2025 Lineup:

Chuck Leavell

There is not much we can say about pianist Chuck Leavell that hasn’t been said. He is simply one of the most prominent session artists in the music industry. He’s worked with a laundry list of musicians through the years, including the Allman Brothers Band, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Train, John Mayer, Blues Traveller, and many more. His musical “day job” for the last few decades has been manning the keys (and serving as unofficial music director) for the Rolling Stones.

Like Willie McTell, Chuck is a member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (2004) and a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s been quite a while since Chuck’s played McTell Fest. He’ll team up with his musical mate, Randall Bramblett to headline this year’s festival. We may even hear a Sea Level tune or two!

Chris Smither

Chris Smither is one of our favorite singing, songwriting guitarists and he’ll be back with us again in September. With over 20 albums of original music, his vast repertoire has been covered by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Peter Case, Tim O’Brien, and many more. In addition to his recorded output, Chris has been touring annually for decades. Though another famous musician from around these parts carries the title of “Hardest Working Man in Show Business”, we think Chris also gets that title. It been 10 years since Chris played McTell fest and are so proud he’s coming south…where he belongs! Smither is an American original and one of the absolute best singer-songwriters working today.

Monster Mike Welch

With over three decades of touring and recording under his belt, Boston-based blues guitarist Monster Mike Welch is a seasoned veteran of the international blues scene. Given the nickname “Monster Mike” by actor/Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd at the tender age of 13, Welch has since carved out a niche as a highly accomplished and in-demand guitarist. Mike joined the ranks of one of New England’s most beloved blues institutions, Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, where he stayed until 2017, recording five albums and racking up multiple Blues Music Award nominations for the band in that time. This version of the Bluetones featuring Welch played our fest in 2014.

In addition, Welch has recorded with Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Earl, Danielle Nicole, Duke Robillard, Johnny Winter, Victor Wainwright, Nick Moss, the Mannish Boys and Sugaray Rayford, among others. In 2023, Monster Mike Welch embarked on the next phase of his career when he signed with Gulf Coast Records to make new music, releasing the Blues Music Award-nominated Nothing But Time. Welch is a fiery guitarist is the best tradition of the electric blues genre and absolutely one of the finest players working today.