Even red-staters go blue at Kennedy Center

Published April 25, 2008 4:00am ET



Blues greats Robert Cray and Elvin Bishop headlined the fifth annual Congressional Blues Festival on Wednesday night at the Kennedy Center’s South Plaza.

The event has grown from a couple of hundred people on the rooftop of the 101 Constitution Ave. building in its first year to a 4,000-person bash in a massive tent, complete with dozens of volunteers catering from Clyde’s and a cooler full of ice cream bars in the VIP area.

Among those bouncing their heads to the boogie beat were Reps. John Larson, D-Conn., Charles Pickering Jr., R-Miss., and Sheila Jackson-Lee, D-Texas.

The event raises funds for the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which “helps the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day to day needs.”