SARASOTA, FL (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Ticketing company ExtremeTix and their entertainment division Three Zebras Entertainment announced that they've acquired the Sarasota Blues Fest from executive producer Barbara Strauss.
The Sarasota Blues Fest was launched in 1991 and Barbara Strauss came aboard in 1993, rescuing the festival from bankruptcy. The event is the largest musical event in Sarasota and has been a fixture in the blues scene for nearly two decades, featuring artists such as Solomon Burke, Derek Trucks, Gregg Allman, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Little Feat, Delbert McClinton and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.
Strauss will continue in her role as executive producer of the festival this year and act as a consultant to future festivals.
"I am very excited to pass the torch to ExtremeTix and Three Zebras," said Barbara Strauss, executive producer of the Sarasota Blues Fest. "I have been ready to move on to other projects for a long time. Finding a team as committed to blues and live music as ExtremeTix and Three Zebras is a dream come true for myself and Sarasota."
When asked about why Extremetix decided to make the move on the Sarasota Blues Fest, company president Charly Garrett responded, "I've attended the blues fest for a number of years and we've provided ticketing for the past year. We've seen the festival from a number of sides and thought it was a wonderful event."
Mr. Garrett went on to say that he didn't anticipate any major changes for the event, at least for the first year. "Its been a winning formula. We like the blues genre and so many other genres of music are based, in part on blues. There may be things we can improve upon, but if it's not broken, don't fix it." – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
