When Black families migrated to North Richmond as part of the Great Migration in the early 1940s to work in the Kaiser Shipyards, they brought with them Southern traditions, stories and music — including the blues — that transformed the community.
New nightclubs such as the Lone Star, Minnie Lue’s and the Savoy Club drew musicians from around the country, including high profile stars such as B.B. King and Charles Brown. Richmond produced its own blues legends too, among them Jimmy McCracklin, a longtime resident who was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2008.
Together, these artists helped turn North Richmond into a hub of Black music and culture that came to be known, along with San Francisco’s Fillmore District and the Seventh Street corridor in West Oakland, as the Harlem of the West.
“When people came up from the South, the blues came with them,” said DeJeana Burkes, a local blues singer and executive director of the North and Greater Richmond Blues Foundation.
One way the foundation has helped keep the tradition alive is through its annual North Richmond Music Festival at Shields-Reid Park, taking place for the 15th time on Sat., July 11. The free event starts at noon and will feature blues, R&B and Latin bands, along with free hot dogs and snacks.
If you go
What: 15th Annual North Richmond Music Festival
When: Sat., July 11, 2026. Park renovation ribbon cutting ceremony is at 11 a.m.; music starts at 12 p.m.
Where: Shields-Reid Park, 1410 Kelsey St. Admission is free. Bring your own blanket or lawn chair.
More info: Watch a short history of the blues in Richmond.
This year’s festival coincides with the unveiling of the newly renovated Shields-Reid Park, following a two-year, $7 million overhaul paid for by Prop. 68, a 2018 voter-approved bond for parks and environmental projects across the state. The improvements at Shields-Reid include a bike pump track, a zip-line, an outdoor gym, two new bathrooms, picnic tables, new playground equipment, a soccer field and a stage.
The North Richmond Music Festival is ‘like a family reunion’ for residents past and present
Today, the North Richmond blues clubs are gone. Club Savoy is now the Green Pastures Church. Many of the musicians who once played there have died, and a significant number of Black families have moved away over the past two decades.
But for the many former residents who make it a point to return each year to see old neighbors and friends and enjoy the music, the festival is in many ways a homecoming, said Cynthia Jordan, the festival coordinator and a member of the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council.
“It really is like a family reunion and about preserving the music,” Jordan said.
Burkes, the festival’s executive producer, grew up in Detroit surrounded by music. She moved to Richmond in the ‘70s and worked a variety of jobs while singing on the side.
One day, she was asked to perform Bobby Bland’s “There’s a Stranger in My House,” a blues classic, at a private event. When she received a standing ovation — her first — Burkes realized she was onto something.
“Blues has a very basic structure to it, so it really comes down to how the singer delivers the song,” Burkes said. “There’s a freedom to it and what makes it fun.”
To sharpen her knowledge of blues classics, Burkes began attending jam sessions around the Bay Area to learn songs and meet other musicians. She performed at the first North Richmond Blues Festival in 2009 and was later asked to become the festival’s executive producer.
“The community loves the festival, just sitting around and enjoying the music, ” Burkes said. “It allows people to have pride in their community and enjoy the blues.”
This year’s lineup reflects a more Latino neighborhood
This year’s program will kick off with the national anthem played on the harmonica and will be headlined by the West Coast Caravan of All Stars Review, blues singers Reggie Rolls and Fillmore Slim, and R&B groups Amytra and Full Volume, among others. Aztec dancers and a Latin band will also perform, reflecting a neighborhood that is now predominantly Latino.
Despite the changed demographics, the festival helps keep the blues alive in the Black community at a time when many younger musicians on the West Coast aren’t as drawn to the genre, said Ronnie K. Stewart, executive director of the West Coast Blues Society, which works to preserve and raise awareness of the blues, jazz, R&B and gospel as American folk art forms through public performances, lectures, educational programs and other activities.
“America’s only contribution to music is blues, jazz and gospel and it’s important to not let the history die, and remember the great contributions that people in North Richmond made to this musical style,” Stewart said. “A lot of youngsters go toward rap and hip hop because it’s easier, but they don’t realize that 80% of hip hop or rap is all from James Brown’s ‘Funky Drummer.’ They’re sampling from the blues and don’t even know it.”
