Each year the Blues Festival Guide Congratulates the recipient of the keeping the blues alive award for best blues society
KBA Recipient
201
1
Blues Foundation’s Blues Society of the Year
BILLTOWN BLUES ASSOCIATION By Bonnie Tallman Once upon a time, 22 years ago, six blues aficionados met in Williamsport, PA. Igniting this conversation was the convergence of three separate blues-related activities creating talk about town. One: A local bar was actively providing performance opportunities for touring blues bands and area startups. Two: A local independent record shop was maintaining a stellar inventory of blues vinyl. Three: A local blues fan-turned-DJ bought two hours of radio air time each week to play the blues on commercial radio. Each function supported the other. The six decided: “Let’s share this with the community and have a blues festival!” $300 was offered as seed money and the first Billtown Blues Festival occurred in June 1990. What
was expected to be a deficit ended up to be a profit thanks to the artists who offered reduced fees and many community contributors. It was then decided to form a blues society and use the first festival profits (less than $100) as seed money. Since then, the organization has produced several events each year ranging from 21 outdoor festivals to intimate songwriting showcases and everything in between. Instrumental to the successful birth of the Billtown Blues Festival, and the organization itself, was the Blues Foundation in Memphis. A couple years prior to that first “Billtown” meeting, two of the original six members attended what was then called the W.C. Handy Awards. Workshops were given on how to start a blues festival, how to start a blues society, and how to get blues on the radio. Information gathered from these workshops provided a blueprint and valuable connections with experienced blues industry people around the country. As a result, the Billtown Blues Association was immediately part of a national blues family all focused on the same mission – “Keeping the blues alive.” www.billtownblues.org
BBA Officers and Board members L-R (Bottom row): Bill Wilson; (Middle:) Dave Krempasky, Cathy Calvert, Lori Butler, Tom Butler, Bernie Strosser; (Top): Bonnie Tallman, Dave Thompson, Bill Van Campen, Charlie Lockard (not pictured are Pete Davenport and Gayle Whitsell) Photo by Tom Butler
56
Blues Festival Guide 2011