08/21/2026
This year’s Blast on the Bay shirt means a little more
Every year, our great partners at Coast2Coast Promotional help us put together something that captures a little piece of Blast on the Bay.
This year, with some great photos from the wonderful Debbie Hooper, they were able to create something that carries a lot more than a festival name.
The 2026 design honors three songwriters who became part of the Blast on the Bay family: Brett Jones, Charlie Black and Troy Jones.
To call these three men accomplished songwriters almost feels like an understatement.
Charlie Black was a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer whose songs were recorded by some of the biggest names in country music.
Brett Jones spent decades on Music Row writing hit after hit, with hundreds of recorded songs, multiple No. 1s and a catalog most songwriters could only dream of building.
And Port St. Joe’s own Troy Jones proved that an ordinary guy with an extraordinary gift could go from working shifts at a paper mill to hearing songs he wrote sung by Kenny Chesney, George Strait and Billy Currington.
But around here, those accomplishments only tell part of the story.
Because we didn’t just know the names in the liner notes.
We knew the men.
We got to sit a few feet away while they picked up a guitar and played songs millions of people knew by heart.
We got to hear the stories behind those songs.
We got to laugh with them, spend time with them, welcome them back year after year, and watch them become part of this strange little family we call Blast on the Bay.
And each of them had a connection to this coast that went deeper than a festival weekend. Troy was from here. Charlie chose Port St. Joe as home. Brett found a home here too.
For a little festival on Florida’s Forgotten Coast, we were unbelievably fortunate.
Fortunate that they came.
Fortunate that they kept coming back.
And most of all, fortunate that so many of us had the chance to know them.
So when you see Brett Jones, Charlie Black and Troy Jones represented in this year’s design, know that it isn’t simply artwork.
❤️ It’s a thank you.
❤️ It’s a memory.
❤️ And it’s a small way of making sure three members of the Blast on the Bay family are still with us when the music starts again this October.
Thank you to our friends at Coast 2 Coast Printing & Promotions and Debbie Hooper for helping us make this one something special.
We think this shirt is going to mean a lot to a lot of people ❤️
