Check out the feature story on Blues Quest in the Kansas City Star!About BLUES QUESTBlues Quest is a living history of the origins of American music told in the voice of one musician at a time. Its objective is to inspire as many people as possible with this rich musical heritage, preserve it; and through this unique radio experience, make public radio stations more valuable to their communities. Blues Quest devotes each one-hour episode to one blues-based artist. The artists tell their stories in their words, and it's all immersed in music, including their musical influences. Our home base is Kansas City, which has a rich tradition of blues and jazz. Kansas City piano legend Jay McShann called Kansas City the “capitol of the blues” during the 1930s and 1940s. It remains a vibrant music Mecca with a large number of venues, clubs, and festivals. Blues Quest features a wide variety of artists and music, from B.B. King to the acoustic Delta blues of “Honeyboy” Edwards, the jazz, swing and country of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the Texas roadhouse honky-tonk of Delbert McClinton, the Zydeco of Terrance Simien and Rosie Ledet, the roots rock of John Hiatt and modern-day artists like Susan Tedeschi, Joe Bonamassa and Jonny Lang. Some, like the late harmonica great George "Wild Child" Butler, learned the blues while picking cotton, others, like Toronto blues/rock guitarist Anthony Gomes, get hooked the first time they hear a blues record. Most people who discover the blues begin a backward journey into the historical influences to fully appreciate and understand it. Many artists cite B.B. King as an influence, who was inspired by T-Bone Walker, Charlie Christian and Lonnie Johnson. Muddy Waters was Buddy Guy's mentor. For many, Robert Johnson is the wellspring. The late songwriter and bassist Willie Dixon described it best, "The blues is the roots; everything else is the fruits." Our goal is to showcase as many performers as we can. As Taj Mahal says, for every blues musician you’ve heard about, there are a hundred more you may never know. Sadly, we are losing older musicians who devoted their lives to this music and contributed so much to its legacy. Through Blues Quest we’ve been fortunate enough to interview some who have passed like Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Tyrone Davis, George “Wild Child” Butler, Cootie Stark, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Johnnie Johnson, Jay McShann, R.L. Burnside and Little Milton. We intend to interview as many blues-based musicians as possible while they're still with us, so we can celebrate their music, share their stories and insights, preserve this American musical heritage and enrich the lives of our listeners. Blues Quest is made possible in large part by our visionary radio stations. Please support our stations and let them know you appreciate hearing Blues Quest.Please check out our web advertisers. When you buy their music, art and other items and services, you can feel good knowing you’re supporting this ongoing living history project. We sign off each Blues Quest show by saying, “Thanks for keeping the blues alive,” and we mean it. We know our many fans buy CDs, and attend concerts, festivals and clubs, providing the main source of revenue to keep the genre alive. Most blues musicians get little, if any, radio play. We’re trying to change that by not just playing their latest song, but giving you a documentary of their life and career, a deeper understanding and appreciation of this original American music and its evolution. We hope you’ll support us in this great experience.
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© 2007 Crush Run
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