"It's been a long musical road since Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker and John Mayall headlined the original "South Florida Blues Festival" on Sunday, November 22, 1987 in the back parking lot and inside the Musicians Exchange Cafe at the Musicians Exchange(TM) Complex on Sunrise Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale. Founder Don Cohen passed away in 2007 but the festival carries on under a new producer with a portion of proceeds benefiting the Cohen Foundation."—Description by festival