Aaron Neville, Elle King to headline Blues on the Fox festival June 15 and 16 in downtown Aurora

Photo by Tom King

Grammy-winning singer and musician Aaron Neville along with Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Elle King will headline the 22nd annual Blues on the Fox festival, which will be held June 15 and 16 at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway Ave. in downtown Aurora.

Gates will open at 6 p.m. June 15 for day one of the festival. Kansas City blues singer-songwriter Samantha Fish will take the stage at 7 p.m., followed by King, best known for her Top 10 hit “Ex’s and Oh’s.”

Gates open at 2 p.m. June 16 for day two. At 3 p.m., 14-year-old guitar phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, who starred on Broadway in "The School of Rock," takes the stage. 

CTA bus driver turned blues musician Toronzo Cannon will perform at 5 p.m., followed by slide guitar legend Sonny Landreth at 7 p.m. Neville, who has three Grammy awards under his belt, will close the night at 9 p.m.

Early bird tickets are only $20 per day if purchased through May 31. Regular tickets are $30 per day starting June 1 and on-site. 

All tickets are general admission and fees are not included. Children 12 and under are admitted free, but must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older.

Tickets and information are available at RiverEdgeAurora.com, by calling the RiverEdge box office at 630-896-6666, or at RiverEdge’s satellite box office, the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

The RiverEdge box office will also be open on-site both days, beginning at noon.

MORE ABOUT THE BANDS Friday, June 15 Gates open: 6 p.m. 7 p.m. - Samantha Fish

“An impressive blues guitarist.” “Sings with sweet power.” “Kicked down the door of the patriarchal blues club.” The critics can’t get enough! The soulful, rootsy Samantha Fish is a musical force that refuses to be confined to a box. While she doesn’t peg herself as a traditional blues artist, it’s her deep love for the genre that’s at the heart of who she is and what she does. Originally from Kansas City, Fish exploded on the scene in 2009 as the Samantha Fish Blues Band with her live album, "Live Bait." The rock-edged guitar work brought her to the attention of Ruf Records, which included her on the 2011 "Girls with Guitars" album of women covering the Rolling Stones and the Steve Miller Band along with original material. Later that year, Fish released her solo debut, "Runaway," also with Ruf Records. She saw her first chart success with her sophomore LP, "Black Wind Howlin'." It hit the Billboard Heatseekers chart and reached the Top Ten of the blues albums chart in 2013. She followed it with "Wild at Heart" in 2015, which became a blues number one. In 2017, she returned with "Chills & Fever," recorded in Detroit with members of the Detroit Cobras, and her fifth studio album, "Belle of the West."

Samantha Fish "Chills & Fever" 9 p.m. - Elle King

Singer, songwriter and occasional actor Elle King, best known for her Billboard Top 10 hit “Ex’s and Oh’s,” will make you question everything you thought you knew about the blues. With a hard rock edge and debut album that dropped just three short years ago, earning her two Grammy Award nominations for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song, she is tearing up the charts. Frank and fearless, tender and rowdy, King’s music is unbeatable and unstoppable.  King was born Tanner Elle Schneider in 1989 in Los Angeles, the daughter of British model London King and Rob Schneider, the former cast member of "Saturday Night Live." She grew up in Ohio, and after hearing the all-girl pop-punk band the Donnas when she was nine, she decided she wanted to be a singer and musician. By 13 she was playing guitar, and later, the banjo. After college she spent time in Copenhagen and L.A. before settling in Brooklyn. Signing to RCA, she released a four-song EP, "The Elle King EP," in 2012. In 2015, King released her debut album, "Love Stuff," featuring the single "Ex's & Oh's," which reached the top of Billboard's Alternative Songs chart. In 2016, King recorded a duet with Dierks Bentley, “Different for Girls,” for his album, "Black." The track was released as a single, rose to number one on the Country Airplay charts, was nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, and won a Country Music Association trophy for Best Vocal Event of the Year.

Elle King "Ex's & Oh's" official video Saturday, June 16 Gates: 2 p.m. 3 p.m. - Brandon “Taz” Niederauer

Fourteen years old. Let that sink in for a moment. Brandon Niederauer – nicknamed Taz - is just 14 years old and has already played in the most legendary places in America with some of the most prominent musicians of our time. Taz’s love for music began when he watched the film "School of Rock" and realized he wanted to play guitar. Four years later, he was cast as guitarist Zack Mooneyham in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway production of "School of Rock." Since then, the New York City-based phenom has played with Gregg Allman, Buddy Guy, Stevie Nicks, Lady Gaga, Slash, Jon Batiste, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Dr. John, Otis Taylor and many more. If you want to see a rising star, be sure to check out Taz.

Brandon Niederauer plays The Star Spangled Banner on Broadway in "School of Rock: The Musical" 5 p.m. – Toronzo Cannon

Toronzo Cannon is a Chicago Transit Authority bus driver by day, and an amazing blues player by night - or whenever he’s on tour either in the United States or on another continent shredding the guitar like it stole his girl. With influences from the likes of B.B. King, Al Green, Jimi Hendrix and many other legends, Cannon has honed his style into a biting, singing guitar sound that’s all his own. A modern blues master with compelling and forceful singing, Cannon has been hailed “one of Chicago’s new greats,” by the Chicago Sun-Times. His unofficial launch from local hero to national star took place on June 13, 2015, at the Chicago Blues Festival, where he performed as a festival headliner. His album "The Chicago Way" is his Alligator label debut, featuring nothing but Cannon originals, all powered by his blistering guitar and soul-baring vocals. His songwriting is inspired by his deep, homegrown Chicago roots, his years observing the public while working as a city bus driver on the West Side, and his own battles and triumphs. From searing blues anthems to swinging shuffles to soulful ballads to roof-raising rockers, the songs tell timeless stories of common experiences in uncommon ways.

Toronzo Cannon performs "Sweet, Sweet, Sweet" 7 p.m. - Sonny Landreth

Eric Clapton calls guitarist, songwriter and singer Sonny Landreth not only one of the most underappreciated musicians on the planet but also one of the most advanced. With praise like that, you don’t need another reason to see this blues master and slide guitarist. This virtuoso Southwest Louisiana blues man may be underappreciated, but when you see Landreth live, you’re gonna be in awe at the incredible craftsmanship and skill. Landreth’s signature blues slide guitar playing found on his two early Zoo Entertainment releases, "Outward Bound "(1992) and "South of I-10" (1995), is distinctive and unlike anything else you've ever heard. His unorthodox guitar style comes from the manner in which he simultaneously plays slide and makes fingering movements on the fretboard. Today, Landreth is known as the “King of Slydeco,” famous for his easygoing personality and ability to play it all like any good session musician. Since 1981, Landreth has released 17 albums and collaborated with some of the biggest names in guitar: Mark Knopfler, Eric Johnson, Derek Trucks, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffet, John Hiatt and more. His latest album, "Recorded Live in Lafayette," was nominated for a Grammy Award as best contemporary blues album.

Sonny Landreth "Blues Attack" from the album "Recorded Live in Lafayette" 9 p.m. - Aaron Neville

To close Blues on the Fox, three-time Grammy Award-winner, R&B singer and musician Aaron Neville will “tell it like it is” as only he can. Having one of the most evocative and recognizable voices in American music, Aaron Neville is an international ambassador of New Orleans R&B, though his soaring falsetto sounds at home in many styles. Coming of age in the incredibly creative 1950s Crescent City R&B scene, Neville gained national attention with his 1966 hit “Tell It Like It Is,” the stirring ballad and #1 hit, as well as with the Wild Tchoupitoulas, a touring Mardi Gras celebration that led to the creation of the Neville Brothers band — an institution that would confirm Neville’s iconic status.

Over his four-time Grammy-winning solo career, Neville has scored a string of hits including “Tell It Like It Is,” memorable duets with Linda Ronstadt including "Don't Know Much" and a hugely popular cover of Main Ingredient’s “Everybody Plays the Fool.” With his latest album, "Apache," a solo album that makes the case for Aaron Neville as the most holistic of soul men. Its hard R&B side matches anything the Neville Brothers ever recorded for true grit, while still allowing plenty of space for a singer who’s arguably the most distinctive vocal stylist on the planet to tell it like it is.