Robert Cray, Taj Mahal, Shuggie Otis To Play East Coast Dates

The sideshows on the back of the epic Bluesfest 2013 announcements keep on coming and this latest one is a huge triple-bill that is bound to be a very popular one among those who still like the blues to be at the essence of what this incredible festival brings to us each and every year.

Three of the truly great guitarists on this year's bill are getting together to make plenty of noise around Easter time next year as slick bluesmen Robert Cray, Taj Mahal and Shuggie Otis play shows along the east coast of the country to coincide with the festival.

It seems that most households have at some stage had an LP featuring the super slick blues of Robert Cray; seeing as though he released his 16th studio album this August that is not really surprising. If you've never heard him, he's a fantastic guitarist and vocalist who plays a style of blues that leans slightly towards the pop side of the musical spectrum. He's a true guitar great but has a great knack for writing a tune that'll stay in your head for days; a real talent that's definitely worth seeing at least once in your life.

One of the great bluesmen of our time and a perennial Bluesfest favourite, Taj Mahal comes back to the festival for what appears to be his eighth year since the event began. He has played with plenty of the greats of blues, folk and rock – hell, he's considered to be a great in his own right – and has a canon of material that makes the blues just that little bit more exciting for a popular audience.

Shuggie Otis, the son of the legendary Johnny Otis, has a catalogue of incredible psychedelic soul material that has seen him compared to everyone from Funkadelic to Stevie Wonder and even the likes of George Benson and Elton John. The notoriously reclusive artist has never been to Australia so it's very exciting to see he's finally making the trip.

The shows are as follows and tickets are on sale right now.

Saturday 23 March – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Sunday 24 March – The Arts Centre, Hamer Hall, Melbourne   
Tuesday 26 March – The Tivoli, Brisbane