Visitors and locals in the Midlands are in for a rare musical treat this festive season as internationally acclaimed bluesman Doc MacLean performs live at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm. Known for his raw, intimate storytelling and unmistakable Delta blues sound, MacLean brings his celebrated Dark Horse Blues tour to Hilton for one night only.
Armed with his vintage 1935 National guitar, MacLean delivers performances that are equal parts music and lived experience - “bare knuckles, secret stories,” as he calls them. His songs carry the weight of journeys across continents and decades: stories hidden inside melodies, forgotten in the corners of old theatres, or hummed in the quiet hours while waiting for a distant train.
Tracing its roots to the Mississippi Delta - and before that, to Africa - the blues MacLean performs is more than a genre. It is a tradition passed down “from mouth to mouth,” a vessel for human spirit and shared memory. His early mentors were themselves grandchildren of enslaved people, linking his music directly to the origins of the blues. MacLean’s performances move along the “dreamscapes and songlines” of a life spent on the road, between blurred highways and the rhythmic hum of wheels.
About Doc MacLean:
The son of a civil rights lawyer and a fiddle player, MacLean was immersed in music and activism from a young age. By his early teens he was performing harmonica and washboard in coffeehouses and at festivals, with frequent appearances on radio and television. In 1972 he formed a duo with fellow young musician Colin Linden—now a Grammy-nominated producer and recent guitarist for Bob Dylan. Together they opened for legendary artists including Sonny Terry & Brownie McGee, Muddy Waters, and John Hammond, cementing MacLean’s place in the lineage of American blues.
EVENT DETAILS
Venue: The Knoll Historic Guest Farm
Date: Friday, 19 December 2025
Time: Doors open at 6:00 PM | Show starts at 7:00 PM
Tickets: R160
Bookings: WhatsApp 082 331 7271
Image credit: Stefan Hurter