4thFest Concert

Kevin Burt

For more than 25 years Kevin Burt has been electrifying audiences throughout the Midwest, dispelling the myth that true blues has no roots in Iowa.

With his soul-inspired presentation, Kevin has been compared to artists like Bill Withers and Aaron Neville, and his ability to build an audience rapport that has been compared to B.B. King. Kevin is a self-taught musician—vocals, harmonica, and guitar—whose performances set a mood of relaxed exhilaration, with a welcome mixture of serious music and infectious humor audiences of all ages enjoy. Kevin was the 2018 winner of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, sweeping all Solo/Duo categories as Most Promising Acoustic Artist, the Lee Oskar Top Harmonica Player, and Winner of the Solo/Duo International Blues Challenge, earning him the title of “Top unsigned solo Blues artist in the world,” according to the National Blues Foundation.

Kevin Burt has shared the stage with a “who’s who” in the music world: B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Bernard Allison, Junior Wells, Robert Lockwood Jr., David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Lonnie Brooks, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Wayne Baker Brooks, Blues Traveler, Head East, Molly Hatchet, Three Dog Night, Michael Hill’s Blues Mob, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Chubby Carrier, Terrance Simieon, Dan Zanes, The Holmes Brothers, Tony Brown, Jerry Dugger, Ken Valdez. In 2009, Burt was recognized as Iowa's top blues heritage educator by Governor Chet Culver. He is a registered artist and artist educator with the Iowa Arts Council, and has written and published a classroom harmonica method book.

Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield has worn many hats as an entertainer and performer over the past four decades. As the creator of some of the finest power-pop of the ’80s, this Grammy winning singer, songwriter, and musician has sold 25 million albums and scored 17 U.S. Top 40 hits, including “Jessie’s Girl,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “An Affair of the Heart,” “I've Done Everything for You,” “Love Somebody,” and “Human Touch.” Springfield is also an accomplished actor who starred opposite Meryl Streep in the feature film Ricki and the Flash, gave a chameleonic performance as the creepy Dr. Pitlor in HBO’s prestige drama True Detective, earned great reviews for his portrayal of Lucifer this season on the CW hit, Supernatural, and most recently played Pastor Charles on American Horror Story. In 2014, Springfield was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located around the corner from the first apartment he lived in when he arrived in the U.S. from Australia in 1971.

Springfield’s latest album, The Snake King, finds him travelling down a dusty dirt road to explore the blues side of his rock ‘n roll and marks a definite departure from the power pop he has been known for.

To learn more about Rick Springfield, visit www.rickspringfield.com.