Page 72 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2024 Digital Edition

by the general public, but have always been there working to learn blues music and improve their blues knowledge, but
“behind the scenes” to promote the blues in the categories also to educate youth on the historical foundations of the blues
of Media, Promotion and Production. The 2024 winners of genre. Collaborating with international youth blues programs,
the 9 BBS Awards in Braga, Portugal, were photographer the EBU provides grants for several students per year to
th
Aigars Lapsa from Latvia (Media), Hannes Folterbauer of Wolf participate in the Little Steven’s Blues School in Notodden,
Records from Austria (Production) and Agneta Andersson of Norway, the Pinetop Perkins Foundation Workshop in
the Åmåls Blues Festival from Sweden (Promotion). Clarksdale, MS, and – new in 2024 – the Åmåls School of
In 2018, Switzerland’s Vallemaggia Blues Festival Blues in Åmål, Sweden.
organized the first European Blues Night – an evening The EBU has even established official EBU Archives of all
dedicated to former EBC participants and winners taking published material, links, music, videos and more, covering the
the festival stage. As a great way to highlight regional activities of the EBU and EBC. These materials are gathered and
bands and the EBC, the EBU has been promoting and stored in a dedicated section of the Tecla Sala Public Library in
supporting this concept with the hopes that a European Hospitalet de Llobregat in Barcelona, Spain.
Blues Night will increasingly be adopted by blues festivals Starting in 2024, the EBU is excited to announce its newest
throughout Europe. initiative, the European Blues Hall of Fame (EBHF). The
Looking to the future, the EBU created the Blues For Youth EBHF pays tribute to the achievements of European individuals
program in 2018, not only to encourage younger generations for their significant contributions to promoting and preserving

2024 EBC’s 2rd place winners, The Blue Benders from Sweden. Photo by Aigars Lapsa

70 Blues Festival Guide 2024