Alabama Blues Project

The Alabama Blues Project's
Annual Fundraiser - 2009
Evening of Art & Blues
is September 25th at the
Jemison-Van de Graaf Mansion
in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION
ABOUT THE ABP's 2008
EVENING OF ART & BLUES

You may also donate art, jewelry,
gift baskets & music memorablia
for our state-of-the-art auction.
Contact Cara Smith at (205) 752-6263
or cara@alabamablues.org for more.

2009 After-School Blues Camp

October 15th - December 10th
Thursdays at First United Methodist

Birmingham native Sam Lay, one of the most influential drummers of the Twentieth Century, will be the headliner of the Boom Days Blues Show at the DeKalb Theatre on September 12th at 8:00 p.m.

“We are very lucky to have a chance to see Sam Lay in Fort Payne,” said Boom Days Committee member Russell Gulley. “Blues fans all across our area are in for a rare treat. He’s truly a legend.”

Moving to Chicago in 1959 to play with Little Walter, Lay soon joined Muddy Waters’ band and spent the next six years with that world-famous group. In the mid-sixties, Sam Lay was recruited as a charter member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and was the rhythmic force behind their monumental first album.

Amazingly, this blues great was Bob Dylan’s drummer at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. In what has become one of the most celebrated live performances in American music history, the Dylan band invented Folk Rock music.

Lay went on to record with Dylan on Highway 61 Revisited. He can also be heard on more than 40 classic Chess blues recordings, and in 1969 played drums for the Muddy Waters Fathers and Sons album. He also was the original drummer for the James Cotton Blues Band.

Lay’s recordings with all of these music giants made his famous double-shuffle the envy of every would-be blues drummer. The influence of the Chicago blues on the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and many other superstars is well-documented.

Sam Lay’s appearance in Fort Payne is being sponsored by WoodMasters, as part of an effort to emphasize our musical heritage. The Debbie Bond Blues Band will appear with Lay. Advance tickets are ten dollars, and will be available at the Chamber of Commerce office after August 1st. For additional information, phone (256) 845-2741.

This year, the Boom Days musical performances are being presented in conjunction with a Smithsonian exhibit, New Harmonies: the Roots of American Music, which will appear at the Richard C. Hunt Reception Hall, adjacent to the Fort Payne Opera House, from August 29th until September 19th.

Support the Alabama Blues Project!

The quickest and easiest way to help the ABP is by clicking here and donating $10 right now. It will take less than five minutes and is the price of a night out at the movies. I encourage everyone on this list to take a little of your time to do this and pass along the link to your friends. This quick and easy donation to the ABP could raise matching funds required for our 2009-10 Blues Camp grants within a week. How incredible would that be? You can even do it as many times as you like! The ABP thanks you for your support!

- Cara Smith, Program Director