112 - The American Folk Blues Festival Tours (Part 1: 1962-1966)

The now-legendary American Folk Blues Festival Tours were organized by two German concert promoters, Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau. These annual events, which were widely popular and hugely influential, started in 1962 and brought a veritable 'Who's Who' of the Blues Universe overseas and put them in front of a young and enthusiastic European audience. To some eager concert goers -- such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, and Jimmy Page (just to name a few) -- it was a chance to see some of their heroes, live and on-stage, for the very first time -- some of whom had been little more than names on a record label up until then. For the musicians on the tour, it was a rare opportunity to be exposed to a wider audience, receive a decent pay check for a change, and be treated like dignitaries and visiting royalty. Their presence in Europe -- and especially England -- helped galvanize the burgeoning Blue scene in London, and helped fuel the ongoing Blues Revival in the States.

The now-legendary American Folk Blues Festival Tours were organized by two German concert promoters, Horst Lippmann and Fritz Rau. These annual events, which were widely popular and hugely influential, started in 1962 and brought a veritable 'Who's Who' of the Blues Universe overseas and put them in front of a young and enthusiastic European audience. To some eager concert goers -- such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, and Jimmy Page (just to name a few) -- it was a chance to see some of their heroes, live and on-stage, for the very first time -- some of whom had been little more than names on a record label up until then. For the musicians on the tour, it was a rare opportunity to be exposed to a wider audience, receive a decent pay check for a change, and be treated like dignitaries and visiting royalty. Their presence in Europe -- and especially England -- helped galvanize the burgeoning Blue scene in London, and helped fuel the ongoing Blues Revival in the States.