Roots N’ Blues Festival, October 7th-9th, Columbia, MO.

The Roots N Blues Festival, the only entirely women-owned major music festival in the United States, has unveiled its full lineup for 2022. Headliners include Grammy Award-winning artists Wilco, Chaka Khan, Bleachers, Tanya Tucker, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Academy Award winner Jon Batiste, who has 11 nominations – the most of any artist this year – for this Sunday’s Grammy Awards. The Roots N Blues Festival, presented by Veterans United Home Loans, is set for Friday, October 7 – Sunday, October 9, 2022, at Stephens Lake Park in Columbia, Missouri. Festival passes and single-day tickets go on sale today at 12noon CST HERE.

The three-day festival will also feature performances on two stages from a wide range of established and up-and-coming Americana, roots, blues, R&B, country, bluegrass, soul, and folk. Rock acts, including Hippo Campus, Larkin Poe, Tank and the Bangas, Houndmouth, Cautious Clay, Jackie Venson, Steeldrivers, Jaime Wyatt, The Dip, Brittney Spencer, Liz Cooper, Kassi Ashton, The Heavy Heavy, as well as five Missouri-based artists. The full list of confirmed artists is below.

“We’re continuing to expand on what we started in 2021 by exploring all corners of American Roots Music – moving away from a narrow definition and adopting a broader view of what roots music is,” says Shay Jasper, Co-owner of Roots N Blues. “This is the most exciting, eclectic lineup yet. There will be something for everyone at Roots N Blues!”

The Roots N Blues Festival made headlines last year for its historic, diverse, all-women-led lineup during its first incarnation under new co-owners Tracy Lane and Shay Jasper. In keeping with their pledge to create a new Roots N Blues space where everyone feels that they are seen and heard, they have curated a balanced lineup about gender and generation this year. Lane and Jasper were recently celebrated in Pollstar’s Women of Live special issue for their commitment to inclusivity in all aspects of their festival.

“The central focus of our vision for the future of this festival is equity – both on and off the stage,” says Tracy Lane, Co-owner of Roots N Blues. “We strive to remove the barriers around live music – gender, age, race, ability, and income – for our artists, staff, and audience.”

Lane and Jasper’s first festival as co-owners of Roots N Blues in 2021 was a success: the festival attracted a younger, more diverse audience than it had in years past. More 18-24 and 25-34-year-old music fans attended than in previous years. They also noted that 60% of festival-goers were women — the first time women made up a majority of the Roots N Blues audience.

In a change from previous years, Roots N Blues is not offering a VIP package for purchase this year. Instead, music fans can make a $200 donation to Friends of the Festival in addition to purchasing their 3-day festival pass for access to lounges and up-front viewing at both stages. Friends of the Festival was formed during the pandemic as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to sustaining the Roots N Blues Festival. A tax-deductible donation helps further the legacy of the Festival, employs hundreds of Missourians, and provides access to music literacy and history programs to children throughout the state.

*Festival passes and single-day tickets for the 2022 Roots N Blues Festival go on sale Friday, April 1, 2022, at 12noon CST at: https://rootsnbluesfestival.frontgatetickets.com/