Newport Concert Series Announces Blues Jam With Kenny Wayne Shepherd Along With Roomful Of Blues & James Montgomery At Yachting Center

June 19, 2014 -- The Newport Concert Series at the Newport Yachting Center announces a Blues Jam With Kenny Wayne Shepherd and home grown acts Roomful of Blues, James Montgomery & Bruce Marshall and Big Cat Blues at the Newport Yachting Center on Sunday, August 31st for what promises to be a memorable Labor Day weekend full of the blues.  Tickets to the show will be available for purchase for $25.50, $35.50 and $45.50 by visiting www.newportwaterfrontevents.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.  The gates for the concert will open at 4:00 p.m. followed by music on The Point Stage with Big Cat Blues.  The first of the headliners will hit the Main Stage at 5:00 p.m.  A variety of BBQ vendors will add some additional spice to the buffet of blues offerings.  The 2014 Newport Concert Series is currently underway and will continue through October at its unique waterfront venue in downtown Newport.

Two decades into a recording career that began when he was 16,Kenny Wayne Shepherd has built an enviable resume as an accomplished recording artist, a riveting live performer and one of the most talented and distinctive guitarists of his generation.  He has four albums that have gone Platinum, received five Grammy nominations and two Billboard Music Awards, as well as a Blues Foundation’s Keeping The Blues Alive award and two Blues Music awards.  Shepherd has had six #1 blues albums and a string of #1 mainstream rock singles and his acclaimed CD/documentary project, 10 Days Out: Blues from the Backroads, was the top-selling blues album of 2007.  In 2013, Shepherd further expanded his musical horizons by teaming up with veteran rockers Stephen Stills and Barry Goldberg to form the band, The Rides, which also cut its first album, Can’t Get Enough.  Shepherd’s latest album release, Goin’ Home, features tunes originally popularized by such blues icons as B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells. Guest artists and fellow guitar icons on the album include Joe Walsh and Warren Haynes.

Opening for Shepherd will be Rhode Island’s own, Roomful of Blues, a band that has enjoyed a recording career that spans 40 years during which time they have received five Grammy award nominations, seven Blues Music Awards and two “Best Blues Band” designations from the Down Beat International Critics Poll.  The duo of blues singer and harp player, James Montgomeryand veteran blues guitarist, Bruce Marshall will get things started on the Main Stage with an acoustic set.

The Newport Concert Series at the Newport Yachting Center has 14 remaining concerts to-date: Dierks Bentley - Riser 2014 Tour on Thursday, June 19th; Ziggy Marley – The Fly Rasta Tour on Friday, June 20th; KC and the Sunshine Band on Wednesday, July 9th; John Hiatt & The Combo and The Robert Cray Band on Saturday, July 12th; An Evening with YES on Sunday, July 13th; Barenaked Ladies on Friday, July 18th; The Machine performs Pink Floyd With the Interstellar Laser Show on Friday, July 25th; 3 Doors Down Acoustic – Songs From The Basement on Friday, August 1st;Boz Scaggs – The Memphis Tour on Wednesday, August 6th;Gregg Allman with Special Guest Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band on Sunday, August 10th; Josh Turner’s Roughstock and Rambler Tour (presented by Ariat) on Thursday, August 14th;The Beach Boys on Saturday, August 16th; Blues Jam With Kenny Wayne Shepherd on Sunday, August 31st; and Chris Young With Special Guest Courtney Cole on Saturday, September 20th.  More concerts will be announced soon!  In addition to the Newport Concert Series, the Newport Yachting Center will host the Newport Waterfront Reggae Festival on Saturday, August 9th and the Newport Celtic Rock Festival to take place Saturday, August 23rd.

The Newport Yachting Center is located on the waterfront in the heart of historic downtown Newport on America's Cup Avenue.  The venue features a covered concert tent and ample open air space with stunning views of Newport Harbor.  Guests can enjoy “The Point”, a dockside waterfront bar and lounge with a full line of cocktails, wines, imported beers and micro brews, before, during and after the shows.  A number of food vendors will be grilling some finger-lickin’ BBQ while Julian’s Omnibus will offer concert-goers a fun, eclectic dining experience along with rooftop seating to fully appreciate the panoramic Newport views.

For more information on the Newport Concert Series at the Newport Yachting Center, please visit www.newportwaterfrontevents.com or contact Michele Maker Palmieri, General Manager at the Newport Yachting Center, 4 Commercial Wharf on America’s Cup Avenue in Newport, at (401) 846-1600, Ext. 222 or via email: mmaker@newportyachtingcenter.com.  To receive future 2014 Newport Concert Series headliner announcements and presale opportunities, sign up at newportwaterfrontevents.com, become a fan on Facebook at facebook.com/waterfrontevents or follow Newport Waterfront Events on Twitter at twitter.com/newportevents.  Also, share photos on Instagram at instagram.com/newportevents.com.