Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Radio

THE BLUES SOCIETY is a re-evaluation of the 1960s seen through the lens of the Memphis Country Blues Festival (1966-1969). It’s the story of Blues masters like Furry Lewis and Robert Wilkins, who had attained fame in the 1920s but were living in obscurity by the 1960s. It’s also the story of a group of white artists from the North and the South who created a celebration of African American music in a highly segregated city. THE BLUES SOCIETY follows the festival from its start in 1966 as an impromptu happening, through a period of cross-pollinization with New York’s East Village scene, and up to the 1969 Festival, which mushroomed into a 3-day event and garnered substantial print and television coverage including an appearance on Steve Allen’s national PBS show, Sounds of Summer.

Festival co-founder and legendary music Executive Nancy Jeffries says, “Everyone remembers the 60s as a party, but there was a seriousness of purpose to what we were doing.” Furry Lewis worked for decades sweeping the city streets, so the efforts to recognize his musical accomplishments echo the 1968 Sanitation Strike, where each worker’s sign proclaimed “I AM A MAN,” underlining theracist refusal to honor African Americans’ basic humanity. Reaching into the present, the film ends in a 2017 concert where Rev. John Wilkins returns to the stage he last shared with his father 48 years earlier. What is the legacy of the Memphis Country Blues Festival, and who do the blues belong to in 2020?

On this episode, I will speak to Filmmaker and Scholar Augusta Palmer, daughter of Robert Palmer, one of the founding members of the Memphis Country Blues Society, who, with her team, worked relentlessly to get this film to the public. Joining Augusta in this episode will be The American Songster Don Flemons, who is featured in the film.

In February of 2024, the Mississippi John Hurt Museumburned. The fire, believed to have been set intentionally, happened immediately after the Legendary Mississippi Blues Pioneer's cabin received landmark status. That was not the first or last attack on the Hurt Family museum, land, or legacy. A week later, the sheriff's office began investigating a break-in at the historic store located on County Road 41 in the Teoc community, where the Mississippi John Hurt marker was stolen.

The executor of the estate and granddaughter of Hurt, Mary Francis Wright, has been fighting for a long time the many racialized attacks on her family's land and legacy. Mary and Shannon Evans have been working to keep the integrity and safety of the location and family. In this episode, I will speak with Mary and Shannon about the fire and many other assaults they have endured.

As we celebrate JUNETEENTH, we must understand how Folklore and the Blues Narrative relate to this celebration. In this episode, I will discuss the celebration, what the celebration is actually about, and its connection to and significance of African American Folklore and traditional Black Music. Juneteenth should always be mentioned with “African American Traditional Music and Folklore!” Juneteenth is the celebration of the releasing of the last remaining slaves after the emancipation proclamation and civil war. In 1865, June 19 Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger shared the news that the war is over and the slaves were now free, in Galveston, Texas. Ironically, this freedom came after the actual date of 1863, when Lincoln made his declaration. Though, the first documented celebration of emancipation dates back to March 2, 1807, when Congress passed a bill to halt the importation of “slaves” into the United States, effective January 1, 1808, which prompted Absalom Jones, a pastor at St. Thomas’s African Episcopal Church in Philadelphia to call for a special commemoration of the ban. “Let January 1, the day of the abolition of the slave trade in our country, be set apart every year, as a day of public thanksgiving for that mercy,” he declared. The 1808 ban fueled annual public observances, primarily religious gatherings in northern cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, called Emancipation Day. Though the initial celebration of January 1, 1808, was the first recording of Emancipation Day, June 19 then took on the name Emancipation Day, as well as Jubilee Day, now known as Juneteenth. In 1866, during the first celebration of “Jubilee Day” aka Juneteenth, newly freed African Americans sang Black Spirituals such as “Go Down Moses,” and “Many Thousands Gone.” In resemblance to Independence Day, they released a barrage of fireworks. The fact is, Texas was the last to free the slaves... Read More Here:

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Black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave Seculars celebrate Black American Traditional Music and Experience. This show is dedicated to sharing and raising awareness of folklife, songs, dance, scripture, lyrics, and everything related to black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave secular expressions, as well as the coded songs of Black Spirituals that were maps and landmarks for escaping bondage. June 5th, I will be speaking with Eric Crawford, Associate Professor of Musicology, and Peter K. Siegal, Producer and American roots music archivist, about the June 14, 2024, Smithsonian Folkways release “The Complete Friends of Old-Time Music Concert” by Bessie Jones, John Davis & The Georgia Sea Island Singers with Mississippi Fred McDowell and Ed Young. The album is a live recording of a 1965 concert that captured the intersection of Black folk traditions and civil rights activism, produced and hosted by Folklorist Alan Lomax and recorded by Peter K. Siegal. The Liner notes, and essay are written by Eric Crawford, whose research focuses on the rich tradition of Gullah music. Crawford has also written books titled Gullah Spirituals: The Sound of Freedom and Protest in the South Carolina Sea Islands (2021) and Gullah Culture in America (March 2023). Together with Smithsonian Folkways, they have collaborated on presenting a significant album that conserves black expression while introducing these outstanding performances to new audiences.

On this episode of Jack Dappa Blues, enjoy the collaboration of Jack Dappa Blues Radio and Southern Ohio Folklife for a conversation w/ Lady D (West Virginia’s First Lady of Soul) to talk about her recent performance of The Lady and the Empress, a one-woman show about the life and music of Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues. Learn about Bessie Smith, her role in Blues music, her lasting impact, and why Lady D was drawn to her life story.

On the day of the interview, Lady D later performed at the Southern Ohio Museum of The Lady and the Empress!

This project is made possible by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions program. Project collaborators include the 14th Street Community Center, Time Out for Me Inc., Portsmouth Unity Project, Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, The African American Folklorist, and Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation.

#wethebluespeople #appalachia #centralappalachia #ohio #appalachianohio #westvirginia #bessiesmith #blues #folklore #folklife #livingtraditions #southernohiofolklife #hiphoptraditions

Facebook: @MidAtlanticArts @CentralAppalachiaLivingTraditions @southern.ohio.museum @jackdappabluesradio @TheAfricanAmericanFolklorist @ladyandtheempress @fourteenthst @TimeOutForMeInc @dafields

Instagram: @fieldsdoris @MidAtlanticArts @centralapplivingtrad @jackdappabluesradio @africanamericanfolklorist @southern.ohio.musum

For some reason, when it comes to Country Music, most people do not associate it with black folk or folk musical expression. The thing is, country music, in its many forms, comes directly from black expression. i.e., the blues, country blues, and more.

To give the context to the roots of commodified music presented and thought of as white music… We can use Leslie Riddle as an example… he was the teacher to the Carters for the music they would be credited for. Maybelle Carter always let that be known.

In this episode, I discuss Why it isAlways about Race regarding Country music, Country Blues, and Blackness.

Coffle Gang and Domestic Slavery

African American Tribal Music

DONATION

Today, I speak with Candice Ivory about her new project, When The Levee Breaks. As said on her website After releasing three acclaimed albums of jazz-driven original songs, vocalist Candice Ivory reveals a whole new sound on When the Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie. Raised in Memphis and based in St. Louis, Ivory hails from an illustrious musical family that shaped Memphis’s secular and sacred sounds. Her great-uncle was the singer and guitarist Will Roy Sanders of the Fieldstones, one of the premier Memphis blues bands from the 1970s to the 1990s. Ivory grew up in the church, and by the age of eleven, she was singing in a choir that featured the soon-to-be-famous R&B artist D’Angelo. When the Levee Breaks brings together all of her formative musical experiences in a tribute to Memphis Minnie (1897-1973), whose powerhouse vocals and compositional creativity served as inspiration for Ivory’s own innovations as the Queen of Avant Soul. Produced by singular guitarist-bassist Charlie Hunter, a onetime D’Angelo collaborator, Ivory’s When the Levee Breaks is a midnight run to the crossroads, where jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B all converge.

https://candiceivory.com/

paypal.me/LamontJack 

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Many Black Academic Scholars are also active practitioners in our respective cultures and traditions. That doesn't negate their ability to teach, mentor, or share skills and tricks of the trade with the folk. It actually makes them even more qualified. Some feel Black Scholars who are educated or formally trained cannot teach or pass on the folk tradition. I see it differently, and here's why.

Charlotte Forten Grimke

NAMA HARLEM (New Amsterdam Musical Association)

Colored Musicians Club

John Wesley Work III

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On this episode, I'm encouraging all folks invested in the story of Black American tradition, folklore, folklife, material art, street art, religious belief, spiritual belief, Advocacy, Organization work, Public Programming, and everything that has to do with the "so-called" African American Narrative to submit work to the African American Folklorist Magazine and website. We no longer need to rely on any other platform to share, publish, or even interrogate our narratives. After a long-time supporter contacted me and shared how we are significant in disseminating and distributing the Blues People story, I felt it necessary to put the call out!

Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation is a focal point for researching, archiving, and raising awareness of African American Traditional Music, folklore, folklife, public programs, and the Black Experience!!

The African American Folklorist Magazine gives a voice to those writing and working in and on Black American Folklore through the lens of Black Folk. From the nonprofit to the Magazine, this is the space for the story of everything African Americans.

https://jackdappabluesradio.tv/

https://theafricanamericanfolklorist.com/

On this episode, I speak with Shirley Moody-Turner, an associate professor of English and African American Studies and founding co-director with Gabrielle Foreman of the Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk. She is an Author and award-winning educator that says, “As a young girl growing up in Buffalo, NY, I felt a deep longing to learn more about my family history.

Shirley has worked to unearth those stories and many others.  She has authored, edited, and written many books, essays, and journals depicting the African American story through a folkloric and ethnographic lens. She is highlighting and honoring the Black men and women scholars like her who have significantly contributed to the Blues and Black narrative of the Americas. 

Her website also states, “Honoring the legacy of the intellectuals and activists I study, I also work in partnerships to carry these histories out into communities beyond the university. Through the Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk and the Black Women’s Organizing Archive, I work with extraordinary individuals to help public and scholarly audiences forge meaningful collaborations with the shared mission of bringing the buried and scattered histories of early Black organizing to digital life. “ 

On this episode, I speak with singer, songwriter, and music educator Hannah Mayree about her journey in music, culture, tradition, and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project.

Hannah Mayree (she/her/they/them) is a creative facilitator and musician whose work and art lend itself as a tool for redesigning and reconnecting to our roots as humans on this planet. A banjoist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist, Hannah shares original and traditional banjo compositions and harmonies through acoustic live vocal looping. She reminds us of the power found in our relationship to the earth, music, and community.

They co-founded and creatively direct the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, which is currently creating musical, cultural, and land-based opportunities for Black, Afro-Diasporic communities around the world to work with the banjo as a tool for reclaiming ancestral wisdom & creating Afro-futures. 

http://hannahmayree.com

http://blackbanjoreclamationproject.org

https://www.patreon.com/Hannahmayree?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator (embedded link for Patreon)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj5p_TWzYH9AhUUHzQIHdd6A2QQFnoECAoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fhannah_mayree%2F%3Fhl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3x0r2TmDf43NArkHU-9iAF

(Embedded link for Instagram)

Videos: https://youtu.be/EANT04mAd44

https://youtu.be/og3r1stPR9w

https://youtu.be/X7JjQZJRtbs

https://youtu.be/z1BAVugqVGE

Lessons/Teaching:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19LCljx1e4cvDVKvV0JMYedtJnd4aZvfhge8o-Wsl0A0/edit 

Articles:

https://afropop.org/articles/black-banjo-reclamation-projects-hannah-mayree

In this episode, I will speak with Kristina R. Gaddy about her journey and New York Times best-selling book, Well of Souls - Uncovering The Banjo's Hidden History. Kristina R. Gaddy is an award-winning writer who believes in the power of narrative nonfiction to bring stories from the past to life in order to inform the world we live in today. Her debut nonfiction book Flowers in the Gutter (Dutton 2020), tells the true story of the teenage Edelweiss Pirates who fought the Nazis. Through narratives based on memoirs, oral history interviews, and Nazi documents, she immerses the reader in the world of these teenagers as they resist the Third Reich. Her book Wells of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History (W.W. Norton 2022) is an extraordinary story unfolding across two hundred years, where she uncovers the banjo’s key role in Black spirituality, ritual, and rebellion. For More: https://www.kristinagaddy.com/about.html

In this episode, Todd Lawrence, Maria Lewis, and Lamont Pearley will host a live stream event offered by the AFS African American Folklore Section, the African American Folklorist and Jack Dappa Blues featuring Notable Folklorists of Color creators and curators, Phyllis May-Machunda, Sojin Kim, and Olivia Cadaval. The conversation will detail the inspiration, vision, purpose, and work of creating such a monumental installment. We will also discuss the follow-up project called, "Notable Folklorists of Color: Expanding the Frames ."

Notable Folklorists of Color is a website that features profiles of BIPOC ancestor scholars of color and their contributions to folklore studies. The 2019 exhibition, Notable Folklorists of Color: Remembering Our Ancestral Legacies, marked the 25th anniversary of AFS’s Cultural Diversity Committee by honoring 25 BIPOC ancestors, and the 2022 Notable Folklorists of Color: Expanding the Frames exhibition highlights the scholarship of approximately another 135 African American, Indigenous, Latino and Hispano, Asian American and Native Hawaiian ancestor scholars. Combined, the two exhibitions feature more than 160 BIPOC folklore ancestors.

The Notable Folklorists of Color: Expanding the Frames exhibition extends the examination of the contributions of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) ancestor scholars to folklore studies that was begun in the AFS Notable Folklorists of Color: Remembering Our Ancestral Legacies exhibition in 2019. Remembering Our Ancestral Legacies marked the 25th anniversary of AFS’s Cultural Diversity Committee by honoring 25 BIPOC ancestor scholars of color and their contributions to folklore studies. Our 2022 exhibition, Expanding the Frames, highlights the scholarship of approximately another 135 African American, Indigenous, Latino and Hispano, Asian American and Native Hawaiian ancestors scholars whose work, in what is now the United States and its territories, spans the 19th century through 2021, bringing the combined total number of BIPOC ancestors featured in these two exhibitions to more than160.

Expanding the Frames recognizes the scholarly contributions of approximately 135 African American, Indigenous, Latino and Hispano, Asian American and Native Hawaiian ancestors scholars whose work in what is now the United States and its territories spans the 19th century through 2021. In contrast to Remembering our Ancestral Legacies (2019), this exhibition, Expanding the Frames, centers BIPOC ancestors—who often have worked within their own communities—as significant producers of scholarly knowledge about the communities and traditions they studied. Although some of these ancestor scholars applied mainstream academic approaches and perspectives in their folklore research, regarding the “folk” as remnants of the past, others alternatively anchored their research in the cultural knowledge frameworks and traditions of their own communities and worked intentionally for the benefit and futures of their living communities.  Some of these ancestors’ theories and approaches are resonant with contemporary praxis, while several others are representative of the historical periods and circumstances within which they were conceived.  

Be sure to become a member of the American Folklorist Society

https://americanfolkloresociety.org/

On this episode, I speak with Brei Carter, Country Singer-Songwriter, about her journey in Music and her signing with Brown Lee Entertainment For Exclusive Global Music Distribution & Digital Marketing.

Emerging crossover country and southern pop recording artist Brei Carter proves that faith, patience, and time sometimes pay off. Growing up in Monroe, Louisiana, with a solid, southern upbringing, Brei’s family raised her on several authentic southern staples: the Bible, Lone Star Missionary Baptist Church’s choir, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, Aretha Franklin, and no shortage of familial love and devotion. However, before she became the dynamic and vivacious country singer she is today, Brei was busy earning a Bachelor's in Business from the University of Louisiana in Monroe, a Master's in International Relations from Webster University, and a Doctorate in Theology from New Foundation Theological Seminary. She is also a proud Veteran of the U.S. Army, where she served as an enlisted soldier and officer. Having moved to Nashville soon after, Brei has quickly established herself in the songwriter's community as a smooth and sometimes edgy songstress who melds country, soul, and southern pop into one fused style. Her first single at country radio, “Gave Him A Girl,” was immediately recognized as “cute and catchy” by country music journalist and historian Robert K. Oermann in his weekly DISClaimer review column for Music Row Magazine. Brei made her CMA Fest debut in 2022, along with a performance on WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour. Her growing catalog of new music includes her debut album Brand New Country, released in Fall 2022, and new music on the way in 2023 slated for April & June. Carter is quickly proving herself to be a welcomed addition to the emerging new styles of country music in today’s diverse musical landscape.

There is excellent Black Folklife, Indian Folklore, Black Music, AND educational oral history in Kentucky and nationally that Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation archives and builds a repository for.

In this episode, I discuss Storyville, Oklahoma, Freedmen, Blues, and the People of the Blues To Raise Cultural and Ethnic awareness of Black American Traditional Music, Traditional Art, Folklore, Oral Histories, and the Black Experience in America.

I'm asking for donations to Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you'll consider celebrating with me. Your contribution will make an impact. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support.

https://www.facebook.com/donate/6035802536450984/

paypal.me/LamontJack

On this episode, I speak with Dr. Diana Baird N'Diaye, The African American Folklorist of the Month! Dr. Diane Baird N’Diaye is an interdisciplinary Visual artist/maker and cultural scholar. N’Diaye developed and headed the African American Crafts Initiative, is the principal investigator and Curator of the Will to Adorn: African American Dress and the Aesthetics of Identity, was awarded the Smithsonian Secretary's Research Prize for Curatorial Conversations: Cultural Representation at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival; and currently holds the position as Senior Folklife Curator, Cultural Specialist, Directs African American Craft Initiative at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage.  She’s written many pieces and engages directly with traditional arts.

Dr. N’Diaye fancies herself a maker, creating everything from quilts to necklaces, clothing, bags, and everything in between. As a maker, her focus is to provoke conversations and contemplations around identity, heritage, healing, and the social terrain in those of the diaspora live.  Utilizing her creativity as an anthropologist, Diane’s travel and research permeate through her work. N’Diaye says, “ My art is shaped by my identities as a citizen of global Africa and 2nd generation transnational.”

As the African American Folklorist of the Month, I had the honor to sit with Dr. N’Diaye and discuss her journey, works, and thoughts on Black in the academic and independent Folklore space.

On this episode, we speak about, Why is B.OB. Essential in an era we are supposed to be united and integrated? What do we expect from a B.O.B. that we don’t expect from anyone else? And most of all, How do I determine where I spend my Money?

The criteria for the last question is broken down by :

Customer Service

Products

Locations

We also discuss what is needed in the community. Are there any B.O.B.'s filling those voids, or are they just opening and operating the business that has become culturally popular?

B.O.B = Black Owned Business

MASKS OFF POWERED BY BLACK LOVE:

Hosts

Lamont Jack Pearley

Roscoe McCoy

Coach Black

By Lamont Jack Pearley

On this episode, I speak with Glen David Andrews, born and raised in Treme's 6 Ward, only blocks away from the historical Congo Square in New Orleans, Louisiana!  Andrews shares that the gumbo of New Orleans culture is evident in the music and traditions and should be honored. Andrews knows who he is, where he comes from, and the people he descends from. One of the many musicians in his family, Glen's music transmits the roots of New Orleans.

On this episode, I speak with the youngest daughter of Civil Rights Activists Charles and Marvinia Neblett, Kesi Neblett, who was born and raised in Russellville, KY, and has a fantastic story. She was also recently featured on THE Mole; a reality game show that originally aired on ABC from 2001 to 2008 before being rebooted on Netflix in 2022.

Charles “Chuck” Neblett’s songs of protest resounded in southern jails, SNCC meetings, and freedom marches. As a child in rural Tennessee, Neblett remembered walking to his one-room schoolhouse and being sickened by the “fancy white school that was two stories tall.” His teachers motivated him, saying, “You’re Black, but you can make it. The one thing they can’t take from you is what’s in your head.”

On September 23, 1955, the murderers of Emmett Till were acquitted, and “it told me that I didn’t count in this country,” remembered Neblett. A little over two months later, the Montgomery Bus Boycott triggered something inside of him: “When I saw those Black men and women standing up to the system, it’s like I got religion.”

Kesi shares with us how she is living, continuing and writing her narrative!

After sitting in and listening to the presentation "Greenwood’s Past, Present, and Future" at this year's American Folklore Society Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Quraysh Ali Lansana (Tri-City Collective) and Carlos A Moreno (Tri-City Collective) shared the true story of the happenings before, during and after the 1921 Riots of Tulsa, I thought it would be beneficial for the Jack Dappa Blues and African American Folklorist Audience to get a more in-depth version of the story by folks that are from there doing the work!

From Me to You: The Power of Storytelling and Its Inherent Generational Wealth

In this episode, I speak with Deidra R Moore Janvier, Esq. about her new book, From Me to You: The Power of Storytelling and Its Inherent Generational Wealth.

From Me to You is the answer to one crucial question: “So, Mom, what exactly was slavery about?” asked the author’s young son after learning of the atrocities of the Holocaust and slavery. Faced with the formidable challenge of answering her son’s question, Deidra devoted herself to exploring African American history with the end goal of creating a teachable moment. Starting with Ida B. Wells and ending with President Barack Obama, From Me to You features illustrations and short biographies of the most prominent 19th and 20th-century civil rights activists, centering their voices with quotes and affirmations anchored in the time in which they lived. Through stories about family, faith, and the power of multigenerational unity, From Me to You explores the legacy of slavery in America from the viewpoint of enslaved Africans and their descendants. Deidra proves that African American history is American history and that these two concepts rely on each other for posterity.

Author Deidra R. Moore-Janvier, Esq. exemplifies the Bronx area. As an African American mother, wife, and advocate for change, Deidra set out on a journey in 2020 to teach young minds “the value in investing in themselves and in learning about their history.” Deidra is no stranger to self-investment. As a single mother in 1996, she quit her job to attend law school. Upon graduating from the City University of New York School of Law (CUNY School of Law), Deidra worked as a public defender with The Legal Aid Society in Bronx County. In 2004, she established the Law Offices of Deidra R. Moore, P.C. Her work is deeply informed by her personal and professional experiences.

http://www.deidramoore.com/about/

In this broadcast, Todd Lawrence and I discuss the scholarship and work Of John Wesley Work III and the newly launched Award named in His honor.   The AFS African American Folklore Section is proud to issue the first call for submissions for the new John Wesley Work III Award, which the section has launched to honor and spotlight applied folklorists, ethnographers, and ethnomusicologists who actively focus on the research, documentation, recording, and highlighting of African American culture through performance, written word, and music in their scholarly works.   

Our Featured Guest is Fisk Alumni George 'Geo' Cooper, a pianist, composer, and music educator. While at Fisk, he was a member of the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers.

The prize is named for John Wesley Work III, a composer, ethnomusicologist, educator, and choral director devoted to documenting the progression of Black musical expression. His notable collections of traditional and emerging African American music include Negro Folk Songs and the Archive of American Folk Song in the Library of Congress/Fisk University Mississippi Delta Collection (AFC 1941/002). The Stovall Plantation recordings for the Library of Congress where the world is introduced to blues legend McKinley Morganfield, aka Muddy Waters.   In honor of Work, this award is offered to celebrate and encourage African American traditional cultural expression and galvanize folklorists, ethnographers, and ethnomusicologists of color to participate in the documentation of African American folklife.

In this episode of the African American Folklorist, I speak with Sherley Spears, NAACP Unit 6219 President, President of the National Historic Landmark Fort Concho, and founder of the Buffalo Soldier Project. The National Historic Landmark Fort Concho Museum preserves the structures and archeological site features for pride and educational purposes, serving the San Angelo, Texas community.

One significant story coming from Fort Concho and the San Angelo community is the contributions and community development of and by the Buffalo Soldiers. In 1866, Congress established the 9th, 10th, 24th, and 25th U.S. Cavalry Regiments for enlisted colored people in the Army. Eventually, troops from each of these regiments served at Fort Concho. These black troops would be given the name ”Buffalo Soldiers," allegedly, by the Indian tribes because of their dark, thick, curly hair resembling buffalo hair. Fort Concho, originally established in 1867, was built for soldiers protecting frontier settlers traveling west against Indian tribes in the area.

A notable member of the San Angelo community of that time was Elijah Cox. Elijah enlisted in the military and was stationed at Fort Concho, in San Angelo, Texas in 1871. Elijah was a fiddler he and his son, Ben played for all of the dances at the Fort. Elijah, born and remained a freeman, settled in San Angelo, Texas, and would learn the songs of the slave from ex-slaves now soldiers. Elijah would become the traditional bearer of these songs as he played fiddle, guitar, and sang. You can hear my podcast on his story here.

https://youtu.be/jOV68xA9EBE 

These, and much more crucial historic narratives are being preserved by Ms. Sherley Spears and the organizations adamant of raising the awareness of African American contributions to the establishment and sustainability of Fort Concho & San Angelo, Texas.

https://sanangelonaacp.org/ 

https://fortconcho.com/home/about/mis...

Louisiana BLUES VIXEN GEMINIIDRAGON is set to take over the BLUES MUSIC community with her latest single JUST THE WAY IT IS from her upcoming album FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE!  

From the murky bayous of Louisiana, comes a fresh face to the Blues music scene. A vocal dynamo GeminiiDRAGON has channeled her love for the late 60s era and 70s blues and AOR bands/artists the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Koko Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream and Led Zeppelin and the supergroup Arc Angels, to name a few, into a ferocious mix of blues-rock soul…. Blues on Steriods!!! 

More on GeminiiDragon here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ4TKJUrJUo  

To Donate to Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation follow this link https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/LamontJack/

The “Blues Narrative: Blues People, Covid-19, and Civil Unrest” focuses on African Americans born between 1945 and 2004. The article delves into the establishment of homes, lifestyles, and traditions on a concrete terrain with Southern and country values, and shares how those values not only weathered the storm of many generations but how they armed interviewees to defend what some call an all-out attack on the Blues People in the present day. This is an ongoing project conducted from the perspective of a folklorist and ethnographer.

This episode, i speak with Phoenix Moon, a Colonial America historian, Forensic genealogist, Civil Rights Activist. Grassroots Political Legist. 

The term Soul Food and Southern Style food were not an initial naming convention for the meals eaten in the households I grew up in. We ate what grandma cooked. What granddad bought, for auntie and momma to prepare. As time went on, the meals of my family began popping up in stores around our community, then particular spaces across the nation by the name “Soul Food” or “Country Kitchen.” I remember Country Kitchen specifically, because it was on the route home from church, and on special occasions my family and I would stop there to order meals. The food was good, not as good as my grandma, or mother’s, but non the less we enjoyed. The irony is as I matured in the space of being a folklorist, I wondered why we paid for meals identical to what we ate at home. And when and why did my grandma’s and mother’s meals receive this name. To us it was just dinner. To many people, it’s just dinner, lunch or breakfast.

As I pondered this, I began to remember the great times we had as a family, either around the dinner table, or sprinkled around my grandparents home. My grandparents had five children, and their children had children. So it would be a full house. I began to think about the activities that took place during those times. As a folklorist these are the questions, research and interests we dive into, and in diving, I am introduced to Foodways.

As heard on WKU PUBLIC RADIO & NPR 

Mara Kaye is a blues singer, born and raised in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. She has had the pleasure of singing in venues all over NYC and beyond. Some of her most electric and rewarding moments have been her sold-out performances at Joe's Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, and the intimate gatherings at Sunny's Bar.  In this episode, Mara shares her musical beginnings, introductions to the Blues, and the importance of connecting with the songs you sing.   She also shares with us that she wrote and sang the chorus on AZ and Rick ROss' new song! 

https://www.marakaye.com/  

Donate to Jack Dappa Blues HERE  paypal.me/LamontJack

On November 23rd, 1936, Robert Johnson partook in what’s considered the most historic recording session in music history.   But there's a problem with the story  Why was that more iconic than Peetie Wheetstraw, Memphis Minnie, Henry Thomas, or Mamie Smith?  Because someone else told the story! 

Today we talk about the importance for everybody from any particular community, family, or culture taking the responsibility to document their story utilizing Ethnographic and Folkloristic tools. 

Daryl Davis, a musician, author, and race relations expert was assaulted with flying bottles during the Cub Scout parade in 1968 when he was 10. This was his first experience with racism. He spent years studying and researching to answer the question he had about racial hatred. It would be a chance encounter later in life that would birth a dangerously intriguing project, documenting his search for the answers.

Daryl Davis, a musician, author, and race relations expert was assaulted with flying bottles during the Cub Scout parade in 1968 when he was 10. This was his first experience with racism. He spent years studying and researching to answer the question he had about racial hatred. It would be a chance encounter later in life that would birth a dangerously intriguing project, documenting his search for the answers.  As an entertainer, Daryl is an international recording artist, actor, and leader of The Daryl Davis Band. He is considered to be one of the greatest Blues & Boogie Woogie and Blues and Rock’n’Roll pianists of all time, having played with The Legendary Blues Band (formerly the Muddy Waters band) and Chuck Berry. As an Actor, Daryl has received rave reviews for his stage role in William Saroyan’s The Time Of Your Life. Daryl has done film and television as well and had roles in the critically acclaimed 5-year HBO television series The Wire.

As an author, lecturer, and race relations expert, Daryl has received acclaim for his book, Klan-Destine Relationships, and his documentary Accidental Courtesy from many respected sources including CNN, NBC, Good Morning America, TLC, NPR, The Washington Post, and many others. He is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Elliott-Black Award, the MLK Award, and the Bridge Builder Award among many others. Filled with exciting encounters and sometimes amusing anecdotes, Daryl’s impassioned lectures leave an audience feeling empowered to confront their own prejudices and overcome their fears.

More on Daryl Here: https://www.daryldavis.com/

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In this episode of jack Dappa Blues Radio, I speak with Brother Christone Ingram, better known as King Fish. Clarksdale, Mississippi Blues legend in the making! King Fish discusses the culture, history, and meaning of the blues as it relates to fans, the industry, musicians, and the Black Community!  

Once a generation, an artist comes along who not only reminds mainstream audiences how deeply satisfying and emotionally moving the best blues music can be but shakes the genre to its core. With both eyes on the future and the blues in his blood, 21-year-old guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram continue to take the music world by storm after his 2019 release of his debut album, KINGFISH. Sprung from the same earth as so many of the Delta blues masters, Kingfish comes bursting out of Clarksdale, Mississippi, just ten miles from the legendary crossroads of Highways 61 and 49. A student of the Delta’s musical history, he is acutely aware of the musicians and the music that emerged from his corner of the world. “I do think I have an old soul, that I’ve been here before,” he says. “I’m moving forward with one foot in the past.” 

 "Is Christone "Kingfish" Ingram the future of the blues? The blues savior is one of the most exciting young guitarists in years, with a sound that encompasses B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix & Prince." —Rolling Stone   

“You don’t see too many kids into blues music,” says the nascent star. “In my town, every kid wants to be a rapper – I wanted to do something no one else was doing.”  And although he grew up near the crossroads where Robert Johnson allegedly cut a deal with the devil, Kingfish insists he didn’t do any of that to make his guitar howl the blues. “I just practice all the time,” he says, “that’s the only deal I made, and it’s with myself.” 

 To learn more about KING FISH read here: https://www.christonekingfishingram.com/bio 

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Lea Gilmore, Minister for Racial Justice and Multicultural Engagement,  First Service Music Director, and First Lady of the Church speaks with us about her journey in music, faith, and the advocacy of racial justice.   

Lea Gilmore is a blues, gospel, and jazz singing civic activist. a recipient of the Blues Foundation’s W. C. Handy Award: Keeping the Blues Alive and was named as one of 25 “Women Shaping the World” by Essence Magazine. She was featured in the October 2005 Leadership' issue.  

Over the past eight years, Gilmore has lent her voice to support the cause of ridding third world countries in Africa of leprosy and TB by headlining Gospel concerts in Europe, sponsored by the Damien Foundation, a Belgium-based nonprofit, appearing before 300,000 in concerts throughout Belgium alone. A former deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and Program Director for the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, Gilmore has testified before local, state, and federal commissions on issues ranging from immigration laws to civil rights and liberties of women of color.  

Ms. Gilmore is the founder and director of “Umoja (meaning "Unity" in Swahili) Musica,” an international effort promoting non-violence, peace, and human rights, embracing the power and reach of African-American traditional music in union with the traditional music of other cultures. The critically acclaimed first CD, "Umoja Gaelica" featured award-winning African American musicians and traditional musicians from Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England, singing songs of freedom and hope. The project will be reprised and recorded in 2020 in Scotland, with a focus on youth participation. 

Lea also hosts MUSIC MONDAY @ GOVANS!  

For more information contact lea@govanspres.org  https://www.aclu.org/lea-gilmore https://leagilmore.net/about 

The African American Folklorist Newspaper is still accepting Donations  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-african-american-folklorist-newspaper#/

In this episode, I speak with the Amazing Chase Jackson. She shares with us some of the amazing things she's done for the Blues and the Blues People.

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In this episode of the African American Folklorist, I speak to Elder Carlie Towne, Minister of Information for the Gullah Geechee Nation.    www.gullahgeecheenation.com 

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In this episode, I speak with Louisiana Bluesman DK Harrell about the culture of Blues, the system that only allows one Black artist to be highlighted at a time, and the importance of reconnecting Blues People to Blues Music.  

Born in Ruston, Louisiana on April 24, 1998. Dkieran was given the nickname, D.k. By his grandfather C.H. Jackson who swore that his grandson would be a musician. Dkieran grew up listening to his grandparent’s records that varied between old gospel,  r&b, and blues. His mother claims that his first words were BB King’s The thrill is Gone. Dkieran first started performing at 5 years old imitating Ray Charles and James Brown, it was until the age of 12 he took up blues harmonica after seeing the film “Cadillac Records”. At the age of 13, he went from harmonica to guitar and idolized Chuck Berry and John Lee Hooker but with many artists playing like them, he chose his roots to learn the ways of BB King. After years of watching various footage of King from 1968-2014, he has been claimed to play and sound like him. In 2019 he got a chance to show off his talent at the BB King symposium where he played one of BB’s custom Lucille’s. In 2020 he befriended many of BB’s former band members and great upcoming blues musicians like Jontavious Willis and Christone Ingram. Dkieran wants to bring back authentic blues, he feels music needs to continue to stay rich in soul and life.

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We are the African American Folklorist Newspaper. Don't be distracted by the term/classification African-American! Our platform is for the community, whatever your genealogy, identity, or nationality! We tell and help you tell the story of OUR PEOPLE!   Join the Black Folk Narrative Revolution and donate, share, even become a contributing writer!  

The African American Folklorist is a quarterly Newspaper that contains articles about traditions, traditional beliefs, the cultural context, geographical locations, music, and vernaculars of African Americans and the role each element plays in the lives of the people past and present. AAF furthers the mission of Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation by publishing articles that discuss the evolution of our traditions, and that present research about blues people. We include interviews with and articles from musicians, historians, ethnographers, and academics who specialize in and are enthusiastic about the Black Experience in America. AAF includes a variety of perspectives on the black experience and seeks to educate and share perspectives with people of all colors.  We also are proud to incorporate youth that shows interest in studying, researching, and preserving our heritage. There is an entire section dedicated to them called the "African American Folklorist Kids & Youth Section," which publishes articles and research papers from young people aged 10-17.​  

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The documenting and sharing of our story and expression is revolutionary! 

In this episode, I talk about Boley Oklahoma, John Dolphin, and Uniondale, Alabama which is featured in the documentary "The Contradiction of Fairhope"   As we celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth, we shouldn't repeat the same stories always told. Black Wall St. wasn't the only thriving Black Community, there were many others.   n the early twentieth century Boley, Oklahoma was the largest predominantly black town in the United States. Boley was officially opened for settlement in 1903 in Creek Nation, Indian Territory along with the Fort Smith and Western Railroad. The interracial group that founded Boley included Lake Moore, a white attorney, John Boley, a white manager for the Fort Smith and Western Railroad, and Thomas M. Haynes, a black farmer, and entrepreneur from Texas. The trio worked together with James Barnett, a Creek Freedman, to purchase the land of Barnett’s daughter Abigail, to form Boley’s nucleus. Southern migrants in search of better opportunities flocked to Boley and the town experienced rapid growth over the years.  

READ MORE https://jackdappabluesradio.tv/boley-oklahoma-jack-dappa-blues-heritage-radio/ 

Bringing Hollywood to Central Avenue, John Dolphin cut records in the back of his store, then broke the record on his radio station that broadcasted in the front window of his store. John’s efforts platformed black music and artists who wouldn’t have had a chance to be heard on a large level. It also broke the color barriers as his record store had Black, White and Chicano patrons who partied together in and around the record store.  

READ MORE http://digital.livingblues.com/publication/?i=564440&article_id=3295263&view=articleBrowser 

HEAR THE STORY OF JOHN DOLPHIN PODCAST https://jackdappabluesradio.tv/dolphins-of-hollywood-the-john-dolphin-story/ 

THE CONTRADICTION OF FAIR HOPE Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, composed by Christian McBride and executive Produced/Co-Directed by S. Epatha Merkerson “The Contradictions of Fair Hope” is about the 4 million freed slaves roaming the antebellum, many of them are ill-prepared and unable to cope with the realities of their newfound freedom in 1865 rural Alabama. The film traces the development, struggles, contributions, and gradual loss of the tradition of one of the last remaining African American benevolent societies, known as “The Fair Hope Benevolent Society” in Uniontown, Alabama.  

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In this episode, I discuss a new way we should think about celebrating "Black History Month! Also, forgive me, guys! Carter G Woodson called it Negro History Month when he first established it! 

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In this episode, I discuss how we should think about removing the word obscure from the vocabulary for ethnography, folklore, and ethnomusicology! The people we document from these cultures are pillars of their community! They are not obscure! 

Also, Family Ethnography and Reading Comprehension is a great way to connect with your family history as well as encouraging reading and strong language arts! 

READ THE ARTICLE THAT ACCOMPANIES THIS BROADCAST in the resource section of the website! Remember to subscribe to the newspaper and go to submissions if you wish to submit or become a contributing writer!

http://theafricanamericanfolklorist.com/2021/01/25/familyethnography/

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An American Hero & Anti-Hero Talks Reparations – The Story of Ari Merratazon

Most of you are familiar with the movie Dead Presidents starring Larenz Tate. I bet you don’t know that Tate’s character was inspired by the real-life story of decorated war hero and Vietnam Blood, Haywood Kirkland – now known as Ari Merratazon. According to Mr. Merratazon, the heart of his life story actually began where the movie ended. If you remember the movie, it ended with Larenz Tate’s character being sentenced to prison after being convicted of robbing an armored truck. Mr. Merratazon did serve time in prison for armed robbery, however, it was to raise money for the Black liberation movement which he became a part of shortly after leaving the military.

Here is part two of Courtland W. Hankins, III (aka The President of Hip Hop) sit down with Mr. Merratazon to talk about his life and the reparations movement.

Episode one begins the conversation of Lovecraft Country's inception, who is H.P. Lovecraft, and initial responses audience members have to the show.  The purpose of this series is to document the program's folklore, how convergence culture and mass media transmission play a part in the program's popularity, how Lovecraft Country is received, and the audience's interactive response and behaviors, i.e., Participatory culture and Fan Culture.   There is a plethora of African and Southern Black spirituality, Christianity, Space and time travel, amongst other things that fall in line with the many folk narratives and beliefs of the people.  In this episode, featured guests are Patric Coker, Television writer and producer, Hollie Harper, Comedian and writer, TJ Wheeler, Musician and historian, Ron Wynn, Columnist, and radio personality, and David Wright, Writer and award-winning sound designer.

In this episode of The African American Folklorist, I speak with Freeman Vines, a North Carolina guitar maker and bluesman. Vines shares with us the context of his latest project Hanging Tree Guitars, which has a spiritual connection,  supernatural elements, as well as a tree used for possibly multiple lynchings.

The book is a collaboration between Freeman Vines, photographer Timothy Duffy, and folklorist Zoe Van Buren. Van Buren writes, “Vines and Duffy have since embarked on a relationship of artistic exchange that has transformed their respective bodies of work.” Duffy says that he planned for his shoots for six months just absorbing and taking in Vines and his work. The book also exposes lingering prejudices and unspoken boundaries in rural eastern North Carolina uncovered during an investigation of the region’s history. Vines dove into one specific lynching, learning from research, interviews, and intuition. One friend warned him not to ask too many questions, saying, “These white folks around here are still white.” Van Buren writes, “The hanging tree period took an emotional toll on both Vines and Duffy.”

In this interview I speak with Holle Thee Maxwell about her musical journey and recent book, Freebase Ain't Free, which depicts her 15 years working with and helping the Legendary Ike Turner.   Chicago-born vocalist Holly Maxwell, now professionally known as Holle Thee Maxwell, found her early fortune in the vibrant California music scene of the 1970s, eventually bringing her to the audience of rock n’ roll icon Ike Turner. What started off as a professional relationship became a strange adventure through the music studios, hotel rooms, and drug houses of Los Angeles, with Maxwell acting as Turner's personal assistant, bodyguard, confidante, and surrogate sister.  Holle Thee Maxwell recounts the many years she spent in the company of Ike Turner during his period of self-facilitated seclusion (also known as his “fifteen-year party”), his brief prison stay where he kicked his drug habit, and his eventual return to prominence as the successful and influential musician he was born to be. Freebase Ain’t Free tracks the intersecting and intertwining of these two kindred spirits, their mutual ups and downs, and the arc of their inexplicably dynamic relationship.  https://www.facebook.com/FreeBase-Aint-Free-711234022568199/ 

https://books.google.com/books/about/Freebase_Ain_t_Free.html?id=yhJhuwEACAAJ 

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And follow Mrs. Pearrley on Instagram @d_pearl_lee  

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In this episode of The African American Folklorist, I speak with Dr. Tyler Parry, author of the book "Jumping The Broom - The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual"   In this definitive history of a unique tradition, Tyler D. Parry untangles the convoluted history of the "broomstick wedding." Popularly associated with African American culture, Parry traces the ritual’s origins to marginalized groups in the British Isles and explores how it influenced the marriage traditions of different communities on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. His surprising findings shed new light on the complexities of cultural exchange between peoples of African and European descent from the 1700s up to the twenty-first century.    Drawing from the historical records of enslaved people in the United States, British Romani, Louisiana Cajuns, and many others, Parry discloses how marginalized people found dignity in the face of oppression by innovating and reimagining marriage rituals. Such innovations have an enduring impact on the descendants of the original practitioners. Parry reveals how and why the simple act of "jumping the broom" captivates so many people who, on the surface, appear to have little in common with each other.  For more information on the book  https://www.uncpress.org/book/9781469660868/jumping-the-broom/ 

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In this episode, I speak with Blues Harmonica Legend, Dr. Adam Gussow about his most recent book "Whose Blues - Facing Up to Race and the Future of the Music"   If there's "No black. No white. Just the blues," as one familiar meme suggests, why do some blues people hear such pronouncements as an aggressive attempt at cultural appropriation and erasure of traumatic histories that lie deep in the heart of the music? Then again, if "blues is black music," as some performers and critics insist, what should we make of the vibrant global blues scene, with its all-comers mix of nationalities and ethnicities? Award-winning blues scholar and performer Adam Gussow confronts these challenging questions head-on. Using blues literature and history as a cultural anchor, Gussow defines, interprets, and makes sense of the blues for the new millennium. Drawing on the blues tradition’s major writers including W. C. Handy, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Amiri Baraka, and grounded in his first-person knowledge of the blues performance scene, Gussow’s thought-provoking book kickstarts a long-overdue conversation. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfYHJbTZklgZU1bEVLaZyvQ 

https://youtu.be/tGZXMr2TGUA 

https://uncpress.org/book/9781469660363/whose-blues/ 

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To Donate to Jack Dappa Blues  https://paypal.me/LamontJack?locale.x=en_US

On this episode of Jack Dappa Blues, I speak with Corey A Washington, author of the book "Jimi Hendrix Black Legacy (A Dream Deferred). Corey shares with us the importance of the book, as well as the importance and relevance Jimi has and is in the Black community, the history of black music & activism, along with the contributions to the Blues People!   Jimi Hendrix - Black Legacy (A Dream Deferred) is the culmination of a two-decade journey of author Corey Washington's exploration of Jimi Hendrix's complex and misunderstood relationship and impact, on the Black Community.  Jimi's life has been featured in numerous biographies over the years, but very little has been properly documented when it comes to his influence on people of color.  Hendrix was often seen by many to have transcended race, which is a slap in the face to his deep cultural roots, concerning not only his Black musical traditions but simply growing up as a Black person in the '40s-'60s  https://jimibl.com/index.html See the promo trailer here: JIMI HENDRIX - BLACK LEGACY (A Dream Deferred).

An American Hero & Anti-Hero Talks Reparations - The Story of Ari Merratazon

Most of you are familiar with the movie Dead Presidents starring Larenz Tate. I bet you don’t know that Tate’s character was inspired by the real-life story of decorated war hero and Vietnam Blood, Haywood Kirkland - now known as Ari Merratazon. According to Mr. Merratazon, the heart of his life story actually began where the movie ended. If you remember the movie, it ended with Larenz Tate’s character being sentenced to prison after being convicted of robbing an armored truck. Mr. Merratazon did serve time in prison for armed robbery, however, it was to raise money for the Black liberation movement which he became a part of shortly after leaving the military. While in prison, Mr. Merratazon founded the Incarcerated Veterans Assistance Organization and was personally honored in the White House by then-President Jimmy Carter. There’s a laundry list of amazing accomplishments in Mr. Merratazon’s storied life, however, he is most proud of his work as a reparationist. He is a “soldier” dedicated to achieving reparations for the descendants of Africans enslaved in the United States. Everyone should know his story and his current reparations work. Courtland W. Hankins, III (aka The President of Hip Hop) recently sat down with Mr. Merratazon to talk about his life and the reparations movement.

In this Episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, I speak with Children Book writer, and Musician Gary Golio about his current book "Dark Was the Night - Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars" (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen, 2020). Gary has a catalog of books and shares with us the inspiration and message of his work. He also shares his reverence for Blind Willie Johnson, and how he looked to pay homage to him in "Dark Was The Night." 

InDark Was the Night - Blind Willie Johnson's Journey to the Stars, NY Times-bestselling author Gary Golioand Caldecott Honoree E.B. Lewis (Illustrator) tell an inspiring story of how the healing power of music can turn darkness into light. Moving prose and luminous illustrations detail the remarkable journey of a poor child from rural Texas who becomes one of the most accomplished slide guitarists of all time. Years after his death, Willie's signature song, "Dark Was the Night," is rocketed to the heavens on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record, a testament to the talent of a visionary blind man.

In this episode,  I speak with Randy Jones. She breaks down the black Spirituals and the many misconceptions about them. 

 Randye Jones is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Bennett College in Greensboro. While there, Randye's academic achievements included being named to Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities. She earned a Masters’ degree in Vocal Performance from Florida State University, Tallahassee, where she studied with Barbara Ford and Enrico Di Giuseppe. Some of the greats she studied with are Mary Jane Crawford, Judith Howle, Timothy Hoekman, and Millicent Scarlett. Charlotte Alston and Dominque-René de Lerma encouraged her growth as a musician and researcher. Randye's professional affiliations have included: Phi Beta Delta International Honor Society, the National Association of Negro Musicians, Society of American Music, Music Library Association, the Association of Black Women Historians, the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts, the Recording Academy, and the Washington Area Music Association.

http://randyejones.com/

The Blues Narrative – “Blues People, COVID19 & Civil Unrest” is a first-person account of the life and experiences of African Americans, Black Indians, Pan-Africanists (individuals and families), aka The Blues People, during this moment in history where there’s a global pandemic, quarantines, protests, and riots happening ALL AT THE SAME TIME and in real-time.

In this episode, I speak to Mr. Waltho Wallace Wesley, a  descendant from the Muskogee Creek and Seminole Nations. A Life long resident of Indian territory in present-day Oklahoma, and 'Black' Indian historian. 

on this premiere episode of Black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave Seculars series, David Evans ( tenured ethnomusicologist, folklorist, and Grammy Winner) and I discuss and listen to some of the songs from his 1966 recording of Reverand Rubin Lacy and Congregation. He gives us the story of the legendary Rube Lacy, which most enthusiasts and fans know from his days as a bluesman from the Mississippi and entire delta region.   Rev. Rubin Lacy - Vocals Mrs. Rubin Lacy - 2nd Vocals  David Evans - Guitar John Fahey - Guitar  Alan Wilson - Guitar Mr. & Mrs. Idella Booth - Vocals Mr. McCoy - Vocals Mrs. Johnson - Vocals  Congregation  Union Baptist Church of Ridgecrest, CA   

Recording produced by David Evan and John Fahey 

Purchase David's book here https://www.amazon.com/Big-Road-Blues-Tradition-Creativity/dp/0306803003  

If you want to sponsor content contact -  lamontjackpearley@jackdappabluesradio.tv denisepearley@jackdappabluesradio.tv

In this episode of jack Dappa Blues "The American Folklorist" I speak with American Cartoonist Joel Christian Gill. Joel shares with us his journey from painting to becoming a cartoonist, his role as a storyteller, his mission to encourage apathy, and the reasons and process behind his many comic novels.   Joel Christian Gill is an American cartoonist, educator, and author of a number of graphic novels from Fulcrum Publishing: Strange Fruit Vol I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, Bass Reeves: Tales of the Talented Tenth No.1, and Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 2, Strange Fruit Vol II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History, and one picture book "Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride" from Lion Forge. He has taught art Illustration and comics for a number of years serving as Chair of the Comic Arts and Foundations programs at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. In the Fall of 2019, he accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.  https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/joel-christian-gill/1900416/ List of Joel's Books Strange Fruit, Volume I: Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History Strange Fruit, Volume II: More Uncelebrated Narratives from Black History Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, no. 2 Fights: One Boy's Triumph Over Violence Tales of the Talented Tenth: Bass Reeves Colonial Comics: New England, 1620 - 1750 Robert Smalls: Tales of the Talented Tenth @jcg007 joelchristiangill.com

in this episode of the African American Folklorist, I speak with Newton Lilavois, who is the founder and senior writer for this amazing comic publishing company called Dream Fury Comics. Our conversation focuses on Crescent City Monsters, which is a graphic novel series from DREAM FURY COMICS publishing company. The story incorporates supernatural elements from different cultures. What we call Creole Magic. The story introduces us to a sorcerer named Jonas and explores what happens when his life is violently taken away from him by the monsters of New Orleans. Jonas is a young blues musician deep-seated in that New Orleans supernatural world. Someone from that supernatural world puts a bounty on his head that not only changes Jonas’ life, but also the course of the entire supernatural world. Jonas is pulled back from the dead and desperately needs to find out who put the bounty on him.   

https://dream-fury-comics.myshopify.com/ 

https://www.instagram.com/dreamfurycomics/?hl=en 

https://www.facebook.com/DreamFuryComics

In this episode of the Jack Dappa Blues Radio Podcast, I speak with Eric Freeman, also known as "The Blueridge Boy." Eric shares with us his journey learning and playing the blues, his humble beginnings in the Appalachia mountains, and his of real-life experienced Hobo Blues.  Eric is currently homeless, so we ask that any donations for this episode go to him @  PayPal blueridgeboy3@gmail.com or Venmo blueridgeericcountryblues@gmail.com  https://www.youtube.com/user/bunnyboyblue1  

If you are interested in sponsoring content and/or ad space in our newspaper The African American Folklorist, please contact - lamontjackpearley@jackdappabluesradio.tv denisepearley@jackdappabluesradio.tv

In this episode of The Jack Dappa Blues Radio Podcast, I speak to co-authors Dr. Tyler D. Parry and Dr. Chaz Yingling about their book in the works Slave Hounds, Abolition and The Americas. 40 pages of the book are currently available at https://academic.oup.com/past/article/246/1/69/5722095  

They also pinned another great article we discuss in the podcast, and the link is  https://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/05/dogs-bloodhounds-slavery-police-brutality-racism/  

Be sure to listen to the podcast and read the articles.  https://twitter.com/ProfTDParry  

Remember you can donate to the Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation here  paypal.me/LamontJack

In this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, I speak with Actor, Write Director David Crownson, who is the creator and writer of the Comic Book Harriet Tubman, Demon Slayer. David shares with us the inception of the comic, the need for a black woman heroine, the history and folklore of the storyline and the people who were positively affected by the comic series.  

https://peepgamecomix.com/product/harriet-tubman-demon-slayer-1/ 

dcrownson@yahoo.com 

https://www.facebook.com/Harriettubmandemonslayer  

https://jackdappabluesstore.online/ 

paypal.me/LamontJack

In this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, I speak with America's Folk and Blues Singer Veronika Jackson. She shares with us her journey of making her latest album, "The Woman I Am", and states that "In these trying times, encouragement and a good message always helps." Her message of making this record is - "This CD is meant to touch people's Heart! Men and Women and Children, To be able to listen to it and be encouraged ” - Veronika Jackson. Listen to my interview with her and enjoy the selection of songs off of the album that’s part of this broadcast!  http://veronikajackson.com/

@VeronikaJackson

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In this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, I speak with Joseph 'Mojo' Morganfield, the youngest son of Muddy Waters. 

BIO - 

Joseph Morganfield, Born April 14, 1964, in Chicago Illinois. Joseph is the youngest son of the World Famous Muddy Waters. Joseph began his career following in his fathers' footsteps. As a young boy, Joseph would travel and perform with his father growing up in the Blues. His brothers are also Blues performers Big Bill Morganfield, and Larry Morganfield. He attended Westmont High School, in Westmont Illinois. He was learning guitar from his father Muddy Waters, and his fathers' guitarist Bob Margolin. However, having won a basketball scholarship while studying communications at the University of Northern Iowa. Joseph put music temporarily behind him in favor of playing college basketball. Taking up his music once again in clubs and many other festivals around Chicago and the United States. Planing to preform in Europe soon. Joseph performed on stage with Grammy Award Winners -Don Was, Jamey Johnson, and Warren Haynes at The Chicago Theater - The Last Waltz. Also with his brother Big Bill Morganfield at the Chicago Blues Fest. In 2019 Mojo Opened for Bad Company featuring Paul Rogers, he also performed on stage at the Chicago Blues Festival with his Band The Mannish Boyz. He is an Ambassador, Supporter, and Promoter inductee in the Prestigious Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. Attending many public events on behalf of his father Muddy Waters, keeping the name and the blues legacy alive.

The Mannish Boyz Band -

• MEMBER(S):
Joseph Mojo Morganfield-Vocalist
Paul Handover-Harmonica
Chris Alexander-Drums
Rick Kreher-Guitar
Mike Flynn-Bass

Song List - 

I Can't Get No Grindin'

Mississippi Found Me

Let's Play Chess

Image by www.portraitsinblues.com

Booking Information: Tom Lounges

Tom Lounges Entertainment Tom@tomloungesentertainment.com Beatboss@aol.com (219) 781-9131

To sponsor programming contact lamontjackpearley@jackdappabluesradio.tv

To Donate paypal.me/LamontJack

Featured Folklorist

Wanda G Addison, PhD

In this episode I speak with February’s African American Folklorist of the month is Wanda G. Addison. Addison, an African American folklorist, and Professor of English sat on the board of the American Folklore Society, and through storytelling, social groups and community practices use her folklore experience for cultural sustainability and preservation of intangible cultural heritage. Coming from an English Literature background, on the road to her Ph.D., Addison took a Pro Seminar class in Folklore. One of her assignments focused on oral literature, specifically documenting the voice and story of women. This sparked a calling in her that led to a long and achieved trajectory of researching, documenting and teaching.

That experience gave her the purpose and passion to make sure women’s voices who went unheard, would be heard clearly, and directly from the source. Addison’s understanding of the process of the folklorist in regards to the approach taken when allowed into the world, culture and kinfolk traditions of a people are what separates her from many. The care and poise she possesses grants her the ability to receive the story of the folk, rather than interpret it based on preconceived notions. This attribute reflects Addison’s sincere drive to document and preserve the personal narrative of African American women, specifically over 50. In my interview with Addison, she explains her mission and why the story of women in that age group needs to have representation and preservation of their voice and story.

American Folklore Society 

Wanda Addison Twitter - @onesungirl

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On this episode, I speak to Gina Coleman, the frontwoman of the blues band Misty Blues! She shares with us their journey to the IBC finals, her love for playing the cigar box guitar, and how blues runs in the family!

Gina is a graduate of Williams College.  She began singing in 1990 on a dare by her co-workers and hasn’t turned back since.  She began performing in a duet, The Siblings.  Gina shortly started her own duet, Cole-Connection, which blossomed to a five-piece band that allowed her to showcase some of her original music.  Gina has performed in the Williamstown Theater Festival as the lead gospel singer in “A Raisin in the Sun.” She also made several appearances at NYC’s famed Bitter End.  Misty Blues was a featured group at Mass MoCa’s blues festival.  Gina and the band have had the pleasure of performing with Charles Neville from the legendary Neville Brothers at several venues in Western, MA and opening for blues staples ... Tab Benoit, John Primer, Albert Cummings, and Michel Powers.  Musical influences include Janis Joplin, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, and Tuck & Patti.

On this episode, I speak with James Bunch (Peetie Wheatstraws Grand Nephew) and his son - n - law about Bunch's agriculture initiative "Hip Hop Farmers." James, born July 1957 in a little place called cotton plant Arkansas, grew up on a farm picking cotton and turned his agricultural experience into a successful career. Farming and agriculture is a huge staple of African American heritage, tradition and folklore, Bunch is working to reconnect our youth and adults to an industry that would generate economies, jobs, healthy foods as well as bringing generations and traditional music together.

Their mission is:

“Setting a new standard in outreach by utilizing 21st-century technologies and social media targeting underserved inner-city and rural communities".

http://www.Twitter.com/HipHopFarmers

https://www.facebook.com/HipHopFarmers

Contact 

(901) 315-6008

bunchology@gmail.com

On this episode, I have the honor to speak with activist, publisher, teacher, entrepreneur, and Chicago historian Hermene Hartman.  She shares the beginnings of N'digo Print and walks us through to its current studio and television program! Hartman is a true historian, folklorist and she works tirelessly to platform Chicago the way it should be seen!

N'DIGO STUDIO is a new talk show, independently produced. It is Chicago-centric and features interviews with notables and newbies. Hermene Hartman and Shannon Peoples are the co-hosts.

N'DIGO STUDIO brings real talk with African American insights to the discussion. We will talk to the politicos, authors, and hot topics on current social issues, pop culture, and race and roundtable discussion. We will take deep dives in the art of conversation on topics that perhaps miss mainstream media.

Hermene Hartman has published NDIGO a weekly newspaper for 30 years, in print for 26 and now exclusively online and in email columns. Her media career began as a TV producer with CBS, working with the late Warner Saunders. She was a college professor in the Behavioral Sciences and an administrator at City Colleges. She released a contemporary history book, NDIGO LEGACY: BLACK LUXE 110 in 1997. It is an anthology of African American Chicagoans and includes the first profile on President Barack Obama. Hartman has been a pundit, a voice, on TV news shows to include WGN TV, Fox News, WTTW-TV and The O’Riley Show. Her comments have been provocative and insightful on Chicago's personalities, issues, political races, race and controversial issues of the day.

N'DIGO STUDIOS – Sizzle Reel - youtu.be/wlMF87aiAKo

What does Dolomite, Lawanda Page, Scatman Crothers, Sam Cooke Pee Wee Crayton, T- Bone Walker, Johnny Lee Hooker, Bill Brown, Clyde

McPhatter, Charlie White, and King Records have in common with Central Avenue? The answer is, John Dolphin and his owner-operated open 24/7 record shop rightfully named "Dolphin's of Hollywood." 

Bringing Hollywood to Central Avenue, John Dolphin cut records in the back of his store, then broke the record on his radio station that broadcasted in the front window of his store. John's efforts platformed black music and artists who wouldn't have had a chance to be heard on a large level. It also broke the color barriers as his record store had Black, White and Chicano patrons who partied together in and around the record store.

On this episode, I speak with Michael Dolphin, John Dolphin's son, and Jamelle Dolphin, John Dolphin's grandson and author of the book "Dolphin's of Hollywood" about the legacy and impact John Dolphin created and had on the music, record, radio and Black Business industry. 

You can also read my article, "Charting The Blues" which is a 9-page feature in Living Blues Magazine, that discusses how John changed the trajectory of the radio industry and pop charts.

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If you wish to sponsor content or underwriting for The African American Folklorist, contact lamontjackpearley@jackdappabluesradio.tv 

On this episode of The African American Folklorist, I share the story of the born free, African American Traditional Music Practitioner Elijah Cox, who was a fiddler, Buffalo soldier, and recorded in 1935 at the age of 93 for the Library of Congress Elijah Cox was also interviewed and recorded for the Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938, which now lives can be found of the Library Of Congress Website. 

As I share the story of Elijah, I make the case that he was and utilized the tools of the folklorist. 

Written, Produced and Edited by Lamont Jack Pearley - 

Credits for sound design & Music

Elijah Cox - Run up on The Mountain, Slavery Days, Can’t put the saddle on the ol great mule

Lamont Jack Pearley - Blues Journey  & Underground Slide

Excerpts from "Fife and Drum Music of the American Revolution: Military Music in America series, vol. 1," produced by the Company of Military Collectors & Historians, Washington, D.C. with George P. Carroll, Director of Music -- from about 1976.

(Improved audio from my earlier upload of this same.) https://www.underthehome.org Music Performer: Sturbridge Colonial Militia Music License Original Source: Sound Clip of Gunfire Original Source: Painting Title: Battle of Bunker Hill

ember 1941 (part 2 of 6)

Contributor Names -Lomax, Alan, 1915-2002 (Interviewer), Sturz, Elizabeth Lyttleton (Interviewer), Johnson, George (Interviewee), Jones, Lewis Wade, 1910-1979 (Interviewer) Johnson, Charles Spurgeon, 1893-1956 (Interviewer), Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Transcriber) Created / PublishedMound Bayou, Mississippi, 1941

Railroad Song, Contributor Names -Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Collector), Gibson, Gus (Performer) Created / PublishedGeorgia, 1941

Negro blues and hollers, Contributor Names,Stearns, Marshall Winslow, compiler. Lomax, Alan, 1915-2002, recordist. Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967, recordist. Jones, Lewis Wade, 1910-1979, recordist. House, Son, performer. Edwards, Honeyboy, performer. Martin, Fiddlin' Joe

The Boll Weevil, Contributor Names -Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Collector), Ezell, Buster (Performer) Created / PublishedGeorgia, 1941

Coon Gi'nt (Coon jive), Contributor Names -Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Collector), Stripling, Sidney (Performer)Created / PublishedGeorgia, 1941

Rock My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham, Contributor Names -Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Collector), Unidentified vocal quartet (Performer), Created / Published,Fort Valley, Georgia, 1941

John the Revelator, Contributor Names -Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Collector), Heavenly Gate Quartet (Performer), Created / PublishedNashville, Tennessee, 1941

If I Had My Way I'd Tear the Building Down, Contributor Names -Work, John W. (John Wesley), 1901-1967 (Collector), Heavenly Gate Quartet (Performer) Created / PublishedNashville, Tennessee, 1941

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This is part three, the last episode of the series of the Jack Dappa Blues Podcast Series in affiliation with Lonestar Blues & Heritage Festival about Henry Thomas, also known as Henry Ragtime Texas Thomas featuring our recurring guest The American Songster Dom Flemons.  

On this last installment, we discuss the blues of Henry Thomas, the similarities of his songs to what W.C. Handy expressed he heard the first time he experienced the blues and the rich history of African American Traditional Music that comes out Texas. 

Podcast also available on iHeart,iTunes, Apple Podcast, Radio Public, Spotify , Google Podcast and more!

Henry Thomas was one of the oldest black musicians who recorded 23 cuts on Vocalion Records between the years of 1927 - 1929. his music is a great opportunity to hear what African American Traditional music sounded like near the end of the 19th century. Henry Thomas’ body of music connects the roots of black music in Africa, from the nineteenth and twentieth-century African American folksong to the essence of the blues, as well as everything in between and thereafter.

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This episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio is part two of my discussion with scholar Tyler D. Parry, Assistant Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies Program and Book Review Editor: Black Perspectives, about his co-authored journal and the upcoming book titled ' Slavehounds and Abolition".  Dr. Parry gives great detail of the role of the bloodhound before, during, and after slavery.  He delves into the origins of the purpose this hybrid animal was created,  where they were trained and how it's been utilized for centuries as a weapon against the freedoms and lives of the "Blues People" on America.

FollowDr. Parry@ProfTDParry

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noncommercial use of Robert Johnson's 'Hellhounds on My Trail"

"I’ve got to keep moving, I’ve got to keep moving, blues falling down like hail, blues falling down like hail . . . And the days keeps on ’minding me, there’s a hellhound on my trail"

Artist
Robert Johnson
Album
Robert Johnson: Cross Road Blues
Writers
Robert Johnson
Licensed to YouTube by
Kontor New Media Music, SME (on behalf of 24 Blue Music); AMRA, LatinAutor, LatinAutor - PeerMusic, CMRRA, Concord Music Publishing, and 7 Music Rights Societies

On this episode, I speak to Dr. Tyler D. Parry, professor of African American and African Diaspora studies at UNLV, about his latest project "Jumping The Broom: A Multicultural History" based on his Zora Neale Hurston Prize award-winning paper, "Married in Slavery Time" in the Journal of Southern History. He's also written"The Holy Land of Matrimony," in American Studies (both available on my academia.edu webpage) should provide enough content for an interviewer. 

Professor Parry also is a Book Review Editor: Black Perspectives, andEditor of H-Afro-Am. 

Follow Tyler @ProfTDParry

This is part one of the Jack Dappa Blues Podcast Series in affiliation with Lonestar Blues & Heritage Festival about Henry Thomas, also known as Henry Ragtime Texas Thomas featuring our recurring guest The American Songster Dom Flemons.
On this episode, we delve into the evolution of African American Traditions Music from the theater to records. How it became popular to record records that spoke directly to the audience listening in their homes. We also speak of how the change in consciousness of African American musicians, composers and the like, sparked by an article in the Indianapolis Freedman Newspaper, reached across the nation even inspiring Henry Thomas to make revolutionary changes in lyrics that once used derogatory lyrics to describe African Americans and the Black Experience.  

A dynamic songster of the early years Having the Quill wrapped and hung around his neck, as he picks the guitar, HenryThomas' songs represent the oldest traditions of American black music ever recorded. Along with Blues and Ragtime, he played early minstrel songs, black spirituals, square dance tunes, hillbilly reels, waltzes, coon song, story songs, work calls, stomps and hollers and pop songs of the day. Henry Thomas was one of the oldest black musicians whoever recorded 23 cuts on Vocalion Records between the years of 1927 - 1929. his music is a great opportunity to hear what African American Traditional music sounded like near the end of the 19th century.

On this episode of the Jack Dappa Blues Podcast, I speak to Kentucky Music Historian Michael L Jones about The Jugband Jubilee Festival and his exhibit of Kentucky Music history. We also discuss the rise of jug band music, the inception of Kentucky. Michael shares how Kentucky is a riverboat location which culminated in the creation of music legends.  Michael shares rarely heard facts about Kentucky history.

Michael is an author and journalist who's research and writing reclaims the African American Traditions and music started popularized in Kentucky and traveled the world.

Links of Michael's work.

Celebrating the Sounds of Kentucky: https://fraziermuseum.org/exhibits/kentucky-music

Interview with Michael L Jones: https://www.wdrb.com/wdrb-in-the-morning/keith-kaiser-out-and-about/keith-tries-his-hand-at-jug-band-music/video_3daca768-b0c5-58c0-8f3f-fbfa9d3f4a36.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share

National Jug Band Jubilee: http://www.jugbandjubilee.com/

Wall Street Journal article about the Jubilee: http://www.jugbandjubilee.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/08022018074353-0001.pdf

Louisville Jug Music: https://www.amazon.com/Louisville-Jug-Music-McDonald-National-ebook/dp/B00XRSH6HC/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=louisville+jug+music&qid=1568752043&s=gateway&sr=8-1

article about me winning history award: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/south/2015/03/02/louisville-jug-music-book-earns-author-award/24271195/

Here is an article I wrote for the Oxford-American on the black roots of "Happy Birthday to You," which also comes from Louisville: https://www.oxfordamerican.org/magazine/item/1348-a-peculiar-composition

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This is part one of the Jack Dappa Blues Podcast Series in affiliation with Lonestar Blues & Heritage Festival about Henry Thomas, also known as Henry Ragtime Texas Thomas featuring our recurring guest The American Songster Dom Flemons.

On this episode we delve into the unique and wide musical range of Henry Thomas whos songs represent the oldest of the African American Traditional music. He also played a traditional African American instrument called the "Quill". The history and role of the A&R. Early recording industry methods, and the fact that Henry, as well as other early African American Songsters,  played songs of the plantation.  Henry Thomas was one of the oldest black musicians whoever recorded 23 cuts on Vocalion Records between the years of 1927 - 1929. his music is a great opportunity to hear what African American Traditional music sounded like near the end of the 19th century. And in this era, they are just introducing the world to folk music through records/Vinyl.

on this archive episode, I speak with Jorge Arèvalo Mateus about the Association For Cultural Equity, The Folklorist convention and the work of ethnomusicologists and folklorists! 

Jorge Arevalo Mateus, Ph.D.
Executive Director

The Association for Cultural Equity (ACE) was founded by Alan Lomax to explore and preserve the world's expressive traditions with humanistic commitment and scientific engagement. ACE was registered as a charitable organization in the State of New York in 1983, and is housed at New York City's Hunter College.

http://www.culturalequity.org/

If you enjoyed and learned something from my recent article in Blues FestivalGuide Magazine titled “Beyond The Green Book,” and Enjoyed the Robert Johnson Documentary on Netflix, then you’re in for a treat! Billy Jones Bluez, who I referenced in my article, in this rebroadcast of my WFDU Radio Program, gives his first hand account of blues people, traveling while black, his upbringing in a juke joint, the services his grandfather provided while running the bar, and his very own journey as a bluesman from Arkansas. He gives great detail of the boarding rooms his family rented out to Black folk, and the real focal point of any venue or bar. He also debunks the myth of Robert Johnson and many other stereotypes bluesman encounter. He also, in the middle of our conversation, pulls out his guitar and begins playing some real blues! With all of that, Billy shares the conditions of today’s blues scene, industry, political climate and how it’s different for black blues practitioners in comparison to white musicians who play the blues.

We find that in today’s world, and music industry, there is still segregation. 

Billy Jones Bluez

This blues bandleader, who sings and plays guitar and calls his music "bluez," began releasing his own compact discs in 2001. When Billy Jones substituted a "z" for an "s," he was not trying to make the name of his beloved genre closer to the way a drunken bar patron might pronounce it at the end of the night. Rather, "bluez" is all about being independent from the big-time music business, a stance more often taken by indie rockers. While in reality even the biggest blues labels are nothing but small independents, these firms still represent too big a clique for Jones, who prefers issuing material on his own Cyborg-Blue imprint.

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The Banjo is a very popular instrument, and it's popularity is currently growing rapidly. However, there's a convoluted and misconstrued history of this instrument. On today's episode of Jack Dappa Blues Podcast, I speak with Tony Thomas,  African American Banjo Scholar, about the history, origins and commercial explosion of the Banjo.

Along with Sule Greg Wilson and Cece Conway, Tony Thomas organized the 2005 Black Banjo Gatheringthat launched the contemporary Black Banjo revival.  

In 2013, “Why African Americans Put the Banjo Down,” Thomas’s contribution to Duke University Press’s Hidden in the Mix: The African American Presence in Country Musicbecame the first scholarly essay on the banjo by an African America to be published.  In 2018 his chapter, "Gus Cannon--'The Colored Champion Banjo Pugilist of the World' and the Big World of the Banjo," appeared in Banjo Roots and Branches, published by Duke University Press, the first scholarly anthology on the banjo. 

Tony Thomas’s “The Banjo and African American Musical Culture", published online in 2014 by African American National Biography, a joint project of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University and Oxford University Press. It follows Thomas’s earlier contributions to African American National Biography on African American fiddler Joe Thompson and on the legend of the 19th century banjo figure Picayune Butler. 

Thomas was one of the advisors to the Marc Fields PBS Film Give Me the Banjo in which he appears. He was also an adviser to and appears in Jim Carrier’s film The Librarian and the Banjo.

Tony Thomas has presented many times at the Banjo Collectors Gathering, the central banjo history event, and at banjo camps, and at other old-time music, folk, and blues events the United States and Europe.  He has also performed as a vocalist, banjoist, and guitarist as a solo artist for many years and with New York’s Ebony Hillbillies.

Tony Thomas was born in New York City in 1947, lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, and holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from Florida International University.  

Here are links to his writing and presentations - 

Why Black Banjo:
The Black Banjo List Serve 

Tony Thomas presentation to the Banjo Collectors Gathering 2015 

US Slave: About the Banjo

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On this episode of Jack Dappa Blues I speak with the American Songster Dom Flemons about how Blackface, Minstrelsy and African American Traditional Music morphed into America's top entertainment industry. In our discussion the true context of what became a stain on the image of Black folk is unpacked. 

Dom Flemons is known as “The American Songster” since his repertoire of music covers nearly 100 years of American folklore, ballads, and tunes. Flemons is a music scholar, historian, record collector and a multi-instrumentalist. He was recently nominated for a Grammy from his current album "The Black Cowboy" with Smithsonian Folkways.

The tile for this program may be offensive, but it's from a Minstrel written and composed by Ernest Hogan, the first African-American entertainer to produce and star in a Broadway show 

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Black Spirituals, Field Hollers and Slave Seculars

The African American Folklorist Podcast Series -

Charlotte Forten Grimke -

The First series of the African American Folklorist will be covering the works, journals, and lineage of Charlotte Forten Grimke. Documented as the first person to record Black Spirituals on her excursion to Sea Island in 1864, Charlotte, a teacher, anti-slavery activist, and poet comes from four generations of successful, free abolitionists African Americans. The series will raise awareness and discuss the people and experiences she's had during a turbulent time in America for Black people that shaped her views and propelled her to achieve many feats. Not taking away from her story, we delve into the achievements and mindset of her elder relatives that not only molded Charlotte but formulated the way free blacks and abolitionists attacked slavery with ferocity. From funding abolitionist publications to being major participants in the Underground Railroad system, The Forten family and their in-laws were trailblazers in the contributions to African American history, liberation and freedom. From what can be considered the home base of abolition, Philadelphia.

This is the description of the pilot episode.

This episode, Episode one, focus on the beginning of Charlotte's legacy, and the places and experiences that lead her grandfather, James Forten, to begin work and plant a seed that would harvest in Charlotte and the rest of the Forten family, and extended family.

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As Black History Month comes to an end, after the Grammy's are long gone and post his open letter about the miseducation and representation of the Blues category nomination process, I sit down in Time Square New York to speak with Chris Thomas King.  On this special 2 hour episode, CTK shares the misconception of the birthplace of the Blues, the proof of this misconception, history of Louisiana and the Creole culture, as well as addressing his open letter and the book titled “The Original Blues: The Emergence of the Blues in African American Vaudeville” by Lynn Abbott & Doug Seroff. 

He explains why his album"Hotel Voodoo"is definitely a Blues Album.

if you haven't read the article, click here

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on this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Podcast, I speak with Elizabeth Lynn Kilrain about her journey with Blues Dancing and her organization Blue Note SD who's mantra is:

"Dancing the Blues in San Diego!"

The mission of her organization is exploring, celebrating, and growing the blues dance community through musical immersion, classes, social dancing, and competition. 

We discuss how the music, culture, lifestyle and vernacular of the Blues People resonate with the feel of the Blues Dance.

https://bluenotesd.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_VS8hyyZK1V9xWjiC2hGnQ