BOGALUSA, La. (WGNO<\/a>) \u2014 Blues musician Chris Thomas King<\/a> will headline the 2025 Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival.<\/p>\n King is known for his catalog of music, as well as his performances in the movies, \u201cRay,\u201d and \u201cO Brother, Where Art Thou?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n King has won Grammy awards and Country Music Awards for his work over the years.<\/p>\n The blues lives inside King\u2019s soul.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in a jig joint. My dad ran Tabby\u2019s Blues Box and Heritage Hall for 25 years. I grew up as a teenager playing with older blues musicians, so I\u2019ve been doing this since I was knee-high,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n His passion for the blues lead him to the opportunity to play Tommy Johnson in the hit 2000 film, \u201cO Brother, Where Art Thou.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe film introduced me to a wider popular audience. It was an amazing series of events,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Meet the 2023 Bogalusa Blues Festival poster artist <\/a><\/p>\n King wants everyone to understand the true meaning of the blues.<\/p>\n \u201cThat brings me to my book. My book is called: \u201cThe Blues: The Authentic Narrative of Music and Culture,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n King explained that blues music is not depressing or down in the dumps music as some may believe.<\/p>\n He said blues comes from Basin Street and the Old Storyville District in New Orleans.<\/p>\n \u201cBlues is blue entertainment so real blues started in New Orleans and is a vice. It is something sexy, it is Saturday night party music. It is vice music. You wouldn\u2019t be depressed on a a Saturday night. It doesn\u2019t make sense for our culture. We don\u2019t even do that at funerals. Blues came from Louisiana and came from New Orleans. Blues music found its voice in Storyville, with the women of Storyville, along with the musicians who invented the blues, the rest is history,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n This Grammy award winner feels through understanding the blues, you\u2019ll feel the true blues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important for us to tell these stories, and get back to the roots of what it is meant for us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n King said he\u2019s excited to be headlining the Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe thing people need to know when they come to Bogalusa Festival and they hear my band, we\u2019re going to be rocking out. There\u2019s nothing sad about it. It\u2019s party music,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival takes place Sept. 26 and Sept. 27.<\/p>\n Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple<\/a> or Google Play<\/a> stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter<\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Latest Posts<\/h2>\n