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Blues vocalist Lisa Wenger represent women at MMHF

Wenger only woman among 17 blues nominees

NEW ULM -- Regional blues vocalist Lisa Wenger celebrated a career milestone last weekend at the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame (MMHF), where she was recognized as the only woman among 17 nominees selected for induction in the Hall’s 2026 blues class.

Wenger attended a presentation last Saturday afternoon at the MMHF. The Hall is dedicated to recognizing Minnesota’s blues artists and the lineage they represent.

Originally from Bismarck, North Dakota, Wenger spent years building her career in the Twin Cities before relocating to Breezy Point.

Other blues nominees for 2026 include Willie Murphy, Charlie Parr, Papa John Kolstad, Mark Naftalin, Johnny Lang, Mojo Buford, Willie Walker, and Lonnie Knight, among others.

For Wenger, seeing her name alongside those foundational figures marks a major moment.

“I am the only female, which is amazing,” Wenger said.

Wenger is known for her independent releases, including the album, Don’t Stop the Girl and original blues singles.

“I have a couple of original songs. My latest blues song that’s out on the Spotify platform is called ‘Crawling to You.’ It’s a slow blues number,” she said. “And I have two CDs out, mostly old blues covers, and I try to do some female covers as well.”

Her monthly residency with her band, Lisa Wenger and Her Mean, Mean Men, at Shaw’s Bar and Grill in Northeast Minneapolis remains a fixture.

“It’s something I’ve been doing for over a decade, going into two,” she said. 

The band’s name comes from a Wanda Jackson song. “I love Wanda Jackson,” she said.

During her visit, Wenger discussed the foundational artists who shaped her voice, including Big Maybelle and Memphis Minnie.

“She just was one of the early, early blues singers,” Wenger said of Big Maybelle. “She had a lot of albums with big bands behind her too. Not as in a big band style, but a big bar style band.”

“She did old country blues,” she said of Memphis Minnie. “There’s a couple of females that really should have made it further along in their careers.”

Wenger discussed future plans, which include booking into 2027 with both her full band and in duo and trio configurations, and weighing whether to produce a full CD or release singles.

“Nobody’s buying CDs anymore, so we can’t really do those,” she said. “Vinyl record albums are mainly for collectors. Most people are mainly buying from streaming services like Spotify or iTunes.”

She noted the minimal payouts from streaming. 

“You know how many plays on Spotify you have to get twenty dollars?” she asked.

Wenger said she wants to make blues more known in Central Minnesota.

“I live there, it’s very hard to get,” she said.

During the visit, Wenger signed up to become a member of the Hall of Fame. 

Board member Neal Bond said new members receive a complete set of books on Hall inductees and commemorative posters, including one signed by Shirley Smith, widow of Big Walter Smith, the first blues artist inducted into the Hall of Fame in1998.

Housed in New Ulm, the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame was organized in 1987 to honor past and present musicians who have made significant contributions to the state’s music scene across all genres, from classical and bluegrass to rock & roll, waltz and polka. 

The museum now preserves the history of more than 155 inductees through large-scale displays of photographs, artifacts, instruments and stage uniforms, plus an extensive audio tour that is included with admission. 

Among its most famous honorees are Whoopee John Wilfahrt, Judy Garland, Bob Dylan, Prince and Lori Line.

The Minnesota Music Hall of Fame’s Legends Series continues this Saturday at 11 a.m. with a live presentation featuring jazz vocalist, broadcaster and historian Arne Fogel, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.