Heritage Music BluesFest Lineup Revealed with St. Paul & The Broken Bones, JJ Grey & Mofro and More
Expanded Festival Features More Performances, Artists, Culinary Experiences, & More
[WHEELING, WV] Heritage Music BluesFest has announced the return of the annual festival to Heritage Port in Wheeling, WV on August 7, 8, 9, 2026. The powerhouse lineup for the annual festival will feature St. Paul and the Broken Bones, JJ Grey & Mofro, Eddie 9V, Eric Gales, Judith Hill, Anders Osborne, Sonny Landreth, JD Simo & Luther Dickinson, Ally Venable, Taj Farrant, and many more.
In total, the expanded 2026 festival will feature over 29 performances on two stages, making it one of the largest lineups in festival history. The second stage will feature fourteen regional artists of multiple genres under a circus tent. Additionally, the event will feature newly improved culinary experiences, artists’ markets, and more.
Daniel Milleson, owner of Waterfront Productions and Waterfront Hall in Wheeling, WV took over ownership of Heritage Music BluesFest after founder Bruce Wheeler passed the torch on the festival after 25 years.
“We are approaching this festival with the same risk-taking and attention-to-atmosphere that was required to create Waterfront Hall. One example of this is a new second stage, with fourteen artists of all genres performing at the south end of Heritage Port,” said Milleson. “And we have a lot more surprises in store for anyone who buys the ticket.”
General three-day passes are available beginning on Wednesday, November 19th at 10:00am.
Festival VIP Tickets and Canopy Passes are available beginning Friday, November 14th at 10:00am. Tickets and more information are available at HeritageMusicFest.com.
St. Paul & The Broken Bones have shared stages with The Rolling Stones, Lizzo, and Black Pumas, and performed at major festivals like Coachella, Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo. Blending rock & roll, soul, R&B, and more, the band continues to captivate audiences around the world.
JJ Grey & Mofro have played countless festivals, including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Austin City Limits Festival. Over the course of his career, Grey has shared stages with the likes of B.B. King, The Allman Brothers Band, The Black Crowes, Los Lobos, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, Mavis Staples, and many others. The New York Times describes the band as, “Impassioned singing, riff-based Southern rock, cold blooded swamp funk and sly Memphis soul. Rich, funky blues celebrate life’s most fundamental joys. Grey is a singer-songwriter with unforced talent and deep feeling.”
Eddie 9V, a favorite from the 2025 Heritage Music BluesFest, returns with a big year ahead. Now signed to Easy Eye Sound, the Nashville-based label founded by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Eddie 9V is preparing to release a brand-new album in 2026. Eddie’s monthly listeners on Spotify have exploded and his songs have become SiriusXM Spectrum-certified.
Other artists include blues-firebrand Eric Gales, who was recently nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY for his album, “A Tribute to LJK.” While Texas-guitarist Ally Venable comes to the festival following recordings with guitarist Joe Bonamassa and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
Nuanced vocalist Judith Hill is an accomplished songwriter, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, and one of the few musicians who can cite Elton John, Spike Lee, Prince, and Michael Jackson among those who have sought out her talent. Hill’s recent album Letters from a Black Widow, delves into her struggles after the deaths of Michael Jackson and Prince, two iconic artists who selected Hill for collaborations. Her rise to fame is explored in “20 Feet from Stardom,” the GRAMMY and Oscar-winning documentary film narrated by Morgan Freeman. Her diverse career includes her Prince-produced Back in Time (2015), credits include Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Gregg Allman, Hozier, and collaborating with Eric Clapton as a featured vocalist on his 2023 single, “How Could We Know.”
Two of the most electrifying forces in modern roots music—Luther Dickinson and JD Simo join with drummer Adam Abrashoff. Dickinson, a multi-GRAMMY nominated artist, is a founding member of the North Mississippi Allstars and former guitarist with The Black Crowes, while JD Simo is a frequent collaborator with Chris Isaak, Jack White, Beyoncé, and more. Simo was recently tasked with teaching actor Jeremy Allen White to play guitar for the Bruce Springsteen biopic – Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Sixteen-year-old guitar prodigy Taj Farrant returns to Wheeling after previously supporting legend Buddy Guy at a performance in the Friendly City in 2025. Since viral videos of his jaw-dropping performances of the Australian guitarist caught the world’s attention earned him appearances on major TV shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Australia’s Got Talent, Farrant has become one of the most exciting young artists in contemporary blues-rock.
Two legendary artists return to the festival for the first time in over a decade. Legendary fixture of the New Orleans music community, singer-songwriter Anders Osborne, who Guitar Player magazine called, “…the poet laureate of Louisiana’s fertile roots music scene.” Additionally, legendary slide-guitar icon Sonny Landreth. Landreth, who is a returning favorite at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar festival, has been called, “…the most underestimated musician on the planet, and also probably one of the most advanced” by Clapton.
Other Main Stage artists for the 2026 festival include Cristina Vane, Buffalo Nichols, Adrian Niles, Marc Ridge, Gracie Curran, Miss Freddye, and more.
Waterfront Productions collaborated with Outland Presents to book talent for the festival. “We’re very excited to continue the tradition of Heritage Music BluesFest and work with Waterfront to provide premier entertainment,” said Kyle Knox, owner of Outland Presents. “This is an event that will continue to attract fans from across the country.”
More information about the festival can be found at HeritageMusicFest.com or by following on Facebook or Instagram for updates.
###
Media Contact:
Dan Milleson
Waterfront Productions
