Willie King teaching Alabama blues with student singers at 2007 Summertime
Blues Camp.
The Alabama Blues Project
By Cara Lynn Smith
The late, great Johnny Shines lived the last two decades of his life in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He often said, “You don’t know where
you’re going if you don’t know where you came from,”
and was passionately interested in blues education, personally visiting
many schools in the area. He became blues musician Debbie Bond’s
inspiration for creating the Alabama Blues Project (ABP), a non-profit
501(c)3 organization that started in Tuscaloosa in1995 with a mission
to educate the public – and especially youth - about the importance
of Alabama’s wonderful blues heritage.
Bond went on to create a wide range of innovative blues education programs,
workshops, and school residencies while the ABP has grown into an award-winning
organization celebrating past and present Alabama blues artists while
helping to preserve the rich blues culture of the state.
This year marks the celebration of the ABP’s 10th annual After-School
Blues Camp. The program is a mixture of hands-on musical instruction combined
with a life-skills curriculum along with blues history. A special effort
is made to attract at-risk children, and the camp is open to children
of all backgrounds and experience levels. The 2007 end of semester Open
House Party attracted over 400 friends, family and interested community
members. This year’s final performance will give Blues Camp students
the chance to play on the same stage with Mississippi’s amazing
young blues band Homemade Jamz and Alabama blues legend Sam Lay.
Along with the hometown Blues Camp, Bond and her fellow ABP musicians
have been invited to tour schools presenting educational blues programs
throughout the state of Alabama and beyond, including Florida, Mississippi,
and twice for the Mississippi Valley Blues Society in Davenport, Iowa.
These programs have been recognized by awards including the Druid Arts
Award, the national “Coming Up Taller” award from the President’s
Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and the Blues Foundation’s
“Keeping The Blues Alive” for education.
In addition to blues education programs, the ABP works to bring attention
to the great blues heritage of the state. For example, there is a rich
early piano-playing tradition of Alabama musicians such as Walter Rolland
and Cow Cow Davenport. These musicians backed many of the 1920s blues
queens such as Birmingham-based blues diva Lucille Bogan. W. C. Handy,
the “Father Of The Blues,” was born in Florence, Alabama,
as was Sam Phillips of Sun Records, the man who first recorded many of
the early blues men, including Howlin’ Wolf, B. B. King and Ike
Turner.
Mamie Smith’s rendition of “Crazy Blues,” generally
recognized as the first recorded blues song, was written by Mobile, Alabama,
native Perry Bradford and was only recorded because of the efforts of
Bradford and W. C. Handy. Blues singer, harmonica player and drummer Big
Mama Thornton was born in Ariton, Alabama, and made a hit with “Hound
Dog” three years before the great Elvis Presley made that song a
rock and roll classic. She jammed in the streets of Montgomery with Autaugaville
native and blues harmonica legend Wild Child Butler.
There is so much more about Alabama blues that is yet to be uncovered.
For example, there is fascinating new evidence that the icon of Mississippi
blues, Robert Johnson, learned his licks from Alabama bluesman Ike Zimmerman.
Then there are the many contemporary greats, such as Jerry “Boogie”
McCain, Adolphus Bell, Odetta, Little Jimmy Reed, Sam Lay, Willie King
and many more.
The ABP preservation work includes an online database of Alabama blues
artists, an oral history and blues archive, a traveling exhibition on
Alabama Blues Women, and an historic marker project. The historic marker
project was launched in 2007 with a marker celebrating the life of Livingston
songstress Vera Hall. Next on the list for historical markers are outstanding
Alabama musicians Dinah Washington and Johnny Shines.
The ABP’s long-term dream is to create an Alabama Living Blues Museum
and cultural arts center, which would provide classroom space for educational
programs, a performance facility, and feature permanent and traveling
exhibitions – helping make Tuscaloosa an important tourist destination
celebrating Alabama blues and providing year-round blues mentoring for
local at-risk and community youth.
More information:
www.alabamablues.org
Blues Societys
Alabama Blues Society
www.alabamabluessociety.com
Apalachee Blues Society
850-668-5863
www.apalacheebluessociety.org
Arkansas River Blues Society
501-985-0436
www.arkansasriverblues.org
Atlanta Blues Society
404 237-9595
www.atlantablues.org
Baltimore Blues Society
410-744-2291
www.mojoworkin.com/
Baton Rouge Blues Society
225-387-0017
www.brblues.org
Bay Area Blues Society
510-836-2227
www.bayareabluessociety.net
Beale Street Blues Society
901-338-7654
bealestreetdb@yahoo.com
Big Joe Turner Musician’s Fund
626-286-2830
Billtown Blues Association Inc.
5470-321-0451
www.billtownblues.org
Black Swamp Blues Society
419-319-8337
www.bsbs.net
Blues Bank Collective
603-431-1249
www.bluesbank.org
Blues Blowtorch Society
217-935-8603
www.bluesblowtorch.com
Blues Jazz & Folk Music Society
740-376-0222
www.bfm.org
Blues Lovers United of San Diego
619-256-1124
www.blusd.org
Blues Society of Lower Cape Fear
910-350-8822
www.capefearblues.com
Blues Society of Northwest Florida
850-221-8304
www.bluessociety.org
Blues Society of the Ozarks
417-874-5700
www.ozarksblues.org
Blues Society of Western New York
716-684-0481
www.wnyblues.com
Blues, Jazz and Folk Music Society
614-373-6640
www.speed1.net/users/bolen
Boise Blues Society
208 344 2583 www.boiseblues.org
Boston Blues Society
617-876-2583
www.bostonblues.com
Bucks County Blues Society
215-788-4794
www.bucksbluessociety.com
Capital Area Blues Society
517.349.0006
www.cabsblues.org
Cascade Blues Association
503.223.1850
www.cascadeblues.org
Central Iowa Blues Society
515-225-6638
www.cibs.org
Charlotte Blues Society
704-331-8871
www.carolinablues.org
Chicagoland Blues Society
630-510-8669
www.ChicagolandBluesSociety.org
Colorado Blues Society
303-356-6585
www.coblues.com
Columbus Blues Alliance
614-470-2222
www.colsbluesalliance.org
Connecticut Blues Society
860.345.2432
www.ctblues.org
Crossroads Blues Society
317-254-8742
www.crossroadsbluessociety.org
DC Blues Society
www.dcblues.org
Detroit Blues Society
www.dbsblues.com
Diamond State Blues Society
303-376-6298
www.diamondblues.com
Downtown Blues Alliance
561-464-2781
www.downtownblues.8m.com
East Coast Blues Society
http://www.eastcoastblues.ca
Fitzgerald Blues Society
912-426-5033
www.fitzgeraldga.com
Fort Smith Riverfront Blues Society
501-783-6353
www.riverfrontbluesfest.org
Fox Valley Blues Society
630-585-3955
www.foxvalleyblues.org
Frederick Blues Society
www.fredrickblues.org
Grand County Blues Society
www.grandblues.org
Great Northern Blues Society
www.gnbs.org
Hawaii Blues Society
808-864-6529
www.hiblues.org
Houston Blues Society
713.942.9427
www.houstonbluessociety.org
Howlin’ Wolf Blues Society
662-494-2921
www.wpnet.org
Inland Empire Blues Society
509-534-1081
www.ieblues.org
International House of Blues Foundation
323-769-4634
www.ihobf.org
Jackson Area Blues Society
517-796-9368
www.jacksonareabluessociety.com
James River Blues Society
804-237-8080
www.jamesriverblues.org
Jersey Shore
Jazz & Blues Foundation
732-775-4100 www.jsjbf.com
Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association
616-381-6514
www.kvba.org/
Kansas City Blues Society
913-649-0383
www.KCBluesSociety.com
Kyana Blues Society
502-893-0173
members.aye.net/~kbsblues
Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society
573-317-1757
www.lotobs.org/
Lehigh Valley Blues Network
610-437-3217
www.lvbn.org
Linn County Blues Society
319.399.5105
www.lcbs.org/
Lizard Creek Blues Society
www.lizardcreekblues.org
Louisiana Blues Preservation Society
www.geocities.com/Bluespreserve
Luther Allison Endowment Fund
www.beanhollow.com/allison
Magic City Blues Society
205-968-9156
www.magiccityblues.org/
Maine Blues Society
207-353-2842
Marquette Area Blues Society
www.marquetteareabluessociety.com
www.mainebluessociety.org
Mid-Mississippi
Muddy Water Blues Society
www.quincyblues.com
Mid-North Michigan Blues Society
www.mnmbs.org
Mississippi Valley Blues Society
319-322-5837
www.mvbs.org/
MoBlues Association
www.moblues.org
Music City Blues Society
615-822-6387
www.musiccityblues.org
Music Maker Relief Foundation
336-325-2505
www.musicmaker.org
Natchel Blues Network
757-456-1675
www.natchelblues.org
New England Blues Society
508-398-3383
www.newenglandblues.com
New York Blues & Jazz Society
www.nybluesandjazz.org
www.nybluessociety.org
Northeast Blues Society
518-347-1751 www.timesunion.com/ communities/nebs
Oklahoma Blues Society
405-791-0110 www.okblues.org
Omaha Blues Society
402-391-3861
www.omahablues.com
Ottawa Blues Society
www.devant.com/ottawabluessociety
Ozark Blues Society
479-927-1320
www.ozarkblues.com
Phoenix Blues Society
602-252-0599
www.phoenixblues.org
Piedmont Blues
Preservation Society
910-275-4944
www.piedmontblues.org
Potomac Blues Society
301-72-3621
potomacbluessociety.com
Reno Blues Society
775-690-6963
www.renoblues.org
River City Blues Society
309-347-4908
www.rivercityblues.com
River City Blues Society-VA
804-644-2510
www.wegotblues.com
Riverfront Blues Society
501-783-6353
riverblu@ipa.net
Route 66 Blues Project
405-348-2050
www.bluesproject.org
Sacramento Blues Society
www.sacblues.com
Saginaw Bay Area Blues Society 989-797-3923
San Antonio Blues Society
210-641-8192
www.sanantonioblues.com
Santa Barbara Blues Society
805-897-0060
www.sbblues.org
Shasta Blues Society,
530-246-2226
www.shastablues.org
Siskiyou Blues Society
530-926-5823
siskiyoubluessociety@worldnet.att.net
Skylands Blues Society
www.geocities.com/bourbonstreet/
delta/6070
Smoky Mountain Blues Society
865-588-5929
www.smokymountainblues.com
Sonny Boy Blues Society
www.sonnyboyblues.org
Sonoma County Blues Society
www.sonomacountybs.org
South Florida Blues Society
954-972-6877
www.soflablues.org/
South Kentucky Blues Society
270-782-0650
www.skybluessociety.org
Southern California Blues Society
562-799-2456
www.socalblues.org
Spa City Blues Society
501-262-2943
www.spacityblues.com
Springing The Blues Society
904-241-1355
www.springingtheblues.com
Suncoast Blues Society
813-855-6310
www.SuncoastBlues.org
Sunflower River Blues Association
601-624-5772
www.sunflowerfest.org
Telluride Blues Society
www.tellurideblues.com
The Blues Foundation
901-527-2583
www.blues.org
Toronto Blues Society
www.torontobluessociety.com
Triangle Blues Society
919-493-8041
www.triangleblues.org
Tucson Blues Society
520-887-2126
www.tucsonblues.org/
Tulsa Blues Club
918-832-1799
www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/8661
Walla Walla Blues Society
www.wwbs.org
Washington Blues Society
425-239-3321
www.wablues.org
West Michigan Blues Society
616-774-0853
www.wmbs.org
Western Kansas Blues Society
316-598-2658
mema@pld.com
Wichita Blues Society
316-945-2583
www.wichitablues.com
Willie Dixon - Vicksburg
Blues Society,
www.digitalmantra.com/vicksburg blues