In the summer of 1971, students at the U of M’s Minneapolis campus were treated to  a series of performances by some of the most revered pioneers of blues, boogie-woogie, and nascent rock ‘n’ roll.  Most of these performances took place outside, in front of Northrop Auditorium.  Others were at the Whole Coffeehouse.

Roosevelt Sykes at Northrop, 1971. Photo by and courtesy of Gary Schwartz

Performers that people remember that summer include:

• Luther Allison
• Blind John Davis
• Hound Dog Taylor
• Big Mama Thornton
• Earl Hines
• Memphis Slim
• Drummer Jump Jackson’s blues review
• Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup
• Jesse “Lone Cat” Fuller
• Son House