Although started with the support of the University of Michigan, the Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival became a volunteer non-profit 501(c) event.
In addition to the daytime festival, evenings offered a choice of indoor (seated) concerts and live jazz in a club setting.
The festival has included musicians such as Art Ensemble of Chicago, Count Basie, Booker T. & the MG's, James Brown, Ray Charles, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Dr. John, Al Green, Yusef Lateef, Taj Mahal, Maceo Parker, Sun Ra, Bonnie Raitt, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, and Cecil Taylor.
Outdoor evening shows were moved inside to venues such as the Michigan Theater and the club Bird of Paradise.
King, Freddie King, Magic Sam, Sam Lay, Jimmy "Fast Fingers" Dawkins, Otis Rush, Charlie Musselwhite, Roosevelt Sykes, Muddy Waters, T-Bone Walker, Big Mama Thornton, Junior Wells, and Howlin' Wolf.
The festival was sponsored first by the university with help later from the Canterbury House, an Episcopal group which owned a folk club in Ann Arbor.
Koester directed them to bars and clubs where they could hear blues musicians, in addition to giving them names, addresses, and phone numbers.
The Luther Allison Trio performed at the Michigan Union Ballroom in the spring before the festival was to take place.
[4] Fishel felt a sense of urgency to organize the second festival in 1970 due to the deaths and ages of blues musicians.
With help from Ken Whipple and Mark Platt, Fishel again took a trip to Chicago looking for acts who would play at the festival.
This time it included Carey Bell, Buddy Guy, Junior Parker, Sunnyland Slim, Hound Dog Taylor, Johnny Young.
They looked outside Chicago to attract Bobby Bland, Juke Boy Bonner, Pee Wee Crayton, Lowell Fulson, John Jackson, Papa George Lightfoot, Mance Lipscomb, Big Joe Turner, Robert Pete Williams, and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson.
[4] Andrews had managed bands and promoted music in Ann Arbor for several years on his own and under the auspices of the University of Michigan in his position as events coordinator.
Andrews was helped by Lee Berry, a music promoter in Ann Arbor who bypassed the parks commission and addressed the city council.
Although Melvyn "Deacon" Jones and Brandon "Taz" Niederaurer were scheduled to be Benny Turner's guests, circumstances prevented either from appearing.
The 2019 Ann Arbor 50th Anniversary celebration was on August 16–18 performers include: The Allman Betts Band, Bernard Allison, Thornetta Davis, Alex Johnson, Benny Turner, John Primer, Mindi Abair and the Bone Shakers, Lindsay Beaver, The Sam Lay Band, Eliza Neals and the Narcotics, Kara Grainger, Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones, Laith al-Saadi, Danielle Nicole, Vanessa Collier, Harper & Midwest Kind and Altered Five Blues Band.