IT ALL started on Easter weekend 1988. The line-up included the Spencer Davis Group and Otis Grand — the Burnley Rhythm and Blues Festival was born.

Since then major names from both sides of the Atlantic have made a beeline for East Lancashire every year.

The streets of the town have been filled with music lovers from all over the country enjoying the first class musicianship available at the traditional home of the festival, Burnley Mechanics, and at the various fringe events around the town.

From relatively humble beginnings, the event has played a major role in the resurgence of the blues festivals around the UK. Alan Pearce, founder of the leading international blues magazine Blues Matters, said: “The Burnley Blues Festival set a landmark in the UK that has become a national tradition over an amazing 25 years.”

At the time of the inaugural event there had not been a dedicated blues festival in the UK for 15 years. The first was so successful that, come the second year, it was re-branded The Burnley National Blues Festival and it became a five-day marathon, including the National Harmonica Championships with up-and-coming bands featuring what was then known as The Shuttle Bar.

The festival began on Thursday evening and continued until the early hours of Tuesday and set the tone for an explosion of Blues festivals across the country. By 1990 the American Blues legends were rolling through the streets of East Lancashire as Chicago blues master Buddy Guy came to town.

In two years the festival had gone from an Easter weekend filler event at the Burnley Mechanics to an internationally recognised celebration of every type of Blues music known to man.

The critics loved it, the specialist Blues magazines camped out at the artist’s hotels waiting to interview the top artists from all over the globe. Blues bands were pouring into the pubs of Burnley as the Festival fringe gathered pace.

By 1991 there were over 100 blues festivals in the UK with Burnley sitting squarely as the number one event with the BBC and National Media clamouring for the story of why was a small town like Burnley the number one blues destination in the UK.

As the years progressed Burnley continued to programme the cream of American artists for UK exclusive appearances alongside the very best of British artists.

New British and European bands looked to Burnley in the hope of catching the eye of record companies who had travelled to East Lancashire to get new signings for their labels and perform to fans who came from all over Europe to attend. By the mid-1990s Burnley had led the way to a mini-blues boom across the UK with over 400 blues festivals.

Festival organiser Barbara Hood, whose husband Gary was the driving force behind the event, said: ”To list all the artists who have performed over the years would be like printing a book of Who’s Who in American and European blues.

“Burnley can stand proud in the knowledge that we have raised the profile of so many blues artists in the UK because we were prepared to take the risk and showcase what we knew to be exceptional talent.

Alan Pearce added: “Despite recent economic hiccups everywhere the festival continues and extreme thanks should be made to both Gary Hood the originator and his wife Barbara for keeping this 'tradition' alive and flourishing.

“They have been the backbone over 25 glorious years and Blues Matters is proud to be associated with such an event that garnishes International approval.”