Greeley has a good case of the blues

There’s a lot of talk about the music scene in Colorado these days, with Denver’s indie-rock making its mark, Boulder County’s Americana and bluegrass producing national acts and Fort Collins turning out notable bands of all stripes.

Greeley rarely comes up in these discussions. But maybe it’s time for that to change.

The Greeley Blues Jam is now in its 11th year of bringing national blues talent to the city. On Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13, the festival will present several top blues names to audiences in Island Grove Arena and downtown’s Ninth Street Plaza. The acts include three-time Grammy winner Delbert McClinton, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Elvin Bishop, Jimmy Hall with My Blue Sky and master harmonica player Jason Ricci.

Friday night, performers will play free concerts in more than a dozen venues in the Plaza area. On Saturday, the 9,000-seat arena will be the site of a stage for national acts and another for Colorado talent. The arena also will feature the Blues 101 Stage, where visitors may learn about the blues and hear some of the best young local players. Beer, food, jewelry, clothes and other vendors will be on site.

Visitors may tent camp for $10 or park an RV for $25 at the arena. A free shuttle will transport them to Friday night’s downtown entertainment.

Here’s one way to put the talent on this year’s lineup into perspective: Pam Bricker and her husband, Al, who both helped found the Jam, were recently watching an HBO telecast of the 2015 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, during which Elvin Bishop, who was inducted as a member of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and Jason Ricci performed.

“That’s a big deal,” Pam Bricker said. “We said, ‘Can you believe these two guys are going to be right here in Greeley on Saturday?’ “

Pam Bricker believes the Jam has done much to generate more interest and activity in Greeley’s music scene.

The annual Greeley Stampede, whose roots go back decades, was long a primary local source of live music, whose offerings leaned toward country. The local University of Northern Colorado has a well-regarded jazz program, and the annual UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival features national acts.

Recent years saw the opening of the Moxi Theater, which brings local and touring acts to downtown Greeley, and the publication of BandWagon Magazine, which covers Northern Colorado music. In 2012, the Ninth Street Plaza area in downtown Greeley became the first go-cup zone in Colorado. Patrons of the several bars and restaurants in the zone during designated times may take their drinks in plastic cups onto the plaza and enjoy summer entertainment. Music is presented weekly in the plaza during the warm months as part of the Friday Fests concert series.

“That really helped the music scene,” Bricker said, adding that up to 4,000 people come to the Friday shows. “It’s just become the thing to do on Friday nights.”

The Blues Jam, founded by local music lovers, helped to kick a music renaissance into gear in Greeley, Bricker said.

“I really do credit a lot of the growth of the music scene with getting the Blues Jam established,” she said.

First-time Jam-goers might get a better idea of what to expect at the event from its motto: “It ain’t nothin’ but a party.”

Quentin Young: qyoung@aespotlight.com or twitter.com/qpyoungnews