USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C om mu n it y Ne w sp ap er is a publ ic at ion of Es c a mbi a-S a nt a R os a B a r A ss o c i at ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icia l Ci rcu it Section A, Page 1
Vol. 22, No. 31
V isit T he S ummation W eekly O nline : SummationWeekly.com
August 3, 2022
1 Section, 8 Pages
BRINGING THE BLUES
BLUES SOCIET Y OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA TO HOST REGIONAL BLUES COMPETITION by Darien Hardy
T
he annual Regional Blues Challenge is returning to Seville Quarter in Pensacola on August 20, where top Blues musicians from across the region will perform for the chance to represent the Blues Society of Northwest Florida (NWFL) at the International Blues Challenge on January 23, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Hosted annually by The the Foundation “preserves Blues Society of NWFL, Blues heritage, celebrates this regional Blues competi- Blues recording and perfortion consists of 14 to 15 acts, mance, expands worldwide where musicians perform awareness of the Blues as part of a band, a duo or and ensures the future of a solo act for their chance the uniquely American art to advance to the interna- form.” Today, The Blues tional level. The Blues Soci- Foundation has roughly 180 ety of NWFL will select affiliate societies across the winning musicians from globe, with the Blues Socieach performance category ety of NWFL being the only to go on to compete in the society located within the International Blues Compe- Northwest Florida corridor. tition, hosted annually by The earliest off icial The Blues Foundation. record of the Blues SociEstablished in 1983, ety of NWFL dates back The Blues Foundation is to 1998, when the artia nonprof it organization cles of incorporation were based out of Memphis. f irst f iled. There was, Since its establishment, however, an earlier formaThe Blues Foundation has tion a few years before the dedicated itself to keeping society became an off ithe art of blues music alive, cial nonprofit corporation. with annual events such According to Scott Riggs, as the International Blues the current President of the Challenge, the Blues Music Blues Society of NWFL, the Awards and the Keeping original document stated, the Blues Alive awards. “The specific purpose for Per its mission statement, which the corporation is
organized is to promote and support blues music in its historic and modern forms through events, publications and education.”
The jam helps to give newer musicians live stage experience and helps them to learn the ropes of the Blues.” Over the years, the Society has changed leadership, with Mike Bounds taking over as president in 2000. In 2004, Sam Richardson helped the Society launch its popular Monday Night Blues program, which is held weekly and serves as the longest running Blues jam in Florida. Today, the Blues Society of NWFL continues to host its Monday Night Blues jam sessions each week at Seville Quarter. In 2019, Bounds off icially passed the torch on to Riggs and vice president Lee Maskery, who, with the help of multiple legacy donors, got the Society back to its full 501c3 nonprofit status. Today, the Society’s primary goal remains to keep the Blues alive in Pensacola through their
Monday Night Blues jams. For each Monday Night Blues session, the Society brings in international, national, regional and local blues musicians to perform before beginning the weekly jam session. “The jam helps to give newer musicians live stage experience and helps them to learn the ropes of the Blues,” Riggs explained. Riggs and the Society’s Board of Directors, use specif ic guidelines provided by The Blues Foundation to organize and conduct the official judging for each of the acts competing in the Regional Blues Challenge. For the challenge, each act will be allotted 25 minutes to perform their set, and going over this time limit will result in a loss of points. Each act will be judged on blues content, originality, vocals, instrumental talent and stage presence. There will be a timekeeper and three judges awarding points for each act. The two acts that earn the highest composite score will then advance to the International Blues Competition and are guaranteed a spot in the quarterfinals, which are held on Beale Street in downtown Memphis. Riggs also explained that The Blues Society of NWFL would like to begin working with more of the younger musicians in the local community. During
the main competition each year, the International Blues Competition also hosts a special Youth Challenge. The Society is looking to start a separate Regional Blues Challenge for young musicians to represent them in the Youth Challenge each year. Riggs said that this challenge would serve as a separate competition from the Regional Blues Challenge on August 20. The official date for the Youth Blues Challenge is expected to be announced at a later date. Musicians interested in performing in the upcoming Regional Blues Challenge have until August 13 to sign up and should either message the Society on their Facebook page, or speak with Riggs directly during one of the Monday Night Blues jam sessions. The Blues Society of NWFL’s 2022 Regional Blues Challenge will be held August 20 from 3 pm to 9 pm at Lili Marlene’s inside Seville Quar ter at 130 East Government St. in downtown Pensacola. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on the upcoming Regional Blues Challenge or the Blues Society of NWFL, visit the @BluesSocietyNWFL Facebook page. •
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