Home
Delta State University’s 7th Annual International Conference on the Blues goes virtual with a Brazilian beat.
Delta State, through The Delta Center for Culture and Learning and the College of Arts and Sciences, was invited to participate in the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival (MDBF) Brazil Online Edition scheduled for Friday, November 20 – Sunday, November 22, 2020. The MDBF Brazil online festival was free and accessible to the public. The online festival was broadcasted on MDBF Brazil’s official website: www.mdbf.com.br
Delta State’s participation in the virtual festival served as the 7th installment of the International Conference on the Blues. The festival included performances from seven international locales including Holland, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Brazil.
The virtual presentation featured a Blues and gospel performance from Delta State alum (Delta Music Institute, College of Business) Keith “Prince of the Delta Blues” Johnson, great-nephew of Blues legend Muddy Waters. The presentation also includes highlights from past International Conference on the Blues events and from B.B. King Day at Mississippi Valley State University, a “Spirit of the Blues” project partner.
Operated in southeastern Brazil in the city of Caxias do Sul for over a decade, MDBF Brazil is considered the largest and longest-running Blues festival in South America. According to festival organizer Toyo Bagoso, MDBF Online Edition will offer an innovative way for global Blues fans to pay tribute to the Mississippi Delta, the birthplace of the Blues.
The International Conference on the Blues is scheduled to return to an in-person event at Delta State University in the fall of 2021.
Delta State's virtual presentation is supported by the National Park Service, Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, Mississippi Valley State University, Visit Mississippi, B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, Visit the Mississippi Delta, and Delta State's College of Arts and Sciences, Digital Media Arts, and Delta Center for Culture and Learning.
Scenes from the 2019 festival in Caxias do Sul, RS, Brazil
The “Delta Delegation” set up a booth to greet visitors at the 2019 Mississippi Delta Blues festival.
Keith Johnson performs on the main stage at the 2019 Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
Keith Johnson headlines the Saturday night lineup at the 2019 Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
The main stage at the Mississippi Delta Blues festival is an elaborately constructed covered amphitheater capable of holding over 2000 people.
The “Delta Delegation” poses with organizers of the Mississippi Delta Blues Festival.
Keith Johnson performs with the MDBF House band at the 2019 Mississippi Delta Blues Festival in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
Want to learn more about the 2019 festival?
Give this article a quick read.
Special thanks to our conference partners
