"Good is good and bad is bad; I don't know about anything in between," says blues master Kenny Neal as he prepares to come east and perform at the "Bucks County Blues Society Picnic" in Morrisville, PA on July 16. "I like blues tight, not sloppy and not loose; blues needs to be played together as a team."
Raised in Baton Rouge, LA., Neal began playing music at a young age; in large part because he came from a very musically inclined family. "My dad played blues into the late '60's; Buddy Guy was his guitarist until he left to play with Muddy Waters in 1958. When I was knee high to a duck I started playing with my dad, I played with Junior Wells and bass with Buddy guy when I was 19 years old; all because of my dad. I played with them until the mid eighties when my own band took off, which coincided with me signing with Alligator Records. My band is made up of my siblings, we don't fight, we all get along (laughs); we really love each other."
Saying that Neal has had a colorful life is an understatement. Touring from a young age, a 2011 induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, multiple blues awards, Grammy nominations, aBroadway acting stint, 16 CDs, a year sabatical from the blues and more have all shaped the man that he is today. "Music is really powerful," he stated with conviction. "My 16 discs, it's been a great run; one of them was a tribute to my father but in the '90's I was asked to audition for a part in"Mule Bone," so I took off to Broadway. I performed in that at Lincoln Center, it was a lot of discipline, a lot of hard work; we were doing eight shows a week. I felt sorry for my understudy, he never got the chance to perform; I was dedicated and I made the stage every night (laughs)."
The "Dedication" of which he speaks is due to an intense passion for his art; something his multi-instrumental talents ooze every time he steps on stage. Be it on stage or in studio, Neal strives to be the very best; so it's no surprise that he has decided to put out "Bloodline," his first new collection of songs due to be released on July 22. "Yeah, well, I've got this new disc coming out; my first in five years. I didn't want to release something just for the sake of puttin' something out, so I took my time. I got Tom Hambridge to produce this one for me and being since he works with Buddy Guy I was familiar with his work; he and I knew what we wanted and we worked very well together. We just released a video for the title track a few weeks ago which you can see on www.kennyneal.net; there's five generations of family involved in it (laughs)."
When asked what we blues fans can expect at the picnic this Saturday; Neal was non-committal and with a laugh said, "I've got three shows on the east coast, I'd love to tell ya' what was going to happen but I don't even know what to expect at that show! When your family makes up your band; we never know what's going to happen."
Neal has recently returned to his roots by moving back to Louisiana; a move he os very comfortable with. "Yeah, I'm doin' my thing; I'm all settled in now and really enjoying life. I do enjoy getting out there and I'm looking forward to gettin' back out to promote the blues. Things are different for me now but I'm definitely havin' fun and I look forward to whatever the future holds."
The 34th. Annual Bucks County Blues Society Picnic is being held from 10:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. atSnipes Farm located on West Bridge St. and US Route 1 in Morrisville, PA. Other acts joining Neal areDave Weld & the imperial Flames, Laura Rain & the Caesars, James Supra Blues Band, Vanessa Collier Blues Band, Brad Vickers & His Vestapolitans and Norman Taylor. Tickets are $40 in advance for adults and $20 for ages four to thirteen. Picnic information can be found at http://www.buckscountybluessociety.org/home.html.
Join us for McCarter at the Museum - renowned performing artists in one-night only events at the Princeton University Art Museum.
Jason Robert Brown is a four-time Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist of The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World, 13, The Bridges of Madison County, Honeymoon In Vegas and The Connector, has performed as a soloist or with his band in venues around the world, including sold-out shows at the London Palladium and Carnegie Hall. His albums as a singer-songwriter include Wearing Someone Else’s Clothes and How We React and How We Recover on Ghostlight, and Coming From Inside the House and Live In Concert with Stephen Sondheim on Concord.
With Special Guest Tony nominee Betsy Wolfe. Tony Award-nominated actress Betsy Wolfe is currently starring as Audrey in the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, following her recent Broadway run as Madeline Ashton in the hit musical Death Becomes Her. She previously originated the title role in Joy, the new musical inspired by inventor Joy Mangano, and earned a 2023 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her celebrated performance as Anne Hathaway in & Juliet. Other Broadway credits include starring as Jenna in Waitress, Cordelia in the acclaimed revival of Falsettos, Bullets Over Broadway, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, and 110 in the Shade, as well as her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the Off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years. Wolfe made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Die Fledermaus and has appeared as a guest artist with more than 65 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and BBC Symphony Orchestra, with performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Her screen credits include First One In, Estella Scrooge, CBS’s Instinct, and the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Wolfe is also the co-founder of BroadwayEvolved, the acclaimed musical theatre training program she launched in 2018 to train and mentor the next generation of theatre artists.
A limited number of early access tickets for McCarter Director’s Circle members and members of the Museum’s Partner Circle are available, on sale Wednesday, September 16, 2026 at 12:00 PM. General public on sale begins Friday, September 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM.
Please be aware there is no public drop-off or parking at the Museum. For visitors with mobility needs, please contact the Museum at least three business days in advance of your visit to request special access to the Museum via Elm Drive. Call 609-258-3788 and select option 1 to speak to a visitor services staff member, or email Louise Barrett at [email protected].
