For better or worse, because of Milwaukee’s proximity to Chicago, our city’s blues festivals are dominated by shredding, electric-blues guitarists, but the Milwaukee Blues Festival bucks that trend, prioritizing soul over volume. Headliners The Manhattans, for instance, are an R&B act best known for their ’60s vocal-group records and ’70s Philadelphia soul albums. Supporting act Bobby “Blue” Bland, now 81, grew up just outside of Memphis, and he sings soul music that draws from that city’s unmistakable tradition of blues and gospel. Also on the bill: Sir Charles Jones, Denise LaSalle, Floyd Taylor and Bobby Rush.
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