28
Jun
2005
The purpose of the RiverRoad Award (as the Mississippi Valley Blues Society [MVBS] "a river runs through it" guitar logo attests) is to honor those artists who have devoted their lives to bringing what we call "river" blues - music that runs deep with emotion, like a river of the soul - to anyone they meet on life's highways.
The MVBS Entertainment Committee chooses as recipients of the RiverRoad Award those bluesmen or blueswomen who might not be readily familiar to audiences because they have not been recorded as much as the "stars," but who are the true legends of the blues, the embodiments of the "living history" of the blues. As we lose so many of those first- and second-generation blues pioneers, it is important to honor those who are continuing the tradition.
Sterling Plumpp, Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Bandshell Stage
Sterling Plumpp was a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago until his retirement in December of 2001. He has won numerous awards, including the Carl Sandburg Literary Prize for poetry for his writing of "The Mojo Hands Call, I Must Go." He plans to gather research material for more writing projects and travel before returning to teaching part-time.
R.L. Burnside, Sunday, 3 p.m., Tent Stage
R.L. Burnside is a gifted musician from northwestern Mississippi and played with a band known as the Sound Machine. He was a longtime local favorite but didn't receive much national recognition until he was featured in a documentary film as one of its highlights. His CD Too Bad Jim has since been recognized as one of the more influential blues albums of the '90s. His son Daniel Burnside will be performing on the Tent Stage at 2 p.m. Saturday in his honor.
The MVBS Entertainment Committee chooses as recipients of the RiverRoad Award those bluesmen or blueswomen who might not be readily familiar to audiences because they have not been recorded as much as the "stars," but who are the true legends of the blues, the embodiments of the "living history" of the blues. As we lose so many of those first- and second-generation blues pioneers, it is important to honor those who are continuing the tradition.
Sterling Plumpp, Sunday, 7:30 p.m., Bandshell Stage
Sterling Plumpp was a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago until his retirement in December of 2001. He has won numerous awards, including the Carl Sandburg Literary Prize for poetry for his writing of "The Mojo Hands Call, I Must Go." He plans to gather research material for more writing projects and travel before returning to teaching part-time.
R.L. Burnside, Sunday, 3 p.m., Tent Stage
R.L. Burnside is a gifted musician from northwestern Mississippi and played with a band known as the Sound Machine. He was a longtime local favorite but didn't receive much national recognition until he was featured in a documentary film as one of its highlights. His CD Too Bad Jim has since been recognized as one of the more influential blues albums of the '90s. His son Daniel Burnside will be performing on the Tent Stage at 2 p.m. Saturday in his honor.
