AUSTIN, Texas — CJ Chenier & The Red Hot Louisiana Band, crowned the prince of Zydeco by Antone's, kicked off Saturday’s music at Waterloo Park. It’s the same park blues legends Ray Charles and Buddy Guy played in 20 years ago.
"It's just exciting to be able to celebrate the spirit of Antone's legacy in the way that Susan and Clifford present music,” said Will Bridges, co-owner of Antone’s Nightclub.
Back in 1999, Clifford Antone, the founder of Antone's Nightclub, hosted the first blues festival, Antone's Blues Festival in Austin. It ran for three years in a row.
Now, 20 years later, the current co-owners of Antone’s wanted to give the festival a new life. Talent buyer for Antone’s and Austin Blues Festival Zach Ernst said they usually book blues musicians who usually sell out their club.
"Zach and I look at each other sometimes, and we feel like we're hoarding how special these moments are because we can only fit 400 people in there," Bridges said.
But now that they're hosting the first festival at the Moody Amphitheater, they can bring many more blues fans from all over.
"I traveled all the way here for that,” attendee Clarence Lucas said.
Lucas said he does something on his bucket list every birthday and for his 60th, he traveled all the way from Bowie, Maryland, for the Austin Blues Fest.
"I love blues,” Lucas said. “I love the city of Austin. It's a great place."
And some local Austinites had to be there too.
"We love going to Austin music festivals,” Greta Nardecchia said. “We lived in Austin in the early '90s, so we went to the Jazz Festival in 1992."
Nardecchia said they were most excited to see Los Lobos since they saw them back in the 90s. But more importantly, they just wanted to support the Austin music community.
“We just encourage people to support local artists,” Nardecchia said.
Not only does the festival help local musicians, it also gives back. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the festival go straight to the Waterloo Greenway Conservancy.
Antone's is already planning next year’s festival. Bridges and Ernst said they have a wish list of people they want to perform, and that they’re also trying to work with the New Orleans Jazz Festival.
"Austin blues festival, we love y'all,” Bridges said.