Yes! Blues in Italy!

Hey folks! I'm back from vacation in Italy! I spotted this poster of B.B. King in Venice.

I was on a guided tour, so I wasn't able to find any blues bands or clubs, but rest assured - there is blues in Italy! I came home to an e-mail from Marco from Italy, who has a blog called Blues Jams. The blog covers blues in Italy and around the world. Check it out! (Hope you can read Italian!)

Italian blues fans are gearing up for the Abruzzo Nel Blues Festival held the last weekend of July. The festival will feature many Chicago area blues stars such as Ronnie Baker Brooks, Sharon Lewis, Billy Branch and Phil Guy, as well as Memphis-born Chris Cain and several Italian blues bands.

Of course, Italy's most famous blues import to Chicago is Tony Manguilo, who with his mother, Rosa, owns Rosa's Lounge. Tony was born and raised in Milan, Italy, and came to Chicago as a young man in 1978 in search of the blues.