The 13th edition of the B.B. King [ tickets ] Blues Festival will feature the tour's namesake as well as Dr. John [ tickets ] and Shemekia Copeland [ tickets ].

This year's outing is set to launch in late July, and visits various outdoor venues through early October.

Elvin Bishop, Magic Dick & J. Geils, and The Muddy Waters Blues Band are among the other acts that will appear on the tour; specific lineups will be announced by promoters in each market as tickets go on sale.

Though he's less than two years away from his 80th birthday, King continues to play well over 100 concerts per year. During his 60-year recording career, King--who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987--has released more than 50 albums.

King's latest album of new material, "Reflections," hit stores last year. The set includes King's renditions of three songs previously recorded by Louis Armstrong, as well as songs that have been recorded by Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson and others.

Veteran New Orleans jazz and bluesman Dr. John, whose gravel voice has been well known since the late '60s, issued his most recent studio album, "Creole Moon," in 2001. The pianist will issue a new album, "N'Awlinz: Dis, Dat or D'Udda," on July 13. The new set features special guests King, Mavis Staples, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Cyril Neville, Randy Newman, Willie Nelson and others.

Blues singer Shemekia Copeland---the daughter of the late Texas blues-guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland--recorded her 1998 debut album, "Turn the Heat Up," when she was just 18 years old. Her latest studio album is 2002's "Talking to Strangers."

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