Ruf Records’ Blues Caravan is unstoppable. Fifteen years after Europe’s most respected label put on its first showcase tour, the founding concept is instantly familiar to blues fans: every night, on club stages across the US and Europe, three rising talents will burn down the house and kick the blues into the modern age. But there’s a twist. With the lineup chosen each year from the cream of the Ruf roster, every Caravan has a fresh vibe, a fizzing chemistry and plenty of flying sparks. And with three wildly different artists running the gamut of styles in 2020, all bets are off.

Jeremiah Johnson is the St. Louis bluesman from the school of hard knocks. After early days as the Southern circuit’s best-kept secret, 2018’s acclaimed Straitjacket album put the bandleader in the spotlight with its searing performances, smart hooks and blue-collar lyrics. “I am Southern blues-rock,” states Jeremiah. “It’s in my blood, my heart and my soul. I always sing my songs from my heart, with the same passion that I had when I wrote them. They come from the blood, sweat and tears of a blue-collar worker in the Midwestern United States. I couldn't be more excited about the Blues Caravan lineup – it’ll be hotter than a two-dollar pistol!”

We first met Ryan Perry as a teenage phenomenon, when he hijacked 2007’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis with his Homemade Jamz Blues Band, and announced his talent for sharp storytelling, stinging guitar and soulful vocals. This charismatic bandleader’s talents have only grown over the last decade, and following 2019’s solo debut on Ruf Records, Ryan is the finished article, armed with a setlist to raise the roof.“Fans can expect high action and low ego on the Blues Caravan,” he says. “My live shows are packed with passion and soul, always fun and full of energy – as only a Mississippi bluesman can deliver.”

There’s no mistaking Whitney Shay. When this San Diego fireball hits the stage, the first thing you’ll notice is the flammable hair and sparkling dresses. But on this year’s Blues Caravan, the singer’s show will match her style, as Whitney shakes out the R&B floor-shakers from her acclaimed A Woman Rules The World album – and gives you a sneak preview of the studio material to come. “When I perform,” she says, “I want people to dance and be engaged. To me, blues has always been about catharsis, the purging of sad experiences. If I can make the audience leave smiling and feeling like they’ve forgotten about the troubles of their day, I’ve done my job.”

BLUES CARAVAN  2020 - Tourdates

There’s something about Texas. Open up the history books and you’ll find the Lone Star State at the eye of every rock ‘n’ roll storm. Pull up a stool in any bar-room and you’ll still hear Southern gentlemen spin stories of ZZ Top, Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Now, tip a ten-gallon hat to the bandleader writing her own name onto the state’s famed back pages, as Ally Venable releases breakout third album, Texas Honey – with production from another local hero. “Ally is the future of the blues and the crossover music of American roots-rock,” nods Mike Zito. “She is Texas Honey.”

            She might only be hitting her twenties, but long-term fans will know this isn’t Ally’s first rodeo. Rewind to her childhood in the post-millennium and this rising star found her voice in church, but it was the influence of fiery Texas guitar-slingers like SRV and the melodic smarts of Miranda Lambert that showed her the path. “What’s cool about Stevie is that he introduced so many people that didn’t know about blues to this music,” she reflects. “And that’s what my goal is to do with my music.”

With her soulful vocal, burn-it-down fretwork and heart-on-sleeve songcraft, America was hers for the taking. Detonating venues across the land and holding their own as support for titans like Lance Lopez and Eric Gales, Ally’s lineup of Bobby Wallace (bass) and Elijah Owings (drums) proved a power-trio to rank alongside the best. “I take in that Texas guitar-slinging influence in my shows and songwriting,” she explains. “My band is a three-piece, so it’s a ‘right-in-your-face’ power-trio.”

That live punch was captured on No Glass Shoes (2016) and Puppet Show (2018): the latter dubbed “exceptional” by Blues Rock Review as it scaled the Top 10 on both Billboard and iTunes Blues Charts. Meanwhile, the ETX Awards mounted up in categories including ‘Best Female Guitarist’, ‘Blues Band’ and ‘Album of the Year’. But it’s all been leading to Texas Honey and the Texas Honey 2020 Tour in Europe..

Expect some sweetness – and plenty of sting.

It’s the cherry atop the first great breakout record of 2019 – from a Texas legend-in-waiting with everything coming her way. “I’m very grateful,” reflects Ally, “for all the cool things that have happened, are happening – and will happen…”