UBS Presents

The Utah Blues Society (UBS) again presents the 9th Annual Utah Blues Festival (UBF) at The GallivanCenter, Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28.  Friday’s headliners include the opener, guitarist and vocalist Wayne Baker Brooks out of Chicago – hisbrother Ronnie Baker Brooks has played the UBF twice but this is Wayner’s UBF debut! Carolyn Wonderland also makes her UBF debut after having played at various Utah venues for over 30 years. Also on vocals and guitar is a returnee to the UBF from 2017, Louisiana’s finest, Kenny Neal, the evening’s final headliner.

The Utah Blues Society (UBS) again presents the 9 th Annual Utah Blues Festival (UBF) at The Gallivan Center, Friday, June 27, and Saturday, June 28.

Saturday starts off at noon with the UBF Youth Blues Band, sponsored by On Track Music. Their debut in kicking off last year’s UBF was a surprise sleeper event of the weekend, making it well worth the effort for the early birds. Talia Keys & the Love follow, with their strong Utah following and blues inspired music. 2023IBC (International Blues Challenge) winner, the young Mathias Lattin out of Houston then takes the stage with his fresh, contemporary blues stylings on vocals and guitar. Another debut UBF headliner, not to be missed, is the soulful blues of the Blackburn Brothers out of Canada. Another alumnus of the UBF, Rick Estrin & the Nightcats follow, having played the 4th Annual 2018 UBF, as did the closer, rocking blues guitarist and vocalist Ana Popovic.

All of us are broken. But no-one is beyond repair. It’s a philosophy that WALTER TROUT has lived by during seven volatile decades at the heart of America’s society and blues-rock scene. Even now, with the world more fractured than ever – by politics, economics, social media and culture wars – the fabled US bluesman’s latest album, Broken, chronicles the bitter schisms of modern life but refuses to succumb to them.

“I’ve always tried to write positive songs, and this album is not quite that,” considers the 72-year-old of an all-original tracklisting that rages and soothes. “But I always hold on to hope. I think that’s why I wrote this album.”

For the last half-century, however rocky his path, hope has always lit the way. The beats of Trout’s unbelievable story are well-known: the traumatic childhood in Ocean City, New Jersey; the audacious move to the West Coast in ’74; the auspicious but chaotic sideman shifts with John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton; the raging addictions that somehow never stopped the boogie when he was with Canned Heat in the early-’80s.

The Utah Blues Society is thrilled to present Tony Holiday with Jordan Matthew Young, Laura Chavez & Sammy Brue at the State Room November 7th!  Come out and see our hometown heroes who are killing it on the national music scene.  

MEGAN BLUE'S POWERFUL VOCALS, STORY-TELLING SONGS, AND FUNKY-BLUESY VIBE WILL HAVE YOU LAUGHING, DANCING, AND LEAVE YOU WANTING MORE. HER BAND IS A MIX OF VETERAN SLC PLAYERS, INCLUDING MARK CHANEY ON DRUMS, KEVIN STOUT ON BASS, NICK CHAMBERLAIN ON KEYS, AND MAX WEBB ON GUITAR.  IF YOU LIKE ARETHA FRANKLIN, BONNIE RAITT, AND GETTING DOWN AND FUNKY, YOU WILL LOVE THIS BAND!

If you saw Anna at the 2025 Utah Blues Festival you know what a badass performer she is, and if you missed that performance, then don't miss her this time!  

Los Angeles-based and critically acclaimed guitarist and singer Ana Popovic is set to release her highly anticipated album Dance To The Rhythm (Electric Heel Records) on September 26, 2025. Produced by Popovic and Buthel, the album showcases a groundbreaking fusion of groove, blues, funk, and soul.

Chicago guitarist, vocalist and songwriter and multiple Blues Music Award-winner Ronnie Baker Brooks is one of the city’s—and the world’s—most undeniably talented and electrifying bluesmen. Ronnie was born into Chicago blues royalty as the son of legendary multiple GRAMMY Award nominee, Blues Hall Of Famer, and longtime Alligator Records recording star Lonnie Brooks. He is among the few contemporary blues artists who learned his craft directly from many of the genre’s icons, including Albert Collins, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor and, most significantly, his father.

Sarah DeGraw opens (solo).

Sugaray Rayford is a man with a message and a larger than life personality and voice to deliver it. Working with producer, songwriter Eric Corne for the past 3 albums, the soul-blues powerhouse has crafted an incendiary sound and narrative, combining classic soul melodies and funky R & B grooves with raw blues power.

Eddie 9V has an endless stockpile of cool stories – and you’ll find twelve of them on his most recent studio album Saratoga, released in November 2024 on the fabled Ruf Records label. A thrilling mix of Southern soul, blues, rock, and funk, Saratoga proved to be a gamechanger: a road trip-ready record filled with razor-sharp observations, vintage textures, and raw humanity. It also marked a major career milestone: Eddie 9V’s soulful sound began reaching hundreds of thousands of new fans across the globe.

After two decades on the road and nine studio albums, The Steel Wheels mark their 20th anniversary with a self-titled record that captures the band at a creative peak. Since their formation, the group—which includes Trent Wagler (vocals, banjo, guitar), Eric Brubaker (fiddle), Jay Lapp (mandolin, guitar), Kevin Garcia (drums, percussion), and Jeremy Darrow (bass)—has grown from a harmony-driven acoustic ensemble into a dynamic folk rock band. Blending those roots with a spirit of exploration, The Steel Wheels combine energy, humor, and tender restraint into a cohesive, deeply personal work

Singer/songwriter Vanessa Collier’s sixth album Do It My Own Way comes out September 13 via Phenix Fire Records. Recorded on analog gear with the musicians largely in one room, Do It My Own Way is sonically inspired by the classic Memphis soul sound of Stax and Hi Records, especially that of the Staples Singers. Second single “Wild As a Rainstorm,” which dives deep into soul territory, powerfully gives advice to women and people who feel left out to ignore the naysayers and “Be a tapestry of dreams.” The track been added to Spotify’s official Retro Soul playlist. The groove and horns would make Willie Mitchell proud, and indeed features legendary Hi Records organist Rev. Charles Hodges. The vocals are powerful, awe-inspiring, and undeniably soulful vocals.

Ranging from soulful blues to fiery rock to all-out jam band, the Sister Wives defy the conventional norms typically set for predominantly female bands with the range and depth of their musical energy and virtuosity.  The Sister Wives display a multitude of musical attitudes in a style that is part Stevie Ray Vaughn, a dash of Sippie Wallace and a little Allman Brothers. A local favorite in Salt Lake City for over 24 years.