The music world lost a legend last week with the passing of Johnny Winter, one of the best Blues guitarists the world has ever known. What was originally slated as Rock'n'Blues Fest to be headlined by Johnny Winter will now be a tribute in his honor featuring brother Edgar, Vanilla Fudge, Peter Rivera (formerly of Rare Earth) and Savoy Brown's Kim Simmonds at DTE Energy Music Theatre on Thursday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets at $35, $25, $20 and $15 in the pavilion, $15 on the lawn and a limited number of $44 lawn four-packs are available at Palacenet.com, The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theatre Ticket Stores and all Ticketmaster locations. Tickets may be also charged by phone to American Express, Discover, Visa and MasterCard by calling 800.745.3000.

Edgar Winter and his wife, Monique, express their sentiments as follows:

"My wife, Monique, and I are shocked at the suddenness of Johnny's passing, especially since I was so looking forward with such joy and anticipation to seeing him again and playing together. I know his body is departing this physical realm, but his presence, his music, and his spirit are undiminished, and alive as ever in my heart. Johnny has always been, is now, and will forever remain my greatest musical hero of all time. But more than all that, he's my brother - in family, in music, in life and beyond. I will do my best to carry on in honor of his memory and the Winter name." ~ Blessings, Peace & Love, Edgar and Monique.

"Rock'n'Blues Fest - A Tribute to Johnny Winter" will mark the third annual version of the tour with a show that will feature separate performances by all of the artists who will be performing their greatest hits interspersed by a selection of Johnny Winter songs.

All of the artists appearing on this newly announced tribute are looking forward to sharing some of Johnny Winter's memorable music with fans.

Edgar Winter is a multi-instrumentalist whose music encompasses many different genres including rock, blues, jazz and pop. He first entered the national spotlight with his early recording of “Tobacco Road,” featured on his 1970 debut album, Entrance. His band White Trash released two hit albums in 1971 and 1972 titled, Edgar Winter’s White Trash and the certified gold album, Roadwork.

He formed The Edgar Winter Group in 1972, producing the hit singles, “Free Ride” and the chart-topping ”Frankenstein” on the album, They Only Come Out at Night. The album was on the charts for 80 consecutive weeks, selling more than two million copies.

Vanilla Fudge features original members Mark Stein, Vinny Martell and Carmine Appice. Formed in 1966, the band had a huge hit covering the Supremes classic, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” Between 1966 and 1969, the band would release five studio albums before disbanding in 1970. In 2005, the original members reunited to tour with Riders On The Storm and Steppenwolf.

Peter Rivera is the original drummer and lead vocalist behind Rare Earth, who sold over 25 million albums and had Top 10 hits, “Get Ready,” “I Just Want To Celebrate” and “(I Know) I’m Losing You.” The albums Get Ready (1969) and the two-record set, Rare Earth in Concert (1971), both achieved double platinum status.

As leader and founder of the legendary blues rock band, Savoy Brown, Kim Simmonds helped propel the UK blues movement. In 2008, Simmonds released his most recent effort, Out Of The Blue, a collection of material, featuring him as both singer and songwriter. In 2011, the Savoy Brown celebrated its 45th anniversary by releasing a new CD titled, Voodoo Moon.

Learn more about the bands at: www.edgarwinter.com, www.vanillafudge.com, www.peterrivera.com and www.savoybrown.com. “Rock’n’Blues Fest – A Tribute To Johnny Winter” at DTE Energy Music Theatre is part of the Belle Tire Concert Series.