In 1981, when the Soviet Union still held countries in its iron grip of repression, the Rawa Blues Festival was born in the town of Katowice, Poland. That first festival gathered about 20 blues bands from all over Poland and attracted about 500 fans. That festival was the brainchild of Irek Dudek, a Polish singer, composer, and blues lover. For the first decade, Rawa only booked Polish blues bands. Once the Berlin Wall fell, the Rawa Festival began to expand and, in 1992, booked its first international act. Since then, the Festival, which is held the first or second Saturday in October, has consistently become an international blues happening, drawing 4-5,000 fans each year. The impact is much wider, however, as the festival is regularly televised to hundreds of thousands on Polish national television. The integration of Polish blues bands with American headliners like Koko Taylor, Junior Wells, Luther Allison, Magic Slim, Michael Burks, Lonnie Brooks, Eddy Clearwater, Debbie Davies, Rick Estrin, and many others has fostered great cultural exchanges.
