The Alabama Department of Tourism wasted very little time letting the new wear off the Five Rivers Resource Center. The $10 million facility, that was unveiled last Friday, hosted the first Alabama Delta Blues Festival over the weekend.

The Festival featured nationally known blues artists Shemekia Copeland, Tab Benoit and Richard Johnston; along with local favorites.

The first day of the festival was marred by thunderstorms and high winds that rolled across the delta. Resource Center manager Hank Burch made the decision to move the acts to the covered deck of the Delta Center prior to the storms’ arrival. “This just proves the Center is a multi-use facility,” Burch said. “We had great weather for the grand opening on Friday and now rain today. Tomorrow is supposed to be better. I guess two out of three ain’t bad.”

Blues fans braved the impending weather to hear the blues from Richard Johnston who vowed to play until “Hail comes.” Johnston wrapped up his performance and agreed to return to play Sunday when the weather was forecasted to improve.

The final day of the festival was greeted with sunshine, but the blues fans had to deal with gusty winds across the area.

Johnston took the stage again to perform with what he called a ‘Hill Harp.’ “It is a kind of guitar/bass; it is made from two Red Oak broom handles, one radiator hose-clamp, three bobbins off a sewing machine, two beer caps, which one is missing off this one and one Cuban cigar box,” Johnson said.

Johnston is not a stranger to the state. He was the subject of a 2005 Alabama PBS documentary called, ‘Richard Johnson: Hill Country Troubadour’ which received 10 nominations by national and international film festivals.

2007 Grammy Award nominee Tab Benoit took the stage in the afternoon to bring his Cajun-style blues to the delta. Benoit offered to play requests for the fans, since he was unsure of what they wanted to hear. “I ain’t never been here,” Benoit said. “I been through here on my way to Florida and Georgia, but I never played here.”

Benoit was quick to learn his fans were well-versed in his music as a number of fans shouted their favorites to the stage. The Louisiana native’s 2006 Album, ‘Brother to the Blues,’ received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Album. He was also nominated for the Blues Music Award for Best Contemporary Male Artist and the prestigious Entertainer of the Year Award. His album ‘Fever for the Bayou’ won the 2006 Best Contemporary Blues Album.

The festival wrapped up Sunday evening with a performance by Blues Superstar Shemekia Copeland. The 28-year old New York native grew up with the Blues. She was encouraged to perform by her father, legendary blues artist Johnny Clyde Copeland. She was first introduced to performing in public at eight years of age when her father brought her on stage to sing at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be a singer back then, but my dad knew.” Twenty years later Copeland has collected five Blues Music Awards, a Grammy nomination, five Living Blues Awards, and was honored with the “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” Award by the Down Beat Critic’s Poll.