Summati n Weekly
USPS Publication Number 16300
THE
T h i s C o m mu n i t y N ew s p a p er is a publication of Escambia/Santa Rosa Bar Association
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 15, No. 50
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
December 9, 2015
1 Section, 8 Pages
Return of The King By Dawn Gresko Chris Thomas King, known as CTK or the King of 21st Century Blues, is a Louisiana-based blues musician and actor who gained recognition for his roles in O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Ray. He has sold over 10 million records in the US and his music has won “Album of the Year” at the Grammy and Country Music awards. Don’t miss CTK, who will be joining the Downtown Crowd at Vinyl Music Hall with bass player Danny Insante and drummer Jeff Mills, at the Christmas Show on Dec. 12. What was it like to be the son of legendary blues musician, “Rockin’” Tabby Thomas? I was steeped in the culture of blues because of my dad. I probably wouldn’t be playing music today if my dad had not opened Tabby’s Blue Box, his blues club or juke joint, when I was still a young teenager in 1979. However, once I did forge a career playing the guitar and performing the blues early on in my formative years, it was a little frustrating to be known as Tabby’s son. It took awhile to find a way out of his shadow. Tabby’s Blue Box in Baton Rouge attracted blues lovers from around the world. Were there any performers you saw there who influenced your music? I played there every weekend for about ten years straight. My influences were all of the older Louisiana blues musicians who played together and hung out often at the Blue Box, which was really like the blues “social club” of
By Josh Newby Seeking only a better community and greater opportunity for all, the individuals and organizations who have given selflessly in West Florida have pushed this community through hurdles and challenges and on to better tomorrows. Much of what we take for granted in Pensacola, from educational programs to initiatives for the less fortunate, would not be possible without a select few who give so much. Once a year, they receive just a fraction of the recognition they deserve on National Philanthropy Day, hosted locally by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Founded in 1960, the AFP is the professional association of individuals responsible for generating philanthropic support for a wide variety of nonprofit, charitable organizations. Their membership reads like a who’swho of far-reaching, perpetual impact. Manna Food Bank feeds the hungry; Pensacola State College, the University of West Florida and Northwest Florida State
Louisiana. There was Silas Hogan, Vance “Guitar” Kelly, Moses “Whispering” Smith, and Henry Gray. Gray was a huge influence of mine; he’s a piano man who’s still making the piano do what it do. When did you become interested in music? I had access to instruments at a very young age; we had B3 organs and guitars, basically all the band instruments would be stored at our home for when the players rehearsed. The first instrument I was introduced to was the trumpet when I was around 8 years old. My uncle, who was a player for the Southern University Marching Band, taught me how to play and read music for it. Later I experimented with different instruments like the drums and piano, but guitar ended up being the instrument that felt very comfortable. I slept with it, and it became an extension of me at a very young age. When did you start performing professionally? By the time I was 12 I was a professional musician; professional in the sense that people start paying you to perform. But I was taken out on gigs with older musicians as early as 9 years old. Those experiences gave me a unique perspective on the blues and its culture that I think very few people in America have; it’s that unique perspective I bring to my recordings, albums and songwriting rather than someone who’s coming at it from an academic point of view. What literature on the blues sticks out in your mind right now? When I started reading about blues
in literature, I was shocked because it was nothing like my experiences and nothing like what happened during the 25 years my family ran a juke joint. I can tell you a lot of the literature on the blues shouldn’t be taken too seriously. However, there’s a book by MaryBeth Hamilton called In Search of the Blues and hers is one of the first books that really focused on how interlopers, or outsiders, romanticized the myth around blues music and its culture. Her book is important because it calls into question the idea that blues is somehow connected to slavery and that it originated in Mississippi. What I tell people is the blues came from Louisiana and it has nothing to do with slavery or work songs. You’ve played in several documentaries and movies. What led you to acting? I was looking into scoring movies but not necessarily getting in front of the camera. Long story short, an acting director contacted my manager after hearing my interviews on NPR in Philadelphia and asked if I would do a screen test. Once I did O Brother Where Art Thou? and it became a huge success that led to other opportunities. From there it was a natural progression to Ray and portraying another blues musician, Lowell Fulson. Acting is a beautiful experience, but it doesn’t give the same reward, not the same immediacy, as you get when you’re performing music for a live audience. Anything in the works now that you’d like to mention? I’ve been working on a new album for two years that I wanted to get
out by Christmas, but it should be out next year. It’s taking so long because it’s not something I put together lightly. I’ve been writing a book, which should see the light of day sometime next year, too. It’s a memoir that’s also going to argue the history of jazz and blues is too steeped in outdated, 19th-century Victorian thinking. I’ve gained a lot of respect for writers because it’s not an easy process. I also have two movies in the works; I’ll be playing the lead character in a film about a blues musician, and I’ll be doing scoring for a supernatural movie. What can we expect at your Christmas Show here on Dec. 12?
Philanthropic Pensacola
College provide quality educational opportunities with accessible, affordable tuition; the Foundation for Excellence in Education provides an extra margin of support for the Escambia K-12 schools; Baptist Health Care heals the sick; the Ronald McDonald House provides temporary housing for families of critically ill children; the Pensacola Opera and Pensacola Museum of Art provide quality cultural events; and the United Way of Escambia County provides support for many non-profit agencies in the Pensacola area. As Pensacola has grown, so has the need for these organizations and others like them, and as the need has grown, so has the recognition for those willing and able to step up and shoulder the burden. The AFP has gone from giving out just two awards a few years ago to six in 2015. These include awards for individuals and organization, initiatives and foundations. The Levin Family was named Philanthropist of the Year, an award that recognizes an individual or family for exceptional generosity and
civic responsibility demonstrated by significant financial contributions to charitable organizations in the community. Fred and sisterin-law Teri Levin have donated literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money to nonprofit organizations and advocacy initiatives in Northwest Florida in their lifetime. The YMCA, Gulf Coast Kids House and more would simply not exist without them. Few have changed the fabric of this community so positively as the Levins, and for that they were honored as Philanthropists of the Year. Cox Communications was named Philanthropic Business of the Year, an award that recognizes a corporation or business for its philanthropic impact in the community through direct and indirect support of charitable projects. Leaders in this entity must demonstrate a high level of community spirit and participation, motivating employees and colleagues to support charitable activity. Cox recently gave $300,000 to the YMCA of Northwest Florida and regularly contributes to the University of West Florida and Gallery Night to keep the vibrancy and education of Pensacola intact. A national organization that believes in helping the communities it serves, Cox stays engaged in local issues and often recognizes others for their contributions to the city. The Gulf Power Transformers was named Philanthropic Service Organization of the Year, an award that recognizes a community-based organization whose grant programs, donations and charitable activities significantly enrich the
community. The recipient provides visible leadership and incentive for others to pursue philanthropic activity that serves many segments of the community. Each year the employee-driven Gulf Power Transformers contributes donations and volunteer hours to aid many charitable and community projects throughout Northwest Florida, including an annual campaign for United Way, local Ronald McDonald House fundraising events, collecting and delivering children’s gifts at Christmas to low income families, supporting military initiatives and more. D.W. McMillan Foundation and Switzer Brothers Charitable Foundation both received the award for Outstanding Charitable Foundation award. This award recognizes a foundation whose grant programs reflect an understanding of community needs and support local not-for-profits in clear and powerful ways. The Outstanding Charitable Foundation of the Year reflects leadership in giving and problem solving opportunities. The D.W. McMillan Foundation is an offshoot of the memorial hospital in Brewton, Ala. and has donated more than $40 million in the past 20 years and was pivotal in launching the UWF Nursing Center’s Simulation Learning Center Birthing Suite. “After learning about all the community-based philanthropic projects that the D.W. McMillan Trust and Foundation supports, I realize how far their work reaches into Pensacola’s growth and development,” said prior winner Quint Studer. “Their generosity has helped hundreds of agencies continue to carry out their respective missions and make our community a better place to live. They do it for all the right reasons.” The Switzer Brothers Charitable Foundation is an independent foundation established in 1999. Giving primarily in Pensacola,
The audience will get the quintessential CTK experience. I’d say don’t expect a bunch of Christmas tunes. We have some new songs we’ll play along with all the favorites. You’ve frequented Pensacola often. Are you excited to return to the stage at Vinyl Music Hall? I’ve been playing at Vinyl at least two times a year for the past four or five years. It’s one of the places the band and I look forward to coming back to because the audience is so used to hearing a diverse selection of music. The audience knows all the musical language, so I don’t lose them if I do a little rap tune, get a little country, or crank up my amplifier and rock out.
their stated fields of interest include museums, art, scholarships, financial support and at risk children for independence. Since inception, the Switzer Brothers Charitable Foundation has contributed thousands to area nonprofits including gifts to scholarships, PACE Center, YMCA, Arc Gateway, Favor House and many others too numerous to list. “Our area is so very fortunate to have the individuals in these families with the vision and financial commitment to help others,” said Dr. Ed Meadows, president of Pensacola State College. DeeDee Davis was named Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser, presented to an individual with a proven track record of ongoing, significant commitment to fundraising for one or more organizations. Davis is a wellknown city socialite, facilitating and attending a range of fundraising functions and working with the Council on Aging and other organizations. Martha Lee Blodgett was recognized as Outstanding Fundraising Professional, an award designed for an outstanding individual fundraising professional who practices his/her profession in an exemplary manner. Blodgett serves as the associate vice president for UWF Advancement and in her role has founded the UWF Student Ambassador program, led the Alumni Organization through its first reorganization and even securing the major gift in 2007 that made UWF an all-Steinway school. If this is your first time hearing some of these names, you are not alone. They fly under the radar, often make anonymous contributions and seek to improve the region quietly behind the scenes. Their works speak for them, however, and now their awards do, too. Pensacola is better because of them, and though you may not realize it, so are you.