By Kathy Chouteau
When The North & Greater Richmond Blues Foundation hosts the “14th Annual North Richmond Music Festival” Saturday, July 12, it will have something extra special to celebrate: The successful renaming of a street in honor of local blues great Jimmy McCracklin.
Kicking off at 10 a.m. Saturday will be the ribbon cutting for Jimmy McCracklin Way (formerly West Grove Avenue) at First Street After the ceremony, attendees can stroll over to the nearby music festival. Themed “Takin’ It to the Streets,” the music festival is taking place from noon to 5 p.m. on Chesley Avenue (in front of Shields-Reid Park) between Fifth and Sixth streets in North Richmond.
The Blues Foundation’s Executive Director DeJeana Burkes worked for over four years to get a street named after McCracklin, a four-gold-record blues great who was a star on the Richmond scene, singing notable songs including “The Walk” and “Tramp.” He also owned the Savoy Club right on Chesley Avenue, and worked with notable acts such as B.B. King, Prince, Salt ‘N Peppa, M.C. Hammer, The Beatles and Elvis—to name a few.
Burkes credited Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia and his District Coordinator Tania Pulido for helping transform the street renaming concept into reality. Supervisor Gioia will speak at the ribbon cutting, while McCracklin’s daughter, Sue McCracklin, will also be on site to sing and celebrate.
Along with Sue McCracklin and DeJeana Burkes, others who will be performing at the music festival will include the Bobby Young Project, Michael Skinner, Jonathan Pryor and Reggie Rolls. The event will include the annual traditional hot dog giveaway, as well as BBQ for purchase from Earls Rocket 88 Smokehouse & Catering.
The music festival is traditionally held at Sheilds-Reid Park, but is happening on Chesley Avenue this year since park renovations are underway. Burkes said she successfully advocated for a performance stage during the park planning, and so next year the foundation will return to the park with their performances occurring on a mini amphitheater that’s planned there.
Richmond’s blues scene was evocative of Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s, according to Burkes. “It was a lot of clubs, a lot of restaurants, and most of the local artists, as well as the artists that came from around the world, would come to North Richmond to either perform or to enjoy the food or just to hang out together and jam,” she said, adding that many people first came to town to work on the city’s WWII Home Front.
The North and Greater Richmond Blues Foundation works to promote the blues and to honor the legacy of what Richmond had to contribute during the beginning of the blues and R&B scenes in the Bay Area, according to Burkes.
“I just feel it’s important that we move forward and keep something from the past, but we also can work to keep blues alive and well,” she said.
Learn more about The North & Greater Richmond Blues Foundation. Questions? Contact bluesoutnorth@gmail.com.
