The 15th annual Tampa Bay Blues Fest is around the corner — Fri., March 20 through Sun. March 22 at Vinoy Park on the downtown St. Pete waterfront. Needless to say, it’s a good time. Sunny days, cool evenings, free-blowing beer and hour after hour of hot, quintessentially American music.

Here’s a primer for the event, some quick blurbs about the acts to whet the appetite. Ticket prices range from $30 for a single-day ticket to $350 for a three-day backstage pass. This year also introduces organized after-party jams on Friday and Saturday nights, to be held at Nova 535 in St. Pete. Here are details.

Friday, March 20

12:30 p.m. Robin Rogers The blonde, blue-eyed songstress out of Charlotte, N.C. has quite a bit of that Koko Taylor roar in her.

2:30 p.m. Lurrie Bell The 49-year-old son of the late, legendary Chicago harp player Carey Bell wields a Stratocaster and has a lusty voice somewhat reminiscent of B.B. King.

4:30 p.m. Coco Montoya A one-time protégé of Albert “Iceman” Collins, L.A.-based singer/guitarist Montoya is a familiar figure on the blues festival circuit.

6:30 p.m. Curtis Salgado The 55-year-old veteran of the Northwest blues scene has played for a few years in Robert Cray’s band and in 1995 did a short stint as lead singer in Carlos Santana’s band. He sings and plays harmonica.

8:30 p.m. The Fabulous Thunderbirds Singer/harp man Kim Wilson has been the constant over the band’s 35-year history (which has included since-departed guitarists Jimmie Vaughan and Duke Robillard). Having scored a handful of hits in the mid 1980s (“Tuff Enuff,” “Wrap it Up”), the Austin-based quintet soldiers on as a more-than-dependable juke-joint R&B band.

Sat., March 21

11:30 a.m. Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps Houston-bred, L.A.-based Teresa James brings a kind of Bonnie Raitt/Susan Tedeschi feel to her singing — gritty but feminine. Sexy.

This article appears in Mar 4-10, 2009.