It's the end of an era in Jacksonville Beach. After 34 years, the sun has set on the Springing the Blues Music Festival, traditionally held during the first week of April at the Seawalk Pavilion.
Executive Director Sam Veal announced Tuesday that he planned to retire the city's signature three-day celebration of contemporary and traditional blues music. The April 2026 festival will serve as the brand's final event.
“The board unanimously agreed that our mission purpose, which began in 1991, has now been accomplished with the success of the 34th Annual Springing the Blues Music Festival this past April 10-12,” he said.
“We know this will come as quite a shock to many, but after our review of the past 34 years’ worth of ‘Keeping the Blues Alive’ efforts, the board has determined that we have done our part very well, and that today the blues is very much alive and well and getting better all the time.”
Founded as a celebration of traditional and contemporary blues music, the festival evolved from a small local gathering into an iconic three-day coastal tradition. However, balancing escalating operational costs, logistical shifts and the evolving landscape of large-scale free events led the board to determine the festival had reached its natural, successful conclusion.
How it Began
In 1989, Veal came to his longtime friend and former Jacksonville Beach Mayor Reid McCormick with an idea for a free event centered on the blues.
McCormick had just been elected mayor of Jacksonville Beach when Veal approached him with the idea, McCormick recalled at the Beaches History Museum's 2019 opening of “Sand, Soul, & Rock N’ Roll: Music at the Beaches,” a visual timeline of the area's rich musical history.
“Sam comes to me and says, ‘I want to put Jacksonville Beach on the map for America’s only indigenous music form,’” McCormick said. “And I said, ‘All right ... keep talking, Sam.’ And he said, ‘Blues music.’”
“[He was] part of the genesis of the creation of Springing the Blues because he didn't try to talk me out of it,” Veal said. “It's because of his family we are standing here right now.”
While McCormick was surprised by Veal's ambitious dream, he agreed to help pursue Veal's vision of an event centered on the blues. “We committed to each other that if he could get the talent, put people on the stage and run sound and lights, I would make sure we had enough portable toilets,” McCormick said. “So we kicked this thing off.”
In the center of the city facing the oceanfront stood a small, concrete band shell that hosted acts such as The Kingston Trio and Quicksilver Messenger Service but sat largely underutilized most of the time.
In 1991, the inaugural Springing the Blues festival was sprung on that concrete stage, featuring five hours of live music by such veteran acts as Tinsley Ellis, Saffire, the Uppity Blueswomen, Little Jimmy King and Noble “Thin Man” Watts.
“We remember those people because at that point, we begged people to come here. They didn't know where Jacksonville Beach was,” McCormick recalled. “He would go to Memphis and spend weeks and weekends talking people into coming here. It's easy to figure out how many portable toilets it takes, but it's because of [Veal's] dream that we are here today.”
Named one of the top 50 music festivals in the world by DownBeat magazine, Veal maintained the integrity of Springing the Blues by keeping it simple. It's the music and the magic that happens when the band is really cooking and there's a combustible energy that's palpable. It's that raw spiritual connection that kept audiences and artists alike coming back.
“This music is, by its nature, intimate,” Alligator Records founder Bruce Iglauer said in 2019 ahead of the festival's milestone 30th anniversary. “The idea is that it's supposed to be soul-to-soul communication.”
Over the years, Veal provided a platform to up-and-coming hopefuls, introduced seasoned players to new audiences, helped young artists develop their craft and shepherded many through the blues channels.
In 1995, Veal booked the largely unknown Susan Tedeschi to perform at the fifth annual Springing the Blues. The Grammy-winning artist stayed at Veal's home and rode his daughter's bike to the venue. She is now married to hometown guitar phenom Derek Trucks, who performed on the 2004 festival stage.
Tedeschi also performed at the 2004 Springing the Blues kickoff concert, years before she and Trucks went on to form the Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Alligator Records served as a feeder for years, stacking the Springing the Blues lineup with artists including Selwyn Birchwood, Tinsley Ellis, Coco Montoya, Michael Burks, R.L. Burnside, Tab Benoit, Lil’ Ed & the Imperials, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Tommy Castro, Albert Castiglia, Samantha Fish, Eric Lindell, Joe Bonamassa, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Vanessa Collier, Victor Wainwright and Eric Gales.
“We both love the music and we love exposing other people to the music. One thing that I think Springing the Blues has done particularly well is the ‘being free’ part, because people are coming and hearing this music who have not experienced it previously,” Iglauer said.
“We love to be converts. We love to have people fall in love with the music that we fell in love with, and Springing the Blues is a great opportunity to do that.”
Veal said a digital retrospective of Springing the Blues is in the works to honor the musicians, staff and iconic moments that defined the festival's historic run.
Moving Forward
Springing the Blues Foundation Inc., the festival's charitable arm, will continue to partner with Jax Beach Festivals Inc. to produce the 15th Annual Community First Seawalk Music Festival at the Seawalk Pavilion.
The event, typically held the last weekend in February, will take over Springing the Blues' traditional weekend dates, with the next installment slated for April 3-4, 2027.
The Community First Seawalk Music Festival was originally created to showcase regional artists in Northeast Florida. For 15 years, it has grown in scale and scope to include an eclectic array of live music, artists and crafters, entrepreneurs, interactive kids' activities and a curated selection of food offerings.
“This decision was reached with heavy hearts but an immense sense of pride,” Veal said. “We wanted to close this incredible chapter on a high note, celebrating the massive cultural and economic footprint we have left on Jacksonville Beach. We are endlessly grateful to our fans, artists, volunteers and the city of Jacksonville Beach for making this dream possible for over 30 years.”
Reflecting on the festival's rich history and undeniable community impact, Veal looked back at what the event achieved.
“In the beginning, our goals were to bring the community together through music by creating a ‘Point of Destination’ event and help preserve and promote blues music,” Veal said.
“Our ‘Blues in the Schools’ programs turned thousands of area students onto the blues. Our economic impact exceeded $50 million. We provided a tremendous economic opportunity to many area businesses and filled area hotels,” he said. “We provided an amazing musical experience and fun-filled weekend each year that was completely free to the public. We presented the best contemporary and traditional blues artists that we could afford.”
“This is a time for celebration, not sadness. We look back with immense pride at the economic boost brought to our local businesses, the platform given to legendary and emerging blues artists and the tight-knit community we fostered and embraced every spring,” Veal said. “Mission accomplished.”
