Downtown blues music festival today

Oct. 12—Downtown Cleburne gets the blues today courtesy of an all-day music festival at Songbird Live.

The Blues on the Block Bash brings the soulful tunes of four live acts to the stage mixed with the vibrant energy of downtown shopping and activity, Songbird Live owner Tom Burkett said.

"This is the first time we've gone with this concept," Burkett said. "I'm hoping to see a big crowd and people having a lot of fun. We'll see how things go though because, as I've said many times, it's only a theory until it works.

"But, what I know for now, is that we've got four very good bands scheduled and a lot of fun things going on downtown today."

In addition to live music, area downtown stores and numerous vendors will provide a shopper's paradise. Restaurants and other food vendors will provide a variety of dining and snacking options.

The day's fun kicks off at 10 a.m. with the live performances soon to follow.

The Buddy Whittington Band hits the stage at noon.

Chaz Marie and Quinton Hope follow at 2:30 p.m.

Jerry Don Branch and Friends come on at 5 p.m. followed by the day's headliner, Glen Clark, at 7:30 p.m.

"The first three have played Songbird several times and are very popular here with good reason because they're all such great musicians," Burkett said. "This will be Glen Clark's first time to play here and we're thrilled to have him. He's fairly famous and a big name. His drummer, who also used to play with Ray Charles, has played here and that's how I connected with Glen."

There are two ways to enjoy today's concerts. Free outdoor seating is available as is ticketed indoor seating.

Individual performance tickets cost $25 with the exception of Clark's show, which costs $35. Attendees can also purchase an all-day pass for $35.

Today's Blues on the Block Bash is the first of a new series of planned shows, Burkett said.

"Next month we're doing Jazzing Up the Block which, just like the name implies, will be a day of jazz music," Burkett said. "If these first two go well I'm hoping to keep the concept going by featuring different genres of music each time."

But, Burkett added, there's much fun to be had in downtown Cleburne today.

"Great music all day, lots of food, more than 300 vendors out here and just a lot to do in downtown," Burkett said.

Songbird Live is at 210 E. Henderson St. For tickets and information, visit songbirdlive.com