(BOULDER, CO) – The Colorado Blues Society is celebrating its 25th year as a Blues Foundation Affiliate. They will have a big anniversary party Feb 23 at the Buffalo Rose in Golden, Colorado starting at 3pm.
Started in 1995, the society came about from founder Dave MacIntyre being inspired by a deck of cards called Heroes of the Blues and drawn by famed cartoonist R. Crumb. Noted educator Hawkeye Herman offered those cards for sale in Living Blues Magazine, and when Dave contacted him, a friendship was formed that was the driving force behind the Colorado Blues Society. Holding their first meeting in a pizza joint in Louisville, Colorado, it was decided that the new Colorado Blues Society would start a newsletter called The Holler to provide members with articles and a concert calendar, and also start a Blues in the Schools program.
Over the years the CBS has had many successes. They have presented Blues in the School programs to well over 10,000 Colorado school children from kindergarteners to high schoolers. CBS also started the John Alex Mason Scholarship fund to help expose kids to workshops on the blues throughout the country.
CBS has helped promote the entire Blues Community with their website and online gig calendar (free) by promoting the thriving Colorado Festival scene and offering a forum for promoting our local venues and musicians. This was the 13th year CBS has sent local acts to the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge, and in 6 of those years they are proud to say there have been CBS acts standing on the Finals stage at the Orpheum Theater when it ended.
CBS has also supported the entire Colorado Community with blues benefits that raised money for Colorado wildfires (currently CBS is helping with a benefit for the Australian Wildfires), floods in Colorado as well as Louisiana, and food and clothing drives for those in need.
The Colorado Blues Society was recognized by the Blues Foundation in 2013 with a Keeping the Blues Alive Award (KBA) as Blues Organization of the Year.
Please take a few moments to enjoy their 25th Anniversary Holler eZine and check out some of their highlights over the years.
Photo captions:
Top Lt: Dan Treanor and Gary Allegretto, both KBA Award education Recipients, with CBS Banner (Photo: Scott Fitzke)
Top Rt: CBS’s Jim Primock, VPs Scott Fitzke and Tarry Underwood, Secretary Patti Cavallero and President Chick Cavallero receiving the 2013 KBA Award for Blues Organization (Photo: courtesy Scott Fitzke)
Ctr Lt: Keb’ Mo’ receiving the 2012 CBS Lifetime Achievement Award from Jim Primock and Chick Cavallero (Photo: Courtesy Chick Cavallero)
Ctr Rt: Tarry Underwood with Hawkeye Herman in 1995 (Photo: Courtesy Tarry Underwood)
Bottom Lt 5: Dan Treanor, the man behind the Colorado Blues Society Blues in the Schools program (Photo: Scott Fitzke)
Bottom Rt: CBS Volunteers Doug Richardson, Marie Walker, John Stilwagon, Jim Primock, Gloria Schultz, and Phil Borcherding before the Snowy Range Music Festival
Submitted by Chick Cavallero/Colorado Blues Society Webmaster and Editor