Steve Miller Band to Headline Ribfest Opening Night

The Exchange Club of Naperville and the 2012 Ribfest Committee are pleased to announce that on Friday, June 29 the Steve Miller Band will be performing some of their greatest hits at Ribfest.  The 25th Ribfest will be held June 29- July 3 in .  Ribfest consists of family activities throughout the event, 16 rib vendors from across the country and music.  Over the past 25 years,  $12M has been donate  from Ribfest proceeds to over 50 local agencies who are working for the elimination of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence.   

“We are excited to have the Steve Miller Band to kick off the 25th Annual Ribfest,” stated 2012 Ribfest chair, Mark Wright.  “This selection will set the stage for a very fun and entertaining weekend.”

As one of rock music’s all-time greats, the Steve Miller Band has sold more than 30 million records in a career spanning more than 40 years. His trademark blues-rock sound made him one of the key artists in classic rock radio. The Steve Miller Band is brand name rock that millions have come to trust.

Born Oct. 5, 1943 in Milwaukee, Steve Miller grew up in a musical family. His mother, Bertha, was a gifted vocalist and his father, Dr. George (Sonny) Miller, was an amateur tape recordist. Steve’s uncle Dale Miller gave his four year-old nephew a guitar. His father’s friend, guitarist Les Paul, taught the young boy a few chords and his father secretly recorded the exchange. “Steve, you’re really going to go places,” Les Paul told him, after listening to the boy play and sing.

With hits such as Fly Like An Eagle, Take the Money and Run, Jungle Love and Jet Airliner,  the Steve Miller Band has become one of the centerpiece attractions of the summer rock concert season, playing sixty or more shows every year. He is the Gangster of Love. Some people call him Maurice, the Midnight Toker or the Space Cowboy. And with “Let Your Hair Down,” a masterpiece album by one of the greats, Steve Miller shows he still speaks of the pompitus of love.

For the first time ever, there will be date specific tickets available for this event.  Tickets will go on sale in March and will be available online at www.ribfest.net.  Ribfest is sponsored by in part by Miller Lite, Pepsi Beverages Company, Navistar, Exelon Nuclear, ABC 7 Chicago and Clear Channel Radio in conjunction with the Exchange Club of Naperville, the and the .

The Exchange Club is a national group of men and women working to make our community a better place through its primary mission, the Prevention of Child Abuse, and through local community service projects. The club organizes fundraising activities such as Ribfest over the Fourth of July to provide financial assistance and to promote Americanism, Community Service, Youth Activities and to Prevent Child Abuse and Domestic Violence.   If you are interested in any of the activities mentioned above, call 630-585-8881 or visit our Web site at www.ExchangeClub.org. We need your help to continue this vital service to our community.

Submitted by the Exchange Club of Naperville