lrbc cruise

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Legendary rhythm & blues cruise, true blues on the deep blue sea.

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Photos by Laura Carbone

Twice a year, the blues takes a vacation with the grandfather of all music cruises, the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise (LRBC), one of the largest floating festivals at sea. This February it celebrated its 30 th sailing with 50 bands, over 100 shows, 1500 passengers and a support staff of 1000 on one of Holland Americas largest flagships, the Koningsdam, while the best bands in the blues, rock and soul rotate through its onboard venues. It sells out over a year in advance.

This February’s cruise shipped out from Fort Lauderdale but not without the prerequisite pre-cruise party. There is such a high percentage of returning cruisers that’s people greet each other as long lost beloved family, with a number as to how many cruises taken, or if they are in the awkward position of being a blues cruise virgin. Once on the boat, the music has already started on 5 stages. On several decks, from the large two-story theater, two separate large pool deck stages (why swim when you can dance?), the inner sanction of BB King’s Blues Club, Rocket 88 piano bar and the infamous late night Crow’s Nest where you can see the sun rise as a fantasy jam collaboration is still going strong. A large hand-painted pirate sign hangs from the mast: “OUR CRUISE KICKS BUTT” warning other ships to be wary, as if they could not hear the 24/7 hour music that rocks this boat.

The artist list is long and impressive. Topping the list is multi Grammy Award-winner Taj Mahal, as the King of this cruise, bringing his experienced Trio, with special guest Roger Glenn on vibes. A real treat was to see Taj doing his Caribbean-based songs while being caressed by Island breezes. Add Buddy Guy, Shemekia Copeland, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Nellie Tiger Travis and real-deal Chicago Blues was on da boat! The bayou was represented by the swamp boogie of Kenny Neal with his talented family band including nephew Tyree, Tab Benoit, The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band and Jon Cleary and The Absolute Gentlemen, Vasti Jackson and Charlie Musslewhite. Musical reunions with boat’s favorite Trampled Under Foot as well as the supergroup collaboration of Victor Wainwright, JP Soars and Damian Fowler in Southern Hospitality. Tommy Castro’s popularity has inherited him a regular spot every cruise as well as kicking off the opening night jam. Not to be outrocked, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Walter Trout, Commander Cody and Collin James electrified the boat. Zac Harmon hosted a gospel Brunch. The upcoming generation of blues was represented by old souls but young blues masters Marquise Knox and Quinn Sullivan. Personal favorites included the ever-smiling saxophone, keyboardist and vocalist Deanna Bogart and Canadian Dawn Tyler Watson the International Blues Challenge Winner, who stole hearts across the boat with her vocal ballads and the tight backup of the Ben Racine band. There is also the mix-and-match with artists jumping on stage together, multi- guitar masters mashups, legendary vocal duos to 3 AM mind blowing horn jams.

Even when the ship docks, they bring the bands to local Island bars, beaches or town squares. The Islands on the February cruise, Tortola, Puerto Rico and Grand Turk, were the ones heavily hit by Hurricane Irma and whose local economy needed a shot of blues music as well as tourists. Other activities include theme nights of Give me Back My Wig, Casino Royale, Mardi Gras, Blue Toes and Pajama night where the fans get into the spotlight with parades and competitions. Notable lectures included advice by Grammy-winning producers and artists on How to Produce and Record, a Women in Blues Lecture hosted by Marie Trout and 100 Years of Rufus Thomas, presented radio host DJ Bob Porter, and a finger picking workshop by Reverend Peyton. Other activities included silent auctions of vintage instruments and collectible memorabilia, pro and amateur jams, and an artist autograph/meet-and-greet session. Despite the blues’ humble beginnings, the LRBC cruise includes all the luxuries of cruising, with specialty restaurants, spa, casino, shopping and pampering service. No wonder why most people are return cruisers!

—Laura Carbone

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1 Comment on Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise

I remember the night like it was yesterday – Jamie Forbes, myself along with The Slickers, whosae song “Johnny Too Bad” was a centerpiece of Taj’s “Mo’ Roots” album of mid 70s — was headlining The Bottom Line – somehow I managed to wrangle us 5 passes and The Slickers, here in the USA for the first time (1978) were dressed to the nines and happily met Taj and the band in the tiny dressing room. Taj said he would bring them out for Johnny …. I was standing off to stage right …. noticing Keith and Stevie Wonder in the crowd …. when Taj hit his National Steel intro to the tune …. and did it in its entirety as The Slickers were ignored. Rather than the escstasy I expected from this, it was a long ride back to Long Island. The next day I managed to reach Taj on the phone at his hotel and he said “Come tonight. I won;t forget them.” But The Slickers, Derrick Crooks, Hylton Beckford and Abraham Green would have no part ot it. This began 40+ years of looking in from the outside. C’est la vie.

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Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise #39

  June 28, 2022

By   ExoticDJ

What: Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise #39 Where: MEXICAN RIVIERA When: Oct. 28 ~ Nov. 4, 2023

Sailing on Holland America's ms Koningsdam   from  San Diego, CA  to  Cabo San Lucas , Mazatlan & Puerto Vallarta.

Pre-booking begins Tuesday, July 26 at 11am Central time.

By placing a fully-refundable deposit of $500 per cabin, you'll reserve a space in line to book a cabin once the band announcement is made (likely in December). Visit  reservations.bluescruise.com  or call (816) 753-7979 on July 26th at 11am Central to place your deposit...

CABIN ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION: By placing your $500 per cabin, fully refundable, prebook deposit you are guaranteeing a spot in line to book a cabin once the final announcement has been made.  Additional passengers may be added once you select your stateroom . Detailed instructions on how you may select your stateroom, the Legendary lineup and final pricing will be included in the official announcement. We expect to make this announcement likely in December. To view Holland America ms Koningsdam deckplans, please  visit this link . - PREBOOK GROUP BREAKDOWNS - Please read through each group to fully understand group placement.  Those who prebook will be placed in a cabin selection group based on the following criteria: Charter Cruisers:  Those who have sailed on at least one cruise per year since  2002 will have first choice of staterooms. Group 1A:  Those who sailed on the January 2022 cruise  and  will also sail on the October 2022 cruise. Group 1:  Those who either sailed on the January 2022 cruise or will sail on the October 2022 cruise -  OR  - Cruisers who have previously sailed on a total of  10 or more cruises  regardless of cruise dates. Passengers placed into group 1 will be broken down into subgroups by their total number of past cruises. Group 2:  Those who did not sail on the January 2022 cruise, will not sail on the October 2022 cruise, or have not sailed on a total of at least 10 LRBC cruises.  Passengers placed into group 2 will be broken into date and time order in which your prebook deposit was received . VERY IMPORTANT IF PREBOOKING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE ELSE: Both parties’ deposits and cabin selections must be made over the phone. Unfortunately, no part of either reservation will be able to be handled online due to the restrictions of our reservation system. If you will be placing a deposit for someone other than yourself, please call our office at (816) 753-7979 and we will be happy to assist you over the phone. Please Note: Only  one $500 , fully refundable deposit will placed per  CABIN . The person who places the deposit will be the only contact for the reservation. Prebook deposits are non-transferable. The person who has placed the deposit will be the only person with access to the reservation to select the stateroom. Multiple reservations cannot be made under the same name and will be cancelled/refunded. To Prebook, your user name and password is required to access the reservation system.  Forgotten your user name/password?  Reset here . Need help creating an account?  Email  or see  Booking FAQs .

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About the Business

More Than A Cruise... More Than A Festival... More Than You Can Imagine! The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise has truly been a wildly life changing experience for literally thousands of musicians and blues cruisers alike. We have created a "Blues Village" for all to see multiple performances, jam at will with one another, network and simply relax... for an entire week at sea. Our Blues Mecca showcases more music than you can possibly see during the voyage! Imagine dancing at the front of the pool deck stage while our luxury ship sails at 20 knots under the stars, or sunbathing on an upper deck while the bands play directly below. It's an experience that can only be described as Bluesin'®. …

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This Cruise is NOT for you ! You will absolutely HATE being in the Caribbean in January, exploring tropical Islands and basking in the warm sunshine. Also, you will utterly detest the almost 24-hour a day live Blues music that is on this ship - it is just too noisy with the likes of Johnny Winter, Taj Mahal, Dion DiMucci, Keb Mo, Magic Slim, Tommy Castro, etc., etc. And, you will definitely despise hanging out and parting for a week with these same performers into the wee small hours of the night. So for the love of Zeus, please please stay away from this Cruise - I'm begging you !

Life changing experience. If you love the blues then this must be something you do for yourself. Aside from the amazing music it is more fun than should be allowed. Great people add to the loving community and did I say music ! What a whirlwind week of amazing jamming and musical creativity that you'd never find anywhere else. You owe it to yourself to get on ths ship !

My wife and I just put a deposit in for blues cruise #23 to the Mexican Rivera and this will be our second one in two years! Our first cruise (#19) departed from San Juan PR with four island stops of wonderful memories in the Caribbean. If you love the blues and enjoy cruising with friendly people, this is for you. LRBC conducts well organized casual cruises in the Caribbean and Pacific featuring the best of the new and established blues artists. The ships and service are the best, so you can completely experience the music in each venue on-board as well as enjoy the excursions at each port. A blues cruise is a once (or twice) in a lifetime experience, so... let's go bluesin'!!!

If you like music and warm weather, this cruise is for you. These guys put on what is essentially a blues festival on a ship, with upwards of a dozen internationally reknowned blues artists performing in multiple venues on the ship. Typically, the January version of the cruise takes place in the Caribbean while the October version is on the West Coast. The cruise line of choice has been Holland America, who relaxes all those rules that have made you questioning whether cruising is for you. There's no dress code and the ship is chartered, so everyone on board is there for the music. It attracts a lot of very talented amateurs, and one of the highlights is the various jam sessions that happen throughout the day, amateurs, professionals, and changing combinations. It's a little pricier than the ordinary cruise cuz face it, you're paying for premium talent, but what a luxury to be able to enjoy all the music and only have to take an elevator or staircase home! Another thing - the cruiser community is a mix of couples and singles, and the age range is from ~25-55 years old. There are very few kids on board. The web site offers a great discussion board with lots of discussion including reams of tips for first-timers, commonly described as virgins. If you decide to check it out, please reference my name, and introduce yourself on board.

I work on the Legendary Rhthym & Blues Cruise, and it is truely amazing. It's an unforgettable expierience. Nothing compares. Its sure to be a major highlight, when you look back at everything cool that you've done. It's worth the money! Sell somthing, take out a loan...just get on that boat!

Vacation of a lifetime! CANNOT wait to repeat it!!!!!! The music goes on day and night on several stages, also jams that the amateurs can participate in. Great friends, great party, great service!

Like Blues music? Want to have the time of your life? This is literally as good as it gets. I am about to depart on my fourth Blues Cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Before my first cruise, I didn't even like boats and I used to get sea sick. Now I am a believer and you can't drag me away! How would you like to talk to Irma Thomas for 90 minutes one on one in the piano bar over a glass of brandy, or how about Tab Benoit in the hot tub? Elvin Bishop in the dining room or play chess with Marcia Ball? Drink tequila with beer all night with Captain Cody? These are the quality of musicians on this ship and they are on vacation with you for a week too. Playing on the boat and on shore. What is the itinerary? Who cares? You're there for the late night jams that go until 5:00 a.m. and for the fun and dancing with a great community of people who return time and time again and care about each other. If I haven't convinced you yet, then you don't know how to go out and enjoy yourself and have great time. See you on the Blues Cruise!

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2 Unique Joe Bonamassa Performances!

Indulge in the musical mastery of Joe Bonamassa with two unique pool deck shows against the backdrop of the breathtaking Caribbean sea.

Exclusive Collaboration Sets

Experience the magic as seasoned blues legends join forces with rising stars for exclusive, one-of-a-kind performances that can only be witnessed onboard this unique event!

Once In A Lifetime Fan Experiences!

Celebrate the tenth year of Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea with fellow blues fans and create unforgettable memories with your favorite artists onboard!

More Than Music!

In between the nonstop music, seize the opportunity to secure an autograph from your favorite artist, enjoy Acoustic Mornings over a cup of coffee, listen in on live podcasts, and more unforgettable blues-filled activities

A Five Night Cruise To Two Beautiful Port Stops!

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea, revel in an extended cruise experience with an additional night of celebration TWO port stops, making this milestone edition an even more extraordinary voyage.

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LRBC #38 Bands Announced!

Lrbc # 38 eastern caribbean jan. 28 ~ feb. 4, 2023 sailing on holland america’s  ms nieuw statendam ft. lauderdale, fl to st. john, st. maarten & half moon cay (bahamas private island), bands announced please note open cabin sales or official waitlist will launch may 10th @ 11:00am cdt. visit reservations.bluescruise.com or call (816) 753-7979 at that time. join our mail list to receive a reminder., click for bands & cabin pricing/availability.

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