The Blind Willie McTell Music Festival roster is set for this year’s event, our 30 th
Anniversary. The date for the day long presentation of great American roots music is
Saturday September 7, 2024, in Thomson, Georgia. To honor this special milestone, we are
proud to present Wynton Marsalis, along with his septet, as this year’s headliners. McTell
Fest is held annually to honor Thomson’s Blind Willie McTell, a pioneering guitarist,
songwriter, and giant of a performer during the first half of the 20 th century.
McTell was a complete original whose talent was unmatched regarding early American
music. He was born out in the country just south of Thomson and he is buried in the Happy
Valley area of McDuffie County. His influence continues today as he was a uniquely talented
writer and a 12-string master, stretching across multiple genres of American roots music.
McTell played it all, from Piedmont Blues to Gospel to Tin Pan Alley, and more.
Along with Marsalis as the headliner, this year’s roster includes from Austin Texas,
Shinyribs, Lafayette Louisiana’s, The Revelers, and the return of two of our most popular
performers, Atlanta’s Blair Crimmins and the Hookers and, from New York, guitarist
Jerron Paxton.
Wynton Marsalis is a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and a leading
advocate of American culture. He presently serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz
at Lincoln Center, the Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the
Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Born in
New Orleans, Louisiana in 1961, he is the son of jazz
pianist and music educator Ellis Marsalis, Jr.
Visit https://wyntonmarsalis.org/about/bio for more
details on Marsalis’ life and career.
He annually tours worldwide and will bring the
Wynton Marsalis Septet to McTell Fest. This
ensemble will include Thomson’s own Chris
Crenshaw on trombone. Crenshaw has been with the
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra since 2006.
Piper Ferguson, photo

Additional details on the musicians included in this year’s roster….
Shinyribs defies genres as a sonic melting pot of Texas Blues, New Orleans R&B funk, horn-
driven Memphis Soul, country twang, border music, big band swing, and roots-rock. The
Austin-based nine-piece (sometimes 10-piece) supergroup is led by Kevin Russell, the

charismatic former frontman of longtime Austin band The Gourds. Russell never falls short of
creating a cinematic experience with on-stage antics backed by Austin’s finest ensemble.
McTell Fest has had a great history of presenting Cajun music; the Red Stick Ramblers and
the Pine Leaf Boys come to mind. The category is represented this year by The Revelers,
headquartered in Lafayette LA, and dedicated to the holy trinity of Cajun Culture…. hot
music, all-night dancing, and great food! Some of the band members are no stranger to
McTell Fest, and this Grammy nominated combo comes as close to a
Louisiana/Cajun/Zydeco/swamp rock supergroup as you will find.
Blair Crimmins and The Hookers, who will open our show, are making their second
appearance at McTell Fest. Crimmins and his band offer an incredible blast of high energy
Ragtime and Dixieland music, filtered through a lens of Crimmins originals and rollicking
covers from the early 20 th century.
Smithsonian Folkways artist Jerron Paxton is making his third trip to McTell Fest and is an
absolute audience favorite. A multi-instrumentalist and great vocalist, Paxton's style draws
from blues and jazz music from the early 20 th Century. Paxton, an “old soul “ at the tender
age of 35, does it all….playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin,, and probably some other
instruments not listed, all with great humor and stage presence. We are happy to bring him
back to play solo in the country blues tradition of McTell.
In addition to Saturday’s great lineup, the Thomson-McDuffie County Convention &
Visitors Bureau will again be hosting a FREE Kick off Concert in downtown Thomson on
Friday, September 6, featuring blues guitarist Selwyn Birchwood and his band. This show
jump starts a great weekend of incredible music in Thomson. The show will be held on
Railroad Street outside of the Thomson Depot from 7-10 pm.
Tickets will be on sale June 15, 2024 at www.blindwillie.com. Prices for tickets are $40
advance, and $50 on the day of. There is no charge for children, ages 12 and under. Great
regional food will again be featured along the food court. Gates open at 11 in the morning,
with music beginning at noon.
Organizers of the festival, the Activities Council of Thomson (ACT) are a non-profit
organization founded in 1974. ACT was formed to foster education, appreciation, and
promotion of American arts, particularly those that draw from Southern history, culture and
the American experience. To this end, its primary purpose over the past two decades has
been to expose this area of Georgia to styles of music and musicians that, without our effort,
would pass us by. Visit us at www.blindwillie.com.