If there is one Dutch artist you simply can’t ignore right now, it is Douwe Bob. A man of many faces, this flamboyant bohemian pop star keeps firing hit after hit into the charts, is a welcome guest on countless music television shows and, as a versatile live act and born performer, continues to sell out venue after venue, while also appearing at the country’s biggest festivals. He is no stranger to awards either, with multiple honours from 3FM, BUMA and Edison to his name.

But one of the Netherlands’ most successful artists is also a devoted lover, connoisseur and practitioner of American roots music. That became crystal clear again at the end of last year, when he took to Amsterdam’s sold-out Concertgebouw with The Story of Country, surrounded by top musicians and celebrating his love of the original sounds of the genre. With our festival director as witness, Douwe Bob also turned the spotlight on one of its subgenres: bluegrass. His voice and guitar playing are a perfect match for the high lonesome sound and who better to back him up than our friends from Utrecht, the Blue Grass Boogiemen?

After all, they already did just that in 2023. Loyal RBF visitors will no doubt remember that fantastic performance. They also joined him for the aforementioned Concertgebouw show. The only act to have appeared on the bill of every single edition of Rotterdam Bluegrass Festival, something no other artist will ever be able to match, recently celebrated their 35th anniversary. Since the 1990s, at a time when there was barely any attention for the genre in the Netherlands, Blue Grass Boogiemen have been touring at home and abroad, sharing stages with the greats. We are proud to welcome them back once again this year, more relevant than ever and in a truly special collaboration, to show exactly why they have remained among the very best in the genre for so long. Douwe Bob & Blue Grass Boogiemen: a brilliant and ultimately complementary collab to look forward to in a big way.