NORWICH – The Chenango Blues Association will celebrate two decades of bringing the best in blues and blues-influenced music in August with the 20th annual Chenango Blues Fest, kicking things off with this Thursday’s first Summer Concert Series offering, a free performance by Royal Southern Brotherhood at 7 p.m. on the East Park Stage.

For Eric Larsen, president of the blues association, it’s been a rewarding – and challenging – journey.

“It’s remarkable to me that we have essentially the same group of people and just to see how much it’s grown,” said Larsen of his fellow association members and the festival in general. “The caliber [of talent] that we’re able to bring in, it’s shocking almost. It’s been a great learning experience.”

This year’s Summer Concert Series line-up features some of the best musical talent in the nation, including the aforementioned Royal Southern Brotherhood, Alex Torres and His Latin Orchestra (July 19), the Campbell Brothers (July 26), the New Riders of the Purple Sage (Aug. 2) and Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience (Aug. 7).

In addition, the association has assembled some of the best local, regional and national talent that can be found for its first-ever Summer Jam, to be held from 2 to 8 p.m. on July 29 in East Park, with performances by the Rochester-based Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad – reggae at its best, according to Larsen – New Orleans funksters Big Sam’s Funky Nation and local ensembles Tumbleweed Highway and Woodshed Prophets.