EVENTS : The Ears Have It: Everything Under the Sun

Advice to musical snackers attending this year’s Taste of Orange County: Get a good helping of the festival’s ample roots offerings, and we don’t mean radishes, carrots and rutabagas.

On tap are such illustrious figures as B.B. King, the blues master who is a prime contender for the title of dean of American roots music, even if he is seldom seen without formal wear.

Joining King on a tasty Friday evening main stage (technically dubbed the Lawn Stage) bill is Pete Anderson, who plays guitar and produces records for Dwight Yoakam and now leads his own blues-tinged band.

The main-stage offerings on Saturday are equally good. Zachary Richard, the Louisiana-born bandleader who weaves his Cajun roots into anthem-like mainstream rock songs, is a potentially rousing headliner. Also on tap is the O.C.-based Lee Rocker’s Big Blue, a sharp blues and R&B; trio led by the former Stray Cats bassist. Rosie Flores, one of the most reliably vibrant performers in Southern California, offers a tasty blend of country, folk and rock.

Also performing Saturday (on the Fortune Street Stage) are the Chantays, the O.C. surf-rock band that penned the immortal “Pipeline” in the early ‘60s and returned last year with a strong album.

The featured main-stage act on Sunday is Booker T. and the MGs, the great instrumental R&B; band that helped define the raw, Memphis soul sound during the 1960s. Also consider having a late brunch with two masterful roots-oriented bands from Orange County: the country-leaning but never-predictable Chris Gaffney & the Cold Hard Facts (2:30 p.m., Fortune Street Stage) and the soulfully folk-rocking Missiles of October (3:30 p.m., Lawn Stage).