![Formed in 1972, the Nighthawks started off playing a mix of blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly. The band opened many doors for their contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and played with Blues and Rockabilly legends, opening for Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Carl Perkins, and backed up and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. In 2009, Sirius XM invited the band to record some live tracks for their "B.B. King’s Bluesville" channel. In less than two hours, the band cut almost a dozen tunes, and a week later had a CD ready to release. Last Train to Bluesville was released on RipBang Records and won Acoustic Album of the Year at the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards in Memphis in May 2011. thenighthawks.com](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/3f/44/3f44fa2c144f7e0780dd0a82f16421fc.jpg?itok=6-7j1pVc "Formed in 1972, the Nighthawks started off playing a mix of blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly. The band opened many doors for their contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and played with Blues and Rockabilly legends, opening for Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Carl Perkins, and backed up and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. In 2009, Sirius XM invited the band to record some live tracks for their "B.B. King’s Bluesville" channel. In less than two hours, the band cut almost a dozen tunes, and a week later had a CD ready to release. Last Train to Bluesville was released on RipBang Records and won Acoustic Album of the Year at the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards in Memphis in May 2011. thenighthawks.com"){kind=small}
![One of the newest bands in our 2013 lineup was formed in February of 2012, although the band members have been around for a while. Tommy Castro is a veteran road warrior and one of the most successful blues musicians in the business. Today, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers have a mission: "A lot of folks are having hard times these days, and they need something to lift them up and make them smile," he says. "Our music kills the pain." Even after more than two decades on the road, 14 recordings and collaborations, and multiple Blues Music Awards, he wants to push the boundaries of today’s roots music. The Painkillers have a more stripped-down lineup that recalls the earlier days of the band, allowing Castro’s versatile guitar work and soulful voice to tell a story in every song. Caution: these Painkillers could be habit forming! tommycastro.com.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/hash/16/73/167314b6a1e211534a4ac3001f2c3850.JPG?itok=Z1_eNkfQ "One of the newest bands in our 2013 lineup was formed in February of 2012, although the band members have been around for a while. Tommy Castro is a veteran road warrior and one of the most successful blues musicians in the business. Today, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers have a mission: "A lot of folks are having hard times these days, and they need something to lift them up and make them smile," he says. "Our music kills the pain." Even after more than two decades on the road, 14 recordings and collaborations, and multiple Blues Music Awards, he wants to push the boundaries of today’s roots music. The Painkillers have a more stripped-down lineup that recalls the earlier days of the band, allowing Castro’s versatile guitar work and soulful voice to tell a story in every song. Caution: these Painkillers could be habit forming! tommycastro.com."){kind=small}
The 2013 Daytona Blues Festival is the fourth annual Columbus Day Weekend gathering of some of the best blues bands and singers in the country. This year's festivities will take place on the 11th, 12th and 13th of October with a pre-festival Welcome Party on the 10th. Both the Thursday night Welcome Party and the Friday Night After Party will be hosted by blues lady Skyla Burrell and her band. The Saturday and Sunday night After Parties will be led by none other than Daytona's favorite son, Victor Wainwright.
Want more action? Stick around for the annual Daytona Beach Biketoberfest on the following weekend, October 17 - 20.
Day One -- Let's get this party started!
Let's look at the lineup for the first day of the Daytona Blues Festival . . .
On the Web
![One of the newest bands in our 2013 lineup was formed in February of 2012, although the band members have been around for a while. Tommy Castro is a veteran road warrior and one of the most successful blues musicians in the business. Today, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers have a mission: "A lot of folks are having hard times these days, and they need something to lift them up and make them smile," he says. "Our music kills the pain." Even after more than two decades on the road, 14 recordings and collaborations, and multiple Blues Music Awards, he wants to push the boundaries of today’s roots music. The Painkillers have a more stripped-down lineup that recalls the earlier days of the band, allowing Castro’s versatile guitar work and soulful voice to tell a story in every song. Caution: these Painkillers could be habit forming! tommycastro.com.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/04/65/0465fda2ef95956246fca0c3767f08fb.JPG?itok=_tjd_k08 "One of the newest bands in our 2013 lineup was formed in February of 2012, although the band members have been around for a while. Tommy Castro is a veteran road warrior and one of the most successful blues musicians in the business. Today, Tommy Castro and the Painkillers have a mission: "A lot of folks are having hard times these days, and they need something to lift them up and make them smile," he says. "Our music kills the pain." Even after more than two decades on the road, 14 recordings and collaborations, and multiple Blues Music Awards, he wants to push the boundaries of today’s roots music. The Painkillers have a more stripped-down lineup that recalls the earlier days of the band, allowing Castro’s versatile guitar work and soulful voice to tell a story in every song. Caution: these Painkillers could be habit forming! tommycastro.com.")
![Formed in 1972, the Nighthawks started off playing a mix of blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly. The band opened many doors for their contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and played with Blues and Rockabilly legends, opening for Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Carl Perkins, and backed up and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. In 2009, Sirius XM invited the band to record some live tracks for their "B.B. King’s Bluesville" channel. In less than two hours, the band cut almost a dozen tunes, and a week later had a CD ready to release. Last Train to Bluesville was released on RipBang Records and won Acoustic Album of the Year at the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards in Memphis in May 2011. thenighthawks.com](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/bd/b0/bdb0c222088a7dfdf50b9918d786abe6.jpg?itok=sQMn5vyV "Formed in 1972, the Nighthawks started off playing a mix of blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly. The band opened many doors for their contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and played with Blues and Rockabilly legends, opening for Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Carl Perkins, and backed up and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. In 2009, Sirius XM invited the band to record some live tracks for their "B.B. King’s Bluesville" channel. In less than two hours, the band cut almost a dozen tunes, and a week later had a CD ready to release. Last Train to Bluesville was released on RipBang Records and won Acoustic Album of the Year at the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Awards in Memphis in May 2011. thenighthawks.com")
![North Carolina bluesman Matt Hill started playing guitar and studying American Roots Music when he was 12. In high school he started going to blues jams, winning local music awards blues, and playing a mix of blues rockabilly, and rock'n'roll. He developed what one reviewer called "a totally uninhibited, ferociously raving stage presence that harkens back to the heydays of Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis and Nappy Brown." His debut album "On the Floor" won the award for Best New Artist Debut at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis TN. facebook.com/MattHillDeepFryed2](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/12/f1/12f1a8459b5dc2ba463275f531541c7b.jpg?itok=i31BAL1W "North Carolina bluesman Matt Hill started playing guitar and studying American Roots Music when he was 12. In high school he started going to blues jams, winning local music awards blues, and playing a mix of blues rockabilly, and rock'n'roll. He developed what one reviewer called "a totally uninhibited, ferociously raving stage presence that harkens back to the heydays of Howlin' Wolf, Jerry Lee Lewis and Nappy Brown." His debut album "On the Floor" won the award for Best New Artist Debut at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis TN. facebook.com/MattHillDeepFryed2")
![A headliner on the national Blues circuit, Skyla Burrell was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, and has been a working singer /musician since the age of 15. She now lives on the east coast, fronting her "Skyla Burrell Blues Band," which was recently inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame for 2012. She has earned a reputation as one of the hardest-working, hard-driving women in the Blues business, ranging from jump, jazz and swing to the sounds of Memphis soul and Chicago Blues.If you are planning an extended vacation on the World's Most Famous Beach, don't forget that Daytona's annual Biketoberfest event is the following weekend, October 17 - 20.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/profile_large/hash/c8/6c/c86c1a0dc92e009b21c0b847bc970193.jpg?itok=dwlXhIWi "A headliner on the national Blues circuit, Skyla Burrell was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, and has been a working singer /musician since the age of 15. She now lives on the east coast, fronting her "Skyla Burrell Blues Band," which was recently inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame for 2012. She has earned a reputation as one of the hardest-working, hard-driving women in the Blues business, ranging from jump, jazz and swing to the sounds of Memphis soul and Chicago Blues.If you are planning an extended vacation on the World's Most Famous Beach, don't forget that Daytona's annual Biketoberfest event is the following weekend, October 17 - 20.")
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