Who was Magic Sam?
Death came for the precocious Blues guitarist and R&B sensation in 1969, whose career had begun to rise like a Saturn V, and laid the 32-year old's body beneath a non-descript grave along the Cal-Sag.
We'd like you to meet him.
Join us for a bicycle tour that explores the deep heritage of the Chicago blues interred along the Cal-Sag Trail. Stand among the ghosts of Magic Sam, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Willie Dixon and many more. Get your South Side soul groovin' while Blues musician and historian Harmonica Neil rolls the stone away with his encyclopedic knowledge and wailing harp.
LIMITED TO 110 RIDERS!
Save $10 - Register by September 1 for just $20!
(Registration after September 1 is $30. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Cal-Sag Trail's work to build, connect to, and improve the Cal-Sag Trail)
We start at Blue Island Beer Co. and pedal on quiet streets to three historic cemeteries near the Cal-Sag Trail: Burr Oak, Restvale, and Lincoln. Blues artist and historian Harmonica Neil meets us graveside to tell stories and share music of the artists resting below.
The route is an easy twenty miles at a relaxed, nobody-gets-left-behind pace. Refreshments and SAG support. We’ll return to Blue Island Beer Co. for snacks.
BONUS: Stay at Blue Island Beer Co. for the 5pm after-tour show with the Harmonica Neil Band and very special guest Jimmy Johnson!
Blue Island Beer Co. is at 13357 Olde Western Ave in Blue Island; easy access from both the Metra Rock Island and Metra Electric lines.
New this year: For those who don’t bicycle, we can accommodate automobiles at $70 per car; select the car option when you register. Limited to 7 cars.
No rain date for the Graveyard Blues Tour, but the Harmonica Neil Band's playing the 5pm show at Blue Island Beer Co. rain or shine.
For more info, contact friends@calsagtrail.org
Friends Of The Cal Sag Trail is a 501c-3 nonprofit incorporated in Illinois.