Page 59 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2021

Do you anticipate any changes with The Foundation’s have access to the technology necessary for them to successfully
offerings and programs? connect with, and compete in, today’s music marketplace.
The Blues Foundation’s established programs provide a solid I’m interested in identifying strategies to address this structural
base for realizing our mission, so I don’t anticipate any abrupt barrier to allow more people to access and enjoy blues music. I
changes. Clearly, we must continue to build upon those programs also hope The Blues Foundation will contribute to constructive
that serve the most urgent needs of our constituents during the conversations and healing strategies that address the racial
pandemic. Our COVID-19 Blues Musician Relief Fund serves as issues that have troubled the blues community.
a safety net to meet the pressing financial needs of full-time blues What blues artist turned you on to the blues?
musicians. We have raised over $300,000 since establishing My academic background is history, so I first became
the fund in March 2020 and are proud to have been able to intrigued by blues music within its historical context. The stories of
assist over 200 blues musicians as a result. We must remain our earliest blues artists are illustrative of a larger narrative of this
focused on these immediate needs even as we plan for the future. country’s African American history. Hearing the music of artists
such as Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith added dimension to my
Looking to the future, what are you particularly understanding of American history.
excited about?
There are a lot of exciting projects on the horizon. Recent What music are you listening to right now?
I consider myself a student of the blues, so I am listening to
surveys tell us that the blues audience is aging, so we must make a music from different artists from different eras. I love the innovation
concerted effort to educate and engage younger people. The Blues and influence Sister Rosetta Tharpe brought to the genre. Moving
Foundation’s Board has prioritized education programs that share forward several decades, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram brings an
the empowering stories of blues history with school children. We are exciting new energy to blues music while exhibiting deep respect
eager for young people to learn about the far-reaching influence of for its historic roots. The Blues Foundation’s podcasts are a great
the blues on today’s music. Our Blues in the Schools and Generation way to hear blues music while learning about the artists. Of
Blues programs provide a strong platform for building educational course, I am always tuned to Bluesville on Sirius XM.
programs with even greater outreach and impact. We are coming
to understand that the blues community may be challenged by The Blues Festival Guide staff warmly welcomes Patty as a leader
a digital divide that is defined by age, race and geography. in the blues community, and looks forward to meeting in person as
Many older blues musicians and those living in rural areas don’t soon as we can all be together again in Memphis!

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