JazzFest 2017 featured a number of strong blues acts, but 22-year-old Matthew Curry stood out during his first concert in Sioux Falls. Encouraged by his father, Curry began playing guitar at a very early age. At one point, Curry became indifferent to guitar lessons. That's when his father prodded him to drop lessons and to listen more closely to music as a way of teaching himself.
"He's a wonderful guitar player and great songwriter in the Stevie Ray Vaughan area of virtuosity and originality," said Steve Miller, now a friend and mentor to Curry after being on the road together. Curry was touring on his Shine On EP when he played JazzFest in Sioux Falls, presented by the Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Society, on July 14, 2017.