BLACK HISTORY MONTH BLUES HERITAGE CELEBRATION

FEBRUARY 19TH  2020

 HISTORICAL DAISY THEATRE - BEALE STREET - MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE

The Jus’ Blues Music Foundation’s BLUES-GOT-A-SOUL PROGRAM featured a Black History Month presentation for over 100 students from the Shelby County Tenn. school system.

BGAS Director Dr Johnny Jones opened the day long event and introduced Allen Johnston , Music Specialist, who gave a multimedia presentation on the history of Beale Street.
Songstress Toni Green talked about the life and legacy of Memphis Minnie and the lasting effects she had on Blues and musicians and untold guitar players.  Toni also brought a male & female student to the stage allowing them to show their vocal abilities.

Next was historian, educator and Grammy Award winning Blues man Bobby Rush.  He told several stories of his past and entertained the audience with harmonica infused songs.
During the lunch break Theodis Ealey, a modern-day Mississippi Blues man, entertained the audience and Bobby Rush joined him for an impromptu Blues jam session.

Director of Operations at the B.B. King Museum, Robert Terrell, followed lunch with the real history of how B.B. King came to Beale Street. Highlighting him from his poor beginnings through his escape to Memphis, to his working at WDIA radio.

Damion “Yella P” Pearson closed out the Black History session with the history of the Blues “Harpo .  His renditions of Pop, Blues and Hip-Hop songs incorporating today’s technology had the audience captivated.

​The main theme of “YOU CAN BE WHOEVER YOU WANT TO BE IF YOU FOLLOW YOUR DREAM AND BE CONSISTENT was well represented.