Sigma Alpha Iota

SAI-NATIONAL.ORG SUMMER 2015 PAN PIPES 15 MEMPHIS MUSIC including the all-day finals. Late morning through early evening is filled with activities for anyone and everyone, including music showcase performances, a health fair, a book signing, financial sessions for musicians, educational programs in local schools, and merchandise and CD sales. For those who want to take a break from the IBC but still want to soak up the musical history of Memphis, there is plenty to do in walking distance and within a short drive from Beale Street. Just around the corner on ird Street is the Gibson guitar factory where you can take a tour to see the process that goes into making custom acoustic and semi-hollow guitars. e Rock and Soul Museum is across the street, where you can track the progression of American popular music. ere you can even learn about one of the radio stations in the early days of rock and roll with all female DJs. From there, you can take a free shuttle during the day that will take you to Graceland and the famous Sun Studios. Other places of musical interest include the Stax Museum, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, the Saint Blues Guitar Workshop, the Center for Southern Folklore, the Blues Hall of Fame opening in May 2015, and the W.C. Handy Home & Museum. e showcase sessions each day provide an additional chance to hear music from specific groups of musicians and allow the opportunity for networking. e International Showcase featured blues musicians from seemingly unlikely places around the world, including the Philippines, Israel, Columbia, Finland, and Australia among others. e Travellin' Brothers, a band from the Basque region of Spain, sat at the table next to us on the second day of quarter-finals. In their interactions with new fans and other competitors, they relayed that they were thrilled just to be in the U.S. soaking up American music, gaining new fans, and performing at the IBC. ree international bands ended up in the finals. By chance, I learned about the Women in Blues (WiB) Showcase that would be held on Friday aernoon. When my original plans changed that day, I was able to attend part of the forum. ere were significantly fewer women competing at the IBC. However, at the showcase I found that there is, of course, a large group of immensely talented female blues musicians. One woman named Redd Velvet recounted the roots of blues and gospel music through storytelling and song, explaining several elements of the music and why certain blues licks or musical phrases might evoke certain emotions in us when we hear them. ey are also a creative group. It was interesting to hear some of their subject matter in contrast to male musicians. One song was titled Shoes. Another was called "Why Do I Sing the Blues?" ("I'm still paying my dues," with verses referring to the Garden of Eden, witch hunts, civil rights, and equal pay.) One woman sang a song called "Addiction," about a mother's perspective on a child's troubles. And one woman whose husband is in the military wrote a song for the female military personnel called "My Momma Wears Combat Boots." Women In Blues can be found on Facebook and Twitter. Friday aernoon, I also had an unexpected opportunity to meet and learn more about Betty Fox, one of the musicians from the Sun Coast Blues Society in Florida, whose band was in the competition. While waiting for the shuttle from the hotel where I had parked, one of the local radio stations interviewed several of the musicians competing that week. Betty was one of those interviewed. She graciously sat down with me for a few minutes aer the interview. As in other styles of music, Betty is a great example that there is no stereotypical look for a talented blues musician. Small and young with blond hair, one might not suspect that she can pull out the sound and emotion of the blues, but she fills the stage with her presence and holds your attention when she starts to sing. She first started singing gospel music as a child – her family had a gospel quartet – and she later made the transition to blues music. In St. Petersburg, there is a block of venues that promotes the blues once a week, providing many opportunities for blues performance, and a local radio station also Above, the Kingdom Brothers, 2015 IBC semi-finalists. At right, Betty Fox, 2015 IBC finalist. BLUES continued on page 16

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