Published April 28. 2026 02:23AM<\/p>\n
The \u201cBlast Furnace Blues Festival presented by Highmark Blue Shield\u201d returns to the ArtsQuest Campus at SteelStacks July 17 and July 18 for its 15th year with a patriotic twist.<\/p>\n
In honor of \u201cAmerica 250th,\u201d the festival is now \u201cBlast Furnace Blues: Stars, Stripes & Steel presented by Highmark Blue Shield,\u201d a one-year name change.<\/p>\n
Performers include the Delta, Piedmont, Texas, blues styles of the Larry McCray Band, Gospel Blues by Jontavious Willis, fiery blues-rock vocalist Dana Fuchs, Ireland\u2019s rising blues star Grainne Duffy and Lehigh Valley\u2019s own The BC Combo.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a way to celebrate both the blues and America\u2019s 250th,\u201d said Patrick Brogan, ArtsQuest Chief Programming Officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cStars, Stripes & Steel is a special one-year twist on Blast Furnace Blues and we\u2019ve packed it with artists who truly represent the depth and energy of the genre, from rising stars to seasoned legends.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about honoring an American art form and bringing our community together in a place that tells its own powerful story,\u201d Brogan said.<\/p>\n
Jontavious Willis is a Grammy-nominated blues artist. Drawing from his rural Georgia upbringing and singing gospel in church, he blends Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel blues.<\/p>\n
Willis gained national attention opening for Taj Mahal and Keb\u2019 Mo\u2019 and winning the 2018 International Blues Challenge for his debut album, \u201cBlue Metamorphosis.\u201d<\/p>\n
His follow-up album is \u201cSpectacular Class.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larry McCray\u2019s latest album, \u201cHeartbreak City,\u201d was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith.<\/p>\n
Following the success of his 2022 comeback album, \u201cBlues Without You,\u201d and his 2024 induction into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame, \u201cHeartbreak City\u201d cements McCray\u2019s status.<\/p>\n
Schedule<\/p>\n
July 17<\/p>\n
The BC Combo, 5 p.m. – 6 p.m., Levitt Pavilion<\/p>\n
Danielia Cotton, 6 p.m. – 7:15 p.m., Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage<\/p>\n
Jontavious Willis, 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m., Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks<\/p>\n
Scott Tournet, 9 p.m. – 11 p.m., Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage<\/p>\n
July 18<\/p>\n
Shane Guerrette, 3 p.m. – 4:15 p.m., Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks<\/p>\n
The Moga Family Band, 4:15 p.m. – 5:15 p.m., Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage<\/p>\n
Gr\u00e1inne Duffy, 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks<\/p>\n
Dana Fuchs, 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m., Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage<\/p>\n
Larry McCray, 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Levitt Pavilion SteelStacks<\/p>\n
Amani Burnham, 9 p.m. – 11 p.m., Highmark Blue Shield Community Stage<\/p>\n
Food at the blues fest includes Mon & Mel\u2019s Sweet Scoops Ice Cream Truck and Nick\u2019s BBQ.<\/p>\n
Fest information: https:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/festivals\/more-festivals-and-experiences\/blast-furnace-blues\/<\/p>\n
PHOTO BY KEN DUHShemaka Copeland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published April 28. 2026 02:23AM The \u201cBlast Furnace Blues Festival presented by Highmark Blue Shield\u201d returns to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177988,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-177987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}