Event Details

StoryFest has always been about celebrating storytelling in all its forms, dating back to its inception in 2018. And this year it’s adding something new: A special screening of the renowned documentary, Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues, followed by a concert featuring songs from the film.

Legendary bluesman James Montgomery produced the film alongside Judy Laster, Jacklyn Hairston Cotton, and Bestor Cram, and his band, the James Montgomery Blues Band, will be performing the after-film concert, joined by SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman, celebrated saxophonist Crispin Cioe of the Uptown Horns (Rolling Stones, J Geils Band), and other special guests.

Doors open at 6 pm. The film will start at 6:30 pm and run approximately 90 minutes, followed by the live concert performance.

Why You Should Come

Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues is an emotionally evocative documentary film that portrays the untold story of James Cotton, a legend whose musical influence shaped the Chicago Blues style having been mentored with the originators of the Delta blues tradition. (See below for more about the documentary.)

The film will be followed by a can’t-miss concert featuring the acclaimed James Montgomery Blues Band. Montgomery has played with some of the biggest names in music, including Johnny Winter, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Tyler, and B.B. King. He will be joined on stage by SNL Beehive Queen Christine Ohlman and Westport’s own celebrated saxophonist Crispin Cioe of the Uptown Horns (Rolling Stones, J. Geils Band).

About StoryFest & StoryFest 2025

StoryFest 2025 runs October 13 to October 20, featuring the debut of Oscar-nominated Julian Brave Noisecat’s memoir, We Survived the Night, on Monday, October 13; followed by the screening and concert on Friday, October 17; a full day of panel discussions, author signings, book talks, and podcast recordings on Saturday, October 18; and the 10^th anniversary celebration of Shonda Rhimes’ memoir, Year of Yes, on Monday, October 20.

Now in its eighth year, StoryFest is the largest annual literary festival in Connecticut and one of the biggest in the Northeast. It is a celebration of the story in all its forms and storytellers from across all media, each year drawing scores of authors and hundreds of readers, writers, and fans.

Past participants include National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds; Goosebumps author R.L. Stine; acclaimed essayist and memoirist Roxane Gay, New York Times best-selling authors Michael Lewis, Mitch Albom, Claire Messud, Angie Kim, Stephen Graham Jones, and Caroline Kepnes; young adult superstars Nic Stone, Tiffany Jackson, and L.L. McKinney; Emmy Award winner Sheila Nevins; best-selling memoirist Isaac Fitzgerald; Kirkus Prize recipient Saeed Jones; and Pinkalicious author/illustrator Victoria Kann.

About the Film

Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues depicts the untold story of James Cotton, a legend whose musical influence shaped the Chicago Blues style. Cotton’s life tracks a swath of America’s history — from the post-depression cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta to tough Chicagoland’s era of brilliant artistic reinvention to today’s live music scene in Austin, Texas. In between are tours with Janis Joplin, Paul Butterfield, and sessions with the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steve Miller, B.B. King, and many more. This new film capture’s America’s soul as the blues becomes interpreted in jazz, big band, rock and roll, punk, hip-hop, and rap.

Bonnie Blue: James Cotton’s Life in the Blues combines original footage with archival footage, including never-before-seen concerts with Cotton and many blues legends recorded in 2004 at the House of Blues in Boston, as well as other concert footage filmed in 2012 with Cotton and his band recorded in Connecticut. Numerous interviews create a narrative that begins in the cotton fields of Mississippi and travels throughout America reflecting social change and upheaval within a nation that is often defined by its cultural embrace of music.

About James Montgomery

Montgomery is an American blues musician, best known as the lead singer, blues harp player, frontman, and bandleader of The James Montgomery Blues Band. Throughout his remarkable career, Montgomery has collaborated with a host of star performers and recording artists, including Johnny Winter, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Tyler, and B.B. King. In addition, Montgomery has toured with the Allman Brothers Band, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raiit, the J. Geils Band, the Steve Miller Band, and more.

Montgomery founded the James Montgomery Blues band in 1970. Together, the band has recorded 12 albums, with Montgomery recording three more solo records and accompanying on a number more. Past and current band members include Billy Squier, Wayne Kramer, Jeff Golub, Jim McCarty, Nunzio Signore, Steve Strout, Jeff Pevar, Bobby Chouinard, Ted Nugent, Jeff Levine, Tom Gambel, George McCann, and David Hull.

About Christine Ohlman

Ohlman, nicknamed the Beehive Queen for her towering blond hairdo, has been a featured vocalist with the SNL Band for 31 years, appearing on both the 25th and 40th Anniversary SNL telecasts. She has also been a regular guest and host at the Library’s annual VersoFest music and media celebration, including serving as host for this year’s oral history podcast with Paul Shaffer.

Dedication to preserving the soul in rock n’ roll has been the hallmark of Ohlman’s work. In total, her band, Christine Ohlman & Rebel Montez, has released six albums to date: The Hard Way (1996), Radio Queen (1997), Wicked Time (2000), Strip (2003), Re-Hive (2008), and The Deep End (2010).