Reverend Robert Jones at the Hauberg Estate -- April 16.
Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.
Hauberg Estate, 1300 24th Street, Rock Island IL
A deeply inspirational singer/songwriter, storyteller, and self-taught, award-winning multi-instrumentalist, blues legend Reverend Robert Jones headlines a special April 16 concert event presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society, his engagement at Rock Island's Hauberg Estate celebrating the beauty, history, and unifying power of our shared cultural heritage by drawing from the wellsprings of folk, blues, spirituals, and beyond.
Hailing from Detroit, and an artist whose deep love for traditional African-American and American music is clear in both his vocals and instrumentals, Jones has dedicated his career to celebrating the history, humor, and power of roots and blues music. For more than 30 years, Jones has interwoven timeless stories with original and traditional songs, entertaining and educating audiences of all ages in schools, colleges, libraries, union halls, prisons, churches, and civil-rights organizations. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that should celebrate, not just tolerate.
A consistent touring presence throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, Jones is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist, equally accomplished on the guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. He has recorded six albums of original and traditional songs, and is the former host of such radio programs as Blues from the Lowlands and Deep River, both broadcast on Detroit Public Radio's WDET-FM. Beyond teaching music-history courses at Detroit's Wayne State University, Jones is an ordained minister and a Baptist pastor, and has an unwavering faith in the cultural importance of sacred and traditional American roots and blues music.
In addition to his solo performances, he often collaborates musically with his wife, Sister Bernice Jones, singer/songwriter Matt Matroba, and poet/performer M.L. Liebler. And acclaimed photographer James Fraher had this to write about the artist: “Perhaps the world's most highly educated blues musician, an ordained minister, a longtime DJ, and a living encyclopedia of blues history, the Reverend Robert Jones is comfortable among juke-joint loud talkers, fancy-hatted church ladies, and PhDs alike.”
Reverend Robert Jones performs his Mississippi Valley Blues Society concert at Rock Island's Hauberg Estate on April 16, and admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is free, though donations are encouraged and greatly appreciated. For more information, call (563)322-5837 and visit MVBS.org.
