Houston International Festival, also known as iFest, was a contemporary, multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural arts and music

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival c ...

held annually in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. This North American festival takes place every April on in downtown Houston's parks and plazas. By city ordinance this annual 10-day event is Houston's official city celebration of the visual and performing arts. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, Ifest announced in June 2014 that it was seeking Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, making it clear that the 2014 fest would be the last ever festival.

Overview

The annual downtown event celebrates music, dance and cultures from around the world. Early festivals featured almost exclusively local acts; as the festival grew, more international and nationally known artists (most recently in 2010, George Clinton,

Steel Pulse Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds (lead vocals, guitar), Basil Gabbidon (lead guitar, vocals), and Ron ...

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

, and

Ozomatli Ozomatli is an American rock band, formed in 1995 in Los Angeles. They are known both for their vocal activist viewpoints and incorporating a wide array of musical styles – including salsa, jazz, funk, reggae, hip hop, and others. The group ...

were scheduled in addition to regional and local performers). The festival features vendors selling local and international foods and crafts. iFest also features six to eight arts markets with more than 400 artists including a juried art market. The festival has the large areas dedicated to cultural and educational exhibits depicting different cultures. The footprint is divided into zones, each one focusing on a specific culture through food, exhibits and entertainment. The Living Museum represents the spotlighted culture each year with iconic structures, interactive exhibits, artisan demonstrations and performances. The festival impacts Houston's tourism and economy by drawing 22% tourists attendance and generates local and state tourist-based taxes of $2.19 million. The Houston International Festival is owned by the Houston Festival Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) organization, which uses the proceeds from the festival for year-round arts and education programs for schoolchildren in the Greater Houston area.

History

In 1971 Main Street 1 was the name given to a Salute to the Arts to be held Downtown—a weekend happening of celebrations highlighting the performing and visual arts, on the sidewalks, streets, and store windows located between Dallas and McKinney on Main Street in Houston, Texas. Sakowitz and Foleys Department Stores, and the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Houston Chamber of Commerce, with the blessing of Mayor

Louie Welch Louie Welch (December 9, 1918 – January 27, 2008) was an American politician who served from 1964 to 1973 as the mayor of Houston, Texas. Early life Welch was born on December 9, 1918 in Lockney in Floyd County in West Texas. and grew up in ...

, sponsored the event. It was the beginning of the cultural salute that grew and evolved into today's Houston International Festival. In 1987, iFest began featuring the art and culture of a different honoured country each year and began complementing local artists with regional, national and international artists. Today, the international component sets the tone for an evolving celebration of world culture.

Timeline

1973: Houston's Main Street Art Happening was moved from

Downtown Houston, Texas Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the ...

(where the City Ordinance prohibited street closings) to the

Houston Museum of Fine Arts The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Build ...

and its grounds across from the

Contemporary Arts Museum Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is a not-for-profit institution in the Museum District, Houston, Texas, founded in 1948, dedicated to presenting contemporary art to the public. As a non-collecting museum, it strives to provide a forum for visual ...

, still on Main but now more "mid-town". This attempt at an outdoor-indoor celebration created safety concerns with crowds of pedestrians crossing streets, so in... 1974: The Art Happening moved to

Hermann Park Hermann Park is a urban park in Houston, Texas, situated at the southern end of the Museum District. The park is located immediately north of the Texas Medical Center and Brays Bayou, east of Rice University, and slightly west of the Third ...

, near the Museum. It was expanded to two weekends to help minimize the risk of inclement weather affecting attendance. 1976: The event was named "The Houston Festival", and remained so for the next ten years. The organizational structure changed, with the creation of The Houston Festival Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit with its own Board of Directors and budget, separate from the Houston Chamber of Commerce sponsorship. The foundation still remains the producing entity today. 1977: The festival moved back downtown, this time with two stages across from the

Alley Theatre The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning theatre company in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest professional theatre company in Texas and the third oldest resident theatre in the United States. Alley Theatre productions have played on Broadway at L ...

and

Jones Hall The Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts (commonly known as Jones Hall) is a performance venue in Houston, Texas, and the permanent home of the Houston Symphony Orchestra and Society for the Performing Arts. Jones Hall is also frequently re ...

, at what is now Jones Plaza. Attendance grew but expansion was limited in that site. 1979: The festival moved to a larger potential site at Market Square, in order to accommodate the growing number of participants and attendees. 1980 The Houston Festival Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization was spun off, as an independent entity, from the Houston Chamber of Commerce, with a mission to celebrate and promote the arts of Houston to the rest of the world. It was supported by the City of Houston, the Houston Cultural Arts Council, and the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Council. The board of Directors hired their first President, Rochella Cooper who immediately set out to involve the performing, visual, and literary arts organizations and individuals in promoting Houston through the Festival. 1981 The Festival expanded its location to encompass, over the next six years, twenty downtown blocks including nine performing stages, 350 fine craft artists, an outdoor sculpture exhibition along the banks of the Buffalo Bayou, and the involvement of all major arts organizations. (Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, and The Alley Theatre) And all of this was free to the public. 1983 The President was charged by the Board of Directors with developing a five year plan that would include the important sesquicentennial of Houston and Texas in 1986. Out of this plan emerged the big event in 1986. 1985 The first Art Car Parade took place during the Houston Festival exposing thousands of attendees to the creativity of the art car makers. 1986 New Music America, a national showcase for new music, chose Houston for their annual gathering of top professionals in all genre including world renowned composers such as John Cage. 1986: " Rendez-vous Houston", highlighting the anniversaries of Houston and Texas' Sesquicentennial celebrations was the biggest event ever staged in Houston, produced as the centerpiece of the Houston Festival. Lasers and fireworks danced above and around the skyscrapers downtown accompanied by French composer

Jean-Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...

's original music compositions. In June 1986 President Rochella Cooper resigned to accept other opportunities. Dr. James Austin was hired in late summer 1986, and with the Board set out to re-examine the path and future for the festival. This began the expansion of the basic concepts of the event, adding the now-established education and business collaborations and programs. 1987: The name of the celebration was changed to "The Houston International Festival" to celebrate Houston's role as an international city. Following this event, a plan was developed to spotlight the arts and cultures of an individual country or region of the world each year, with request for assistance from the participating governments at the highest levels possible. At this point the Board of Directors decided to charge admission to the Festival and fenced the entire area to contain the event. 1988: Australia was the first country of honor, with the international theme presenting an amalgam of that country's culture and arts. A different country or region in alternate parts of the globe were to be selected for the "spotlight" thereafter, although the festival continued to build more performing stages to ensure on-going presentations of arts from throughout the world during the two-week event. 1989-2003: 1989 continued the new pattern with the spotlight on France, followed by the United Kingdom (1990); Japan (1991); Spain & the New World (1992); Mexico (1993); Italy (1994); Turkey (1995); West Africa (1996); China (1997); Islands of the Caribbean (1998); Southern Africa (1999); Brazil for the 2000 Millennium; Ireland (2001); and a revisit to France in 2002 and Mexico in 2003. After twenty years, the City Ordinance regarding the festival's unique status lapsed, and

downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, ...

was in the throes of a major renaissance of urban development and street improvements. Possible congestion and other factors presented the foundation with the need for an examination for alternative sites. The Houston International Festival moved south, this time following the tracks of the METRO's new light rail transportation line for better access and more space to

Reliant Park NRG Park, formerly Reliant Park and Astrodomain, is a complex in Houston, named after the energy company NRG Energy. It is located on Kirby Drive at the South Loop West Freeway ( I-610). This complex of buildings encompasses of land and consist ...

. 2004: The Houston International Festival turned towards Asia with its first spotlight on

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

at Festival Plaza at

. Five Asian elephants joined the programming mix in a special appeal to families. 2005-2007: The Houston International Festival returned to its previous downtown footprint covering in

parks and plazas. iFest turned its spotlight on India in 2005,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in 2006 and China in 2007. 2008: The Houston International Festival offered a new twist on its honored country theme. The theme for iFest 2008, "Out of Africa: the Three Journeys", celebrated the rich history, achievements, contributions and triumphs of African people in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States and the rest of the world. 2009: iFest returned to its honored country theme and revisited the culture of Ireland. 2010: The honored region for the 2010 Houston International Festival was the Caribbean. 2011: THE SILK ROAD – The 2011 theme for the Houston International Festival follows the route of Marco Polo with a focus on China, India and other cultures of the Silk Road. 2012: Honored country was Argentina. 2013: Honored country was Brazil. 2014: Australia becomes the honored country theme. June 2014: Houston Festival Foundation announces plans to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Presenters of world music

From its inception in 1971, artists from Houston had been the primary source of programming. In 1987, iFest began featuring the art and culture of a different honored country each year and began complementing local artists with regional, national and international artists. The festival is a very popular event in Texas for world music, afropop, blues, rock, country, reggae, soul, cajun, zydeco and almost all other music fans. The event features hundreds of performers on six to ten stages including many internationally touring artists. The festival has become one of the premier music festivals in the state of Texas.John Morthland from Texas Monthly Magazine Performers who have appeared at the festival include: *

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

- USA * Bobby Blue Band - USA *

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- USA * Koko Tayler - USA *

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

- USA *

Jimmie Dale Gilmore Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer, songwriter, actor, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas. Life and career Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amarillo ...

- USA * Jerry Jeff Walker - USA * Dave Alvin - USA *

The Flatlanders The Flatlanders are an American country music, country band from Lubbock, Texas, United States, founded in 1972 by Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock. The group garnered little success during their brief original incarnation from 1972 ...

- USA * Grady Gaines - USA (Texas) *

Chris Perez Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

- USA (Texas) * Ezra Charles - USA (Texas) * Smythe and Taylor - USA (Texas) *

Joe Ely Joe Ely (born February 9, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, whose music touches on honky-tonk, Texas Country, Tex-Mex and rock and roll. He has had a genre-crossing career, performing with Bruce Springsteen, Uncle Tupelo ...

- USA * Delbert McClinton - USA *

Quetzal (band) Quetzal is a bilingual (spanish language, Spanish-English language, English) Chicano rock rock band, band from East Los Angeles, California. History The band was founded by Quetzal Flores in 1993 in a Chicano owned cafe, Troy cafe, in the Little ...

- USA * Shawn Colvin - USA * Bakra Bata - USA *

Trish Murphy Trish Murphy is an American singer-songwriter, based in Austin, Texas, United States. She appeared in the Austin City Limits Music Festival twice and has released four records. Music career Trish Murphy grew up in Houston, Texas, the daughter ...

- USA (Texas). Also performed as "Trish and Daren." * Hugh Masekela - South Africa * Abdullah Ibrahim - South Africa * Ramsey Lewis - USA * Flora Purim & Airto - Brazil *

Paris Combo Paris Combo is a musical group based in Paris, France, fronted until her death in 2020 by singer Belle du Berry. The group has an eclectic style, blending elements from the traditional French chanson and pop, American jazz and swing, Roma mus ...

- France * Tete Montoliu - Spain * Michel Petrucciani - France * World Saxophone Quartet - USA * Youssou N'Dour - Senegal * Salif Keita - Mali * Baaba Maal - Senegal * Babatunde Olatunji - Nigeria * Angélique Kidjo - Benin * Ashe Dancers - Jamaica * Blue Glades Mento Band - Jamaica * Brave Combo - USA * Avizo - USA * Grupo Fantasma - USA * Morgan Heritage - Jamaica * Yerba Bueno - USA *

Red Elvises The Red Elvises (also known as ''Igor and Red Elvises'', after founding member and bandleader Igor Yuzov) are a Russian-American band that performs funk rock, surf, rockabilly, reggae, folk rock, disco and traditional Russian styles of music. Th ...

- USA * La Bottine Souriante - Quebec * Skatalites - Jamaica * Stephen Marley - Jamaica * Billy Joe Shaver - USA * Tinariwen - Tuareg-Sahara * Gangbe Brass Band - Benin *

Ba Cissoko Ba Cissoko is a Guinean world music band featuring five members, two of whom play the traditional Kora harp. Two band members play percussion instruments and one plays bass. The sound of the band has been described as "West Africa meets Jimi He ...

- Guinea * George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic - USA * Amazones Women Master Drummers of Guinea - Guinea * Afrissippi - USA * Yellow Man - Jamaica * Wayne Henderson & the Jazz Crusaders - USA *

Clinton Fearon Clinton Anthony Fearon (born 13 January 1951) is a Jamaican reggae singer and musician. He has lived in Seattle, Washington since 1987. Career Jamaica Clinton Fearon was born near Kingston, and quickly moved to St. Catherine, a rural Jamaica ...

- Jamaica *

Vieux Farka Toure Vieux may refer to: Places *Vieux, Calvados, in the Calvados department, France *Vieux, Tarn, in the Tarn department, France *Vieux-Bourg, in the Calvados department, France *Vieux-Fumé, in the Calvados department, France *Vieux-Pont-en-Auge, in ...

- Mali *

Chic Gamine Chic Gamine is a Canadian musical group from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

- Quebec * Marc Broussard - USA *

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Durin ...

- USA * Alpha YaYa Diallo - Guinea *

- Great Britain/Jamaica *

La Excelencia La Excelencia is an eleven piece salsa dura band from New York City founded in 2005 by percussionists Julian Silva and Jose Vazquez-Cofresi. The band's music has a salsa dura Salsa dura, also known as salsa brava or salsa gorda, is a style of sa ...

- USA * Cesária Évora- Cape Verde * Femi Kuti & Positive Force - Nigeria * King Sunny Adé - Nigeria *

Ali Farka Toure ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 common era, CE) was the last of four Rashidun, Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was ...

- Mali *

Papa Wemba Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba (14 June 1949 – 24 April 2016), known professionally as Papa Wemba (), was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the ...

- Nigeria * Thomas Mapfumo- Zimbabwe * Zap Mama- Democratic Republic of Congo * Oumou Sangare - Mali * Tabu Ley Rochereau- Democratic Republic of Congo *

Super Rail Band The Rail Band is a Malian band formed in 1970; it was later known as Super Rail Band, Bamako Rail Band or, most comprehensively and formally, Super Rail Band of the Buffet Hotel de la Gare, Bamako. Background Rail Band's fame was built upon the ...

- Mali * Cubanismo- Cuba *

Los Munequitos de Matanzas LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

- Cuba * Maraca - Cuba * Burning Spear - Jamaica * Boukman Eksperyans - Haiti * Sharon Shannon - Ireland * Natalie MacMaster - Canada * Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys - USA * George Plimpton - USA * Richard Thompson - UK * Paul Brady - Ireland *

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- UK * Courtney Pine - UK * Beijing Acrobatic Circus - People's Republic of China * World Champion Trinity Irish Dancers - USA * Théâtre de l'Unité- France *

Robert Cray Band Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed ...

- USA *

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- USA * Iguanas - USA * Kermit Ruffins - USA *

Ivan Neville Ivan Neville (born August 19, 1959) is an American multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers. Career He has released four solo (music), solo albums and ha ...

- USA *

Terrance Simien Terrance Simien (born September 3, 1965) is an American zydeco musician, vocalist and songwriter. He and his group The Zydeco Experience won the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album in 2008 and for Best Regional Roots Music Album in 2 ...

- USA *

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- USA *

New Birth Brass Band The New Birth Brass Band was formed by the trumpeter and vocalist James Andrews. The intent was a renewal of New Orleans brass band tradition. As Andrews said, "The old cats used to play a lot of sacred dirges and church hymns and traditional s ...

- USA * Gena Delafose - USA * Eric Taylor - USA * J.J. Grey & Mofro - USA *

Shake Russell Shake may refer to: * Handshake * Milkshake * Tremor * Shakes (wood), cracks in timber * Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle made from split logs Shake, The Shakes, Shaking, or Shakin' may refer to: Geography * Shake, Zimbabwe * Shake, another ...

- USA * Shenzhen Acrobatic Circus - China * Johnny Bush - USA *

Bettye LaVette Bettye LaVette (born Betty Jo Haskins, January 29, 1946) is an American soul singer-songwriter who made her first record at sixteen, but achieved only intermittent fame until 2005, when her album ''I've Got My Own Hell to Raise'' was released to ...

- USA * Harrison Kumi - Ghana *

Emeline Michel Emeline Michel, born in Gonaïves, is a Haitian singer who has been called "The Joni Mitchell of Haiti." Her songs merge native Haitian compas and rara music with jazz, pop, bossa nova, and samba. She's a well accomplished dancer, versatile vocal ...

- Haiti * The Wailers - Jamaica * Emman Legrand - Congo * Joaquin Diaz - Dominican Republic *

Lowrider Band The Lowrider Band consists of three of the four surviving original core group members of the multi-platinum selling band War: Howard E. Scott, Lee Oskar, and Harold Brown. These members lost the right in federal court to use and tour under the na ...

- USA * Rootz Underground - Jamaica * Rachid Taha - Algeria * Marcia Ball - USA * CJ Chenier - USA *

Little Joe y la Familia José María De León Hernández (born October 17, 1940), known professionally as Little Joe is an American tejano performer who grew up in Temple, Texas, and lives in Temple, Texas. Career Little Joe is of Mexican descent. Hernández told th ...

- USA * Marima Ponies - Japan * Governor's Island Samba School - Brazil * Zip Zap Circus - South Africa * The Staple Singers - USA *

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- USA * Nanci Griffith - USA * Sweet Honey in the Rock - USA * Paco de Lucía - Spain * Milton Nascimento - Brazil * Stomu Yamashta - Japan * Café Tacuba - Mexico *

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- USA *

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- USA * Poncho Sanchez - USA * Flaco Jiménez - USA * Tito Puente - Puerto Rico * Beau Jocque - USA *

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- Thailand * Dana Jackson - USA * United We Funk Allstars - USA * Beat the Donkey - Brazil * Kem - USA * Keith Frank - USA * Neutral Sisters - Jamaica/USA *

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- Barbados * Lucky Dube - South Africa *

Ricardo Lemvo Ricardo Lemvo (born September 3, 1957) is a singer of Angolan descent who lives in Los Angeles, California. His music is a blend of African soukous, kizomba, samba and Cuban salsa. Early years and family Lemvo was born in Kimpese, Democratic Repu ...

- Democratic Republic of Congo * Bob Schneider - USA * Kelly Willis - USA * Los Lonely Boys - USA * Buddy Guy - USA *

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

- USA *

Jesse Dayton Jesse Dayton is an American musician, actor and record producer from Austin, Texas best known for his guitar contributions to albums by country musicians including Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson. He is also notable for his co ...

- USA * Reckless Kelly - USA *

Joss Stone Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...

- USA *

Cory Morrow Cory Morrow (born May 1, 1972 in Houston, Texas) is a Texas Country singer-songwriter who has gained popularity throughout the Southwest. Biography Morrow was born May 1, 1972 in Houston, Texas. He started playing guitar at Memorial High Sch ...

- USA * Shemekia Copeland - USA * The Neville Brothers - USA * Menwar - Mauritius *

The Garifuna Collective Danny Michel is a Canadian songwriter and producer. Highlights Between 2006 & 2015 Michel performed over 70 times as the musical guest on Stuart McLean's ''The Vinyl Cafe''. In 2008 "''Feather, Fur & Fin''" landed on the ''Playlist for the Pl ...

- Belize * Habib Koite & Barmada - Mali * Taj Mahal - USA * Jimmy "T99" Nelson - USA * Samarabalouf - France * Charlie Musselwhite - USA * Beoga - Ireland * The Wailing Souls - Jamaica * Plena Libre - Puerto Rico *

Ohio Players Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire (Ohio Players song), Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of t ...

- USA *

- Aztlan *

Mighty Diamonds The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, '' Right Time'', produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 19 ...

- Jamaica *

* Taj Weekes & Adowa - St. Lucia * Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba -Mali * Lagbaja - Nigeria

References

External links

{{Commons category
ifest.org
Festivals in Houston Rock festivals in the United States Folk festivals in the United States World music festivals