JJ Grey and his band Mofro will be headlining the Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival in Bogalusa on Saturday, September 27 in support of their new album, This River.

JJ Grey with the Southern Soul Assembly. Photo by Bob Adamek

It’s been a long road for JJ Grey, who got his start playing covers behind chicken wire at a Jacksonville juke joint. Since then, he’s played some of the largest music festivals in the world, toured throughout Europe, and continues to play more than 125 shows each year.

“Many of the new songs,” Grey said in a press release, “are about being your own worst enemy, and about normal folks pushing themselves over the edge.”

This River continues the lyrical tradition of Grey’s previous work, exposing portraits of emotionally complex people through strong concrete detail.

While the Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival is one of Louisiana’s newest music festivals, it has developed into one of its most culturally notable.

Originally created to pay tribute to local community members for their contributions to the arts, BBHF has played an important role in preserving the rich musical heritage of Louisiana.

This year, the festival will be expanding to a 2-day event with camping, following a tripling in attendance at the 2013 event. Other acts performing include Ruthie Foster, Devon Allman, Mike Zito, and Johnny Sansone, among many others.