The festival featured six-time Grammy Award winner Buddy Guy, three-time Grammy Award winner Lucinda Williams, Maceo Parker, Robert Cray, Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Orgone, Bobby Radcliff, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Preston Shannon, Honey Island Swamp Band, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Chris Cain, Nathan James, James Harman, Bruce Conte, Grady Champion, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, Meschiya Lake and the Little Big Horns and many more. The festival attracted more than 120,000 people, who contributed 110,454 pounds of food and $748,000 through donations at the gate as well as advance purchases of special passes, exceeding the festival’s donation goal of 100,000 pounds of food and $650,000. The Oregon Potters Association also broke a record, contributing $20,760 to Oregon Food Bank through sales of hand-made pottery and glass at its Empty Bowls booth.

The festival featured Taj Mahal, Little Feat, John Mayall, Booker T., Bobby Rush, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Galactic with Cyril Neville, JJ Grey and Mofro, Chris Thomas King, Curtis Salgado, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Walter Trout, Michael Burks Band with Lucky Peterson, B askery, Cedric Burnside & Lightnin' Malcolm, Moreland & Arbuckle, Super Chikan & the Fighting Cocks, Mingo Fish Trap, porterdavis, Janiva Magness, Norton Buffalo's Knockouts, Paul Cebar, Kara Grainger, a Zydeco Swamp Romp with Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble, Donna Angelle & Zydeco Posse, Corey Ledet & his Zydeco Band, Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic and many more. Blues fans set a new record, donating about $650,000 and exceeding this year's $600,000 goal. Blues fans also exceeded this year's food goal of 100,000 pounds, donating 100,662 pounds of food. In addition, the Oregon Potters Association's Empty Bowls sales contributed $17,800 to support Oregon Food Bank's mission.

The festival's 22nd year featured a stellar line-up with more than 100 performances, including triple Grammy Award-winning bluesman Keb' Mo', presented by First Tech Credit Union; Grammy-nominated Robben Ford; Texas blues-rock legend Johnny Winter, presented by iQ Credit Union; slide-guitar wizard Sonny Landreth; Karl Denson's Tiny Universe; the Lee Boys; Rick Estrin and the Nightcats; Candye Kane; Terry Evans; Bonerama; Kevin Gordon, presented by the Boeing Company; Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings; Ryan Shaw; Magic Slim and the Teardrops; Big Sam's Funky Nation; Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, presented by Karolyn H. March, attorney at law; and more. Blues fans donated more than $479,343 at the gate. This year, the festival also offered blues fans new ways to increase their donations by buying special passes. Special passes purchased online added $65,295 to festival coffers, enabling the Oregon Food Bank to exceed its $500,000 goal with total donations of $544,638. In addition, blues fans contributed more than 76,363 pounds of food.

The festival celebrated its 21st year with perfect festival weather. The four-day festival featured both legendary icons and young and edgy musicians. The lineup included soul icon Isaac Hayes, Charlie Musselwhite, Phoebe Snow, Canned Heat, The Mannish Boys with special guests Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher and Finis Tasby, Joe Bonamassa, Elvin Bishop, James Hunter, Eric Lindell, Ruthie Foster, Arthur Adams, Curtis Salgado, Portland Soul All-Stars, Carolyn Wonderland, Back Door Slam, Fred Wesley & Groovesect, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Classie Ballou, Paul Thorn, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Tribute to Freddie King with Phillip Walker, Sherman Robertson and Andrew "Jr. Boy Jones and zydeco with Rosie Ledet, Christ Ardoin & Nu Step Zydeco, Cedryl Ballou & the Zydeco Trendsetters, Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krew and more. With the help of Portland Parks and Recreation, Hoffman Construction and Kink.fm, fireworks featured two barges and were twice the size of any other fireworks display in Oregon. Generous blues fans donated $538,000 at the gate, making gate donation the second highest in the festival's 21-year history and highest for a four-day festival. Attendees also donated 91,192 pounds of food. Oregon Potters Association raised $12,995. And for the first time, boaters listening to the music from the Willamette River, flew special flags recognizing their combined donations of $3,306.

The festival celebrated 20 years of blues, community and fighting hunger with its hottest lineup ever. Headliners included The Neville Brothers, a Waterfront Blues Festival first; Koko Taylor; Joan Armatrading; The Blind Boys of Alabama; Mavis Staples; Marcia Ball; Pinetop Perkins, who celebrated his 94th birthday at the festival; Watermelon Slim; James Cotton Band with special guest Hubert Sumlin; The Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Eric Burdon and the Animals; Voice of the Wetlands Allstars (Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone); Savoy Brown; Lurrie Bell; Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums; J.J. Grey and Mofro; J.W. Jones; Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks and more. Portland Oregon Visitors Association presented the festival with its 2007 Rose City Award. Gorgeous new scrims on the A&E Front Porch Stage put blues fans right in the heart of the Delta Swamp. Special 20th anniversary features included an expanded lineup of nine DME Blues Cruises, an offical U.S. Post Office postmark commemorating the festival, more features for children and families, surprise collaborations and guest apperaences and much more. Generous blues fans donated $510,000 and 97,343 pounds of food at the gate.

Dr. John, a.ka. "The Night Tripper"; Irma Thomas, "Soul Queen of New Orleans"; New Orleans "Blues Queen" Marva Wright; Little Feat, Rebirth Brass; Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias; Porter, Batiste & Stoltz; Henry Butler; Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk; Henry Gray; Buckwheat Zydeco; The Bluerunners; John Hiatt & The North Mississippi Allstars: The Hacienda Brothers; Tommy Castro Band; Jimmy Thackery and Reba Russell; Rich DelGrosso; Harper and Mia Dyson from Australia; Ian Siegel from the U.K.; The Soul Stirrers; The Lee Boys; A NW Tribute to Ray Charles; Geoff Muldaur and Jim Kweskin on stage together for the first time in 30 years to pay tribute to Fritz Richmond; and more. The 2006 festival focused on the music of New Orleans. It featured celebrity Chef Cris Pasia. The 4th of July featured two a cappella renditions of the National Anthem with 10-year-old Javon Carter, 4th-grader at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and winner of the National Anthem project; and Irma Thomas "Soul Queen of New Orleans. Blues fans donated 103,500 pounds of food and $545,000 at the gate.

Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Oliver Mtukudzi, the subdudes, Mavis Staples and Shemekia Copeland headlined the 2005 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival. A Tribute to Ray Charles, featuring Portland's finest, was a huge hit. More than 100 blues artist performed, including Reggie Houston, Guitar Shorty, Big Monti Amundson, King Louie & Baby James, Eric Johnson, Mark Lemhouse, the Kenny Neal Band, Sherman Robertson, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, the Campbell Brothers, Roy Tyler & New Directions, Stephen Bruton, Doyle Bramhall and more. The 2005 put the spotlight on Women in Blues, Gospel Blues and the blues-based music of the Gulf Coast states of Texas and Louisiana. Music lovers donated $348,000 and 107,000 pounds of food.

Keb' Mo', Jonny Lang, the Holmes Brothers and Canned Heat headlined the 2004 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival. In addition to the headliners, blues fans raved about Hubert Sumlin, Sonny Landreth, James and Lucky Peterson, the Mannish Boys, Motor City Rhythm & Blues Pioneers, Ruthie Foster, Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, Reggie Houston, Cyril Neville and the Uptown Allstars, Robert Belfour, Mark Lemhouse, Roy Book Binder, Arthur Adams, Tracy Nelson and more. The 2004 festival celebrated the late Howlin' Wolf and spotlighted the blues-based music of Louisiana and Texas. It also offered more cruises and more educational workshops. Generous blues fans donated $323,000 and 100,649 pounds of food.

The 16th annual Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival celebrated the Year of the Blues. The festival broke all records. Even though the day was a day shorter than the previous year, blues fans donated $363,000 net and 120,000 pounds of food to Oregon Food Bank. Performers included Etta James, Susan Tedeschi, Taj Mahal and Steve Miller performing with Roy Rogers and Norton Buffalo.

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Ike Turner & the Kings of Rhythm, Ruth Brown, John Mayall, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Al Kooper and Michelle Shocked highlight an eclectic lineup of more than 80 blues artists performing for five days. The festival attracts 120,000 fans, who donate more than $310,000 and more than 115,000 pounds of food. In addition, the Oregon Potters Association raises more than $21,200 through its Empty Bowls project. More than 1,100 volunteers help run the festival.

More than 125,000 fans hear Shemekia Copeland, Solomon Burke, Delbert McClinton, Los Lobos, Rosie Ledet and Little Feat. Fans raise a record $380,000 and 103,000 pounds of food.

Safeway becomes the title sponsor for the 13th annual Waterfront Blues Festival. The event raises $350,000 and 100,000 pounds of food. Fans turn out in droves to see rising stars—Jonny Lang and Shannon Curfman—and legendary stars—Pinetop Perkins and Robert Junior Lockwood.

The festival launches its third stage, the A&E Front Porch Stage, for acoustic acts and workshops. More than 100,000 applaud Koko Taylor, Jimmie Vaughan, Booker T & The MGs and Charlie Musselwhite. The festival raises more than $210,000 and 80,000 pounds of food.

Performers include Bobby Rush, Roy Rogers, Bobby Blue Bland, J. Geils and Son Seals. Fans donate $155,000 and 60,000 pounds of food during the four-day festival. Albertson's, the festival's presenting sponsor, donates an additional truckload of food.

The festival grows by leaps and bounds. Performers include Otis Rush, Johnny Johnson and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. Fans donate $105,000 and 41,000 pounds of food.

The festival is renamed the Waterfront Blues Festival. Headliners include Chicago blues legends Jimmie Rogers and Hubert Sumlin, Katie Webster and Luther Johnson. Fans donate $80,000 and 25,000 pounds of food

Oregon Food Share, predecessor of Oregon Food Bank, becomes the producer and beneficiary of the Rose City Blues Festival. This becomes Oregon's first annual blues festival to benefit people who are hungry in Oregon. Miller Genuine Draft is the festival's first title sponsor. The countdown of annual blues festivals begins here.

Festival begins as the Rose City Blues Festival, sponsored by the Cascade Blues Association, to benefit Burnside Community Council's projects for the homeless. Performers include John Lee Hooker, Paul deLay Band, Curtis Salgado, Norman Sylvester Blues Band and Lloyd Jones Struggle. KBOO radio station broadcasts performances and has continued to do so throughout the history of the festival.