2013 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients announced - Gil Anthony & Stan Street are Winners!

The BLUES Foundation Honors Blues Patrons from around the world at February Awards Ceremony

in Memphis

Honorees Include Key Movers

The Blues Foundation will honor 15 individuals and organizations with its 2013 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards during a recognition luncheon Friday, February 1, 2013, in Memphis, Tennessee. Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBA ceremony will be held in conjunction with the 29th International Blues Challenge (IBC), which begins January 29 and features the final rounds of the world’s largest and most prestigious blues music competition, as well as seminars, showcases, and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.

The KBAs are awarded on the basis of merit by a select panel of blues professionals to those working to actively promote and document the music.  "This year, the KBA Committee was thoroughly pleased with the quality of the nominees submitted for consideration,” notes committee chair Art Tipaldi, editor of Blues Revue. “The fifteen recipients represent an outstanding cross-section of blues boosters. We are pleased to honor these people and organizations as a tribute to the years each has given to supporting the blues."

The 2013 Keeping the Blues Alive Awards recipients are:

Affiliate – Colorado Blues Society

Art – Stan Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi (Formerly of Ft. Lauderdale, FL!)

Club – Boulder Outlook Hotel, Boulder, Colorado

Education – Nat Dove, Bakersfield, California

Festival: International – Festival International du Blues De Tremblant, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

Festival: U.S. – Mount Baker Rhythm And Blues Festival, Bellingham, Washington

Historical – Shelley Ritter, Clarksdale, Mississippi

International – Vicente Zumel, Barcelona, Spain

Journalism – Bob Margolin, High Point, North Carolina

Literature – I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Riesman, Chicago, Illinois

Manager – Marty Salzman, Chicago, Illinois

Print Media – Blues News, Oslo, Norway

Radio: Commercial – Gil Anthony, Dothan, Alabama (Covering the Florida Panhandle w/ BLUES POWER!)

Radio: Public, Scott Mullins, Baltimore, Maryland

Record Label – Telarc, Cleveland, Ohio

Tickets to the KBA ceremony are available online at www.blues.org or by calling 901.527.2583. The IBC weekend, commencing Tuesday, January 29, 2013, is sponsored in significant part by ArtsMemphis, Beale Street Merchants Association, Budweiser of Memphis, FedEx, First Tennessee Foundation, Gibson Guitars, Lee Oskar Harmonicas, Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau, Tennessee Arts Commission, and VividPix & Design.

The 2013 Keeping the Blues Alive Award recipients are:

Radio: Commercial – Gil Anthony, Dothan, Alabama
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Gil Anthony and his radio show Blues Power have contributed to keeping the blues alive in southern Alabama and northern Florida. In 1994, Blues Power initially aired as a two-hour program on stations in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. In 1996, Anthony moved the program to WXUS and expanded it to its present five-hour length. Today the show is hosted on WVVL and WWNT in Alabama and streamed as far away as Canada and Alaska on the internet. In addition to promoting festivals and shows, doing in-studio interviews, and acting as MC for festivals, a few years ago Anthony became involved with Blues in the Schools through educational planning for the Wiregrass Blues Festival, started with the intent to recognize area talent, such as Big Mama Thornton.

More on Gil Anthony at: http://www.dothaneagle.com/lifestyles/article_6439a8b6-6c85-11e2-a937-0019bb30f31a.html 

Art – Stan Street, Clarksdale, Mississippi

One visit to Stan Street’s Hambone Art Gallery in Clarksdale and it’s obvious that he deeply loves all aspects of the blues. Though he began his art career as a schooled drummer, as he traveled the blues festivals and honky-tonks of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, he gained a valuable artist’s perspective on the blues and its culture. For over a decade, that unique perspective has been featured as the poster artwork and T-shirt art for over 50 blues events in the U.S., Canada and Norway.  His gallery features many of those blues festival posters, blues artists’ portraits, Delta art prints, and blues folk art. His artwork is owned by Morgan Freeman, Robert Plant, and nearly every other visitor to his Hambone Gallery. Street’s goal is for his art to always have a primitive feel to it with movement and life.

Affiliate – Colorado Blues Society

The Colorado Blues Society was established in 1995. What sets this society apart is its incredibly active participation in many different programs. Its Blues in the Schools program was started in 1994 by 2012 KBA recipient Dan Treanor. Since its inception, Gary Allegretto, Billy Branch, Spencer Bohren, and Hawkeye Herman, all past KBA recipients in Education, have added their expertise and personalities to the program. To illustrate the growth, in 2009, the CBS visited 38 schools and reached approximately 7,400 students. In addition, CBS provide its members with a weekly blues update, publishes its newsletter, HOLLER, and is a partner in or sponsor for nine Colorado blues festivals, providing thousands of volunteers over the years for these activities.

Club – Boulder Outlook Hotel, Boulder, Colorado

The Boulder Outlook Hotel is an intimate, 120-seat room, which offers the finest blues talent to its customers. Brothers Dan and Pat King attend to every detail as they provide world-class blues. The hotel aspect makes it a place where bands can play and stay. These stopovers allow bands to use the hotel as a free headquarters as they re-group for the next leg of their tour. In recent years, the roster of talent that has played at the Outlook is a who’s who in the blues. In addition to national Blues Music Award-winning bands, it is also a venue that supports young, rising stars. Most importantly, the Outlook has held numerous fundraisers for local musicians, local food drives for the needy, and as a local base for the Blue Star Connection fundraising.

Education – Nat Dove, Bakersfield, California

Nat Dove has a long and successful career in music as a performer, composer, and in-demand sideman for some of the greats in music. However, in 1980, Dove also became a full-time music educator. In those 30 years, Dove has been teaching, writing books, and lecturing on African-American music and culture. The objective he adheres to in his mission is to inspire, motivate, and encourage the pursuit of young people’s dreams. Through the sharing of his musical gifts, Dove emphasizes the importance of education, teamwork, positive work ethic, and strong study habits as elements learned through blues music and history. Most importantly, Nat Dove acts as an inspirational figure to each generation he teaches.

Festival – International – Festival International du Blues De Tremblant, Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada

Nestled in a picturesque ski village in the Laurentian Mountains, two hours north of Montreal, this 10-day, free event features world-class blues talent mixed with Canadian musical treasures to suit every taste. Each year, over 150 shows over ten days feature the finest blues talent from Canada, the U.S. and the world.  There are two main stages at opposite ends of the Tremblant resort and many smaller stages throughout the pedestrian village. What is most impressive is the amount of families who are on vacation in the village and attend the daily shows.  After hours, the Festival hosts jams and smaller shows in a dozen clubs, all within walking distance of the many first class hotels. In 2013, this festival celebrates 20 years of excellence.

Festival: U.S. – Mount Baker Rhythm And Blues Festival, Bellingham, Washington

Since 1995, this festival has been a major stop in the northwest corner of Washington for world-class blues acts and adoring fans. For the first decade, the festival was held on a private Christmas tree farm. After ten years of growth, the festival moved to the 180 acre Deming Log Show Fairgrounds and instantly created the vibe that is still evident today. Nearly every major blues act, including Pinetop Perkins, Johnny Winter, Hubert Sumlin, Curtis Salgado, Janiva Magness, Magic Slim, Elvin Bishop and many, many others have excited these Northwest crowds. In addition to providing music to its community, the festival has also raised and donated over $70,000 to aid those in need in the community.

Historical – Shelley Ritter, Clarksdale, Mississippi

Shelley Ritter has been the executive director of the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale for nearly a decade. However, before that, Ms. Ritter was the first archivist with Elvis Presley Enterprises from 1990 to 1995, starting it from scratch. She also has been a volunteer with The Blues Foundation and the Center for Southern Folklore. In 1995, she moved from the Presley Enterprises to be a field services curator for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and remained there until 2003. There she was able to work with the Delta Blues Museum, the Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland,  both the Farish Street Museum and the Alamo Theater in Jackson, and the early stages of the B. B. King Museum in Indianola. Under her current leadership, the Delta Blues Museum has expanded its permanent collection as well as its physical space in 2012.

International – Vicente Zumel, Barcelona, Spain

Since Vicente Zumel discovered the blues 40 years ago, he has made it his life’s calling. He began as a performer in the early 1970s, establishing one of Spain’s first blues bands, the Ancora Blues Band. In 1981, he launched one of Spain’s first radio shows, La Hora del Blues, a weekly one-hour show. Today, it can be heard over the internet. He also brought the blues around Spain with the Harmonica Zúmel Blues Band. He was also a founding member and first president of Spain’s first blues society, the Barcelona Blues Society. As a journalist and critic, Zumel’s writings have appeared in Living Blues, Big City Blues, Il Blues, Real Blues, Blues Matters and many other international blues magazines. He has also contributed to the huge "Encyclopedia of the Blues" by Edward Komara. In his website, La Hora del Blues there can be found about 2,400 blues CDs reviews he has written in the last eight years. The Blues Archives at the University of Mississippi has a collection of his photographs and writings. In addition, he has been instrumental in bringing leading blues artists to Spain. With a guiding hand in all things blues, Vicente Zumel is exactly who the International KBA was meant to honor.

Journalism – Bob Margolin, High Point, North Carolina

Bob Margolin is known around the world as Muddy Waters’ guitarist from 1973 to 1980 and as a leader of his own band. However, since 1993, Bob has been a consistent contributor to Blues Revue. His column, Steady Rollin’, which has appeared in well over 100 issues, is one of the magazine’s most popular aspects. His columns offer a musician’s perspective on all areas of life from touring to recording to road friendships to passing along the blues. In addition to his BR work, Bob has been a contributor to Blues Wax and has written numerous liner notes, most notably on all the Muddy Waters CDs released on Legacy. Most recently, Bob has written his book, Steady Rollin’ – Blues Stories, Snapshots, (International) Blues Fiction. Over the years, Bob Margolin is a person who has lived the blues and can describe them in a narrative equal to the emotion of the music itself.

Literature – I Feel So Good: The Life and Times of Big Bill Broonzy by Bob Riesman, Chicago, Illinois

This is the acclaimed biography of a towering but often overlooked figure in blues history, Big Bill Broonzy. Meticulously researched and engagingly written, Bob Riesman’s book illuminates the significant contributions Broonzy made during his 30-year career as a singer, guitarist, songwriter and creative artist willing to speak out against racial injustice in his songs, interviews and writings.  I Feel So Good traces Broonzy’s ascent as one of the most prolific and popular blues stars of the 1930s and ‘40s, followed by his trailblazing tours of Europe in the 1950s, which played a crucial role in creating an international audience for the blues. By documenting Broonzy’s remarkably influential life, Riesman brings to the forefront the musician described by Eric Clapton as “a role model for me,” and the man summed up succinctly by Muddy Waters: “Mostly I try to be like him.”

Manager – Marty Salzman, Chicago, Illinois

Marty Salzman has a very impressive resume. He managed Buddy Guy from 1981 until 1992; he managed Junior Wells from 1981 until Wells’ death in 1998; and, along with Buddy, he opened Buddy Guy’s Legends club in 1989 and booked and managed the club for its first three years. For the past 21 years, he has managed Magic Slim and the Teardrops. As a manager and promoter, Salzman was the talent arm behind the first Brazilian Blues Festival and the Nescafe Blues Festivals which followed, bringing the blues to Brazil for over 15 years. His reputation for honest dealing, devotion to his artists, and positive energy is well known throughout the blues community.

Print Media – Blues News, Oslo, Norway

Blues News was founded in 1997 as an independent publication for the Norsk Blues Union. The magazine is published five times a year with a circulation of 10,000 to subscribers, stores and newsstands.  Today, it is one of the largest music magazines in Norway. It is distributed to all members of the Norsk Blues Union’s 60 clubs, societies, and festivals. In addition to features about Norwegian, Danish and Swedish blues events, the magazine covers blues happenings around the world. It’s not uncommon to find stories about journeys to events like the IBC and Blues Music Awards in Memphis, the Chicago Blues Festival, the Delta, and other blues locales. You can also find a section about the activities of Norwegian blues societies and clubs around the country, and an overview listing of blues bands from Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Radio: Public, Scott Mullins, Baltimore, Maryland

In May 2010, Scott Mullins took over as program director of Triple A format 89.7 WTMD in Baltimore, continuing his long record of increasing the on-air presence of the blues.  He began at WFPK in Louisville where he founded and hosted the Saturday Night Blues Party from 1986 to 2006. He also lobbied successfully for inclusion of blues as an integral part of WFPK’s sound when it changed to the then-new Triple A format in 1996. He then moved on to music director at 88.9 WYMS in Milwaukee where he incorporated blues into that station’s unique rock/urban hybrid format. Currently as program director at WTMD, he has enhanced the profile of blues music through increased airplay, live in-studio guests, and station-sponsored concert and event promotions. Mullins was co-founder of the Kentuckiana Blues Society in 1987; co-founder of the Garvin Gate Blues Festival in 1988; produced the Louisville Blues Compilation LP in the early 1990s and the Santa is a Bluesman series of CDs.

Record Label – Telarc, Cleveland, Ohio

Originally founded in 1977 as a classical music label, Telarc, a division of Concord Music Group, established a blues imprint in 1993 and, after only three years, scored two GRAMMY^® nominations for recordings by Junior Wells and the Muddy Waters Tribute Band. Since then, Tab Benoit, Shemekia Copeland, Otis Taylor, Moreland & Arbuckle, Charlie Musselwhite, Maria Muldaur, James Cotton and many others have been part of the company’s outstanding blues history. In 2010, Telarc released Joined at the Hip, the last recording by Pinetop Perkins and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith, which won a GRAMMY^® for Best Traditional Blues Album and a 2011 Blues Music Award as Traditional Album of the Year.

Media sponsors include Beale Street Caravan, Big City Rhythm and Blues, Blues Festival Guide, Blues Revue, Downtowner, House of Blues Radio Hour, Living Blues, Memphis Flyer, Music on the Couch, and Sirius XM Satellite Radio's B.B. King’s Bluesville.

The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renowned as THE organization dedicated to preserving our blues music history, celebrating recording and performance excellence, supporting blues education, and ensuring the future of this uniquely American art form. Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation has 4,500 individual members and 200 affiliated local blues societies representing another 50,000 fans and professionals around the world. Its signature honors and events--the Blues Music Awards, Blues Hall of Fame, International Blues Challenge, and Keeping the Blues Alive Awards--make it the international center of blues music. Its HART Fund provides the blues community with medical assistance, while its Sound Healthcare program offers musicians health insurance access. Blues in the Schools programs and Generation Blues scholarships expose new generations to blues music. Throughout the year, the Foundation staff serves the worldwide blues community with answers, contact information, and news.