Rhythm and Roots opens its 30th and final season on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at La Rosa.
It’s the concert series that brought to Tucson stages a long list of Americana’s biggest artists — Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, Billie Jo Shaver, Richie Havens, Doc Watson, Ruthie Foster, Texas Tornados with Flaco Jiminez and Chris Smither, to name a few.
Blues guitarist Tommy Castro brings the Painkillers to La Rosa on Jan. 13 to open the 30th and final season of Rhythm and Roots.
Courtesy of Rhythm and Roots
Series Director Susan Holden, who has run Rhythm and Roots since her husband and the series founder Jonathan Holden died in January 2012, said the 30th season is a celebration of the musicians, venues and patrons who kept the series going the past 13 years.
“Keeping Rhythm and Roots going after Jonathan passed wasn’t just about preserving a concert series — it was about honoring the community he helped build, and the artists who depended on him,” said Holden. “When Jonathan passed away, the venues, patrons, agents, musicians and even KXCI (community radio) stepped forward in a way that still moves me. This 30th anniversary season is a celebration of them as much as it is of Jonathan’s legacy.”
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The winter half of the season — concerts also are held in the summer and fall — kicks off Tuesday, Jan. 13, with American blues rockers Tommy Castro and the Painkillers. It’s the California-based band’s first Tucson concert since 2023.
Americana/folk legend Rodney Crowell has played Rhythm and Roots a number of times over the years. He’s back on March 11 with “The Airline Tour.”
Courtesy of Rhythm and Roots
The concert and all of the R&R shows will be held at the months-old midtown arts center La Rosa, at 800 N. Country Club Road. Over its three decades, the series has hosted concerts at venues big and small, including Old Town Artisans, Monterey Court, Hotel Congress and the Rialto and Fox theaters downtown.
Tommy Castro and the Painkillers go on stage at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13. Tickets start at $34.28 through rhythmandroots.org.
The jazz ensemble The Black Market Trust returns from its sold-out 2025 Tucson Jazz Festival show for an encore Jan. 17 at the 2026 festival, which runs Jan. 16-24.
Courtesy of Black Market Trust
Other concerts in the winter series:
Holden said the summer and fall lineups are still being finalized. To keep up to date, visit rhythmandroots.org.
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Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Bluesky @Starburch