TALENT PARTICIPANTS

The following individuals are some of the performers that we intend to feature in the documentary and soundtrack.

COREY HARRIS Musical Director and Narrator

“Too long pigeonholed and boxed in by adoring 

reactionaries, the blues has been waiting like a

left-behind bride for a worldly messenger like

Harris.” – Rolling Stone

Corey Harris is a guitarist, songwriter, and performer who is leading a contemporary revival of roots music with a fresh, modern hand. Over the last fourteen years, he has released nine celebrated albums on the Alligator, Rounder, and Telarc labels. He is widely acclaimed among artists, scholars and music lovers for the unique breadth of his style and his devotion to the study of roots music.

Corey has shared the stage with countless greats, including but not limited to B.B. King, Ben Harper, Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, the Dave Matthews Band, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Toumani Diabate, Keb Mo, Ali Farka Toure, and Angelique Kidjo. He was one of only twenty-five worldwide winners of the MacArthur Foundation's prestigious "Genius Grant" in 2007 and has received an Honorary Doctorate (2007) from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

TAJ MAHAL

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in both the blues and roots music. Though his blues career began more than four decades ago, he has broadened his artistic scope over the years to include music representing virtually every corner of the world – West Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Hawaiian islands and so much more. What ties it all together is his insatiable interest in musical discovery. Since the 1960s, Taj has headlined concerts and festivals around the world and has shared the stage with all of the greats. He is the recipient of two Grammy Awards and an inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame.

SHEMEKIA COPELAND

"Copeland sings it big and mean, armed with the conviction of heritage." -- Time Out New York

Only 32 years old, Shemekia is considered by many the present-day “Queen of the Blues.” The daughter of blues great Johnny Clyde Copeland, she released her first record on the Alligator label at the age of 19. Her second album release, WICKED, was nominated in 2000 for a Grammy.  Her powerful voice, dynamic stage presence, and unique musical sensibilities make Shemekia one of the most praised artists in the blues today.

GUY DAVIS

“Guy Davis has a power and authenticity 

which makes him sound as though he is in 

direct contact with the old masters.” 

- Sydney Morning Herald

He's a musician, composer, actor, director, and writer. But most importantly, Guy Davis is a bluesman.  The blues permeates every corner of Davis' creativity.  Throughout his career, he has dedicated himself to reviving the traditions of acoustic blues and bringing them to as many ears as possible. He is the son of the noted actors, directors, and activists Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

ALVIN YOUNGBLOOD HART

Hart is known as one of the world's foremost practitioners of country blues. His music

has been compared to a list of diverse

artists ranging from Leadbelly to Charlie Patton. Hart was featured in the 2003 Wim Wenders film, The Soul of a Man, which was part of the Martin Scorsese PBS series The Blues. In 2003, Hart's album Down in the Alley was nominated for a Grammy Award. And in 2005, Hart won a Grammy for his contribution to Beautiful Dreamer - The Songs of Stephen Foster.

PROJECT SYNOPSIS

People should hear the pure blues -- the blues we used to have

when we had no money.

- Muddy Waters

Born of Black southern culture and tradition, the Blues has come a long way since W.C. Handy first popularized it in 1903. It has provided the blueprint for nearly all Western popular music, including jazz, R&B, rock, funk, reggae, pop, disco, and hip-hop. Though a more commercial, rock-and-roll infused variant of the Blues was popularized between the 1960s and 1990s by artists such as Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Led Zepplin, and the Rolling Stones, in recent years the Blues, especially its more traditional expression, has experienced a decline in popularity. This decline has been especially pronounced among African-Americans, ironically, the very ethnic group that gave birth to the genre.

Nevertheless, American Blues will demonstrate that there are still significant musicians throughout the country that play and celebrate this music and that, through them, the culture of the Blues continues to nourish the soul and inform the spirit.

Beginning in his hometown of Richmond, Virginia, our host Corey will traverse the United States in his quest, capturing the lives, cultural experiences and musical genius of ten of the greatest living roots blues musicians. He’ll visit with elder greats as well as with some younger talents who represent the future of the genre. He will seek to answer seminal thematic questions:

• What is Blues culture?

• Why is the Blues relevant today?

• How are the roots of the Blues preserved and expressed by

contemporary practicioners? And,

• Why isn’t the Blues popular among African-Americans any more?

Corey’s journey will culminate in various commemorative performances around the country and in the recording of a collaborative soundtrack featuring all of the artists.