Jack Dappa Blues Podcast

Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Radio presents:Mojo Workin': Dr. Katrina Hazzard-Donald on Hoodoo, Blues, and the Black Belt TraditionIn this culturally rich and significant episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, we welcome renowned folklorist, sociologist, and dance scholar Dr. Katrina Hazzard-Donald for an in-depth discussion on Black Belt Hoodoo, Blues culture, and African American sacred traditions.In this episode, we explore:The African origins and survival of Hoodoo as a metaphysical systemThe jook joint as a sacred space of spirit, resistance, and joyHow Blues music operates as ritual, cosmology, and cultural memoryThe overlap between Dr. Hazzard-Donald's work and the Blues Ecology frameworkDr. Hazzard-Donald is the author of Mojo Workin': The Old African American Hoodoo System and Jookin': The Rise of Social Dance Formations in African American Culture. She is a professor emerita at Rutgers University, a Yoruba/Lukumi initiate, and a lifelong cultural worker dedicated to preserving and interpreting Black Southern lifeways.

Creole Roots, Sinners, and GravediggersBluesman, actor, and cultural preservationist Chris Thomas King joins Jack Dappa Blues Radio to uncover the real story of the Blues — from the juke joints of Louisiana to the haunting depths of Gravedigger Gonna Cut You Down.We talk Creole identity, his film Sinners, the founding of the Blues Origin Institute, and why the Blues didn't start in the Delta — it started in Louisiana.This is the Blues you weren't taught. The Blues that remembers.▶️ Available now on all streaming platforms.#ChrisThomasKing #CreoleBlues #JackDappaBlues #BluesPeople #BluesOriginInstitute #BlackMusicMonth

Each month, The African American Folklorist honors a Black scholar whose life's work is immersed in the deep study and preservation of African American folkways, knowledge systems, and community truth-telling. For June, we recognize Dr. Elisha Oliver, a biocultural anthropologist, visual ethnographer, and Executive Director of Texas Folklife, as our African American Folklorist of the Month.Dr. Oliver's scholarship is rooted in lived experience, land memory, and embodied care. Her work crosses the fields of anthropology, folklore, health equity, and the arts, tracing the relationships between space, place, food environments, and Black wellness traditions. Through rigorous fieldwork and visual storytelling, she brings to light the narratives often overlooked in mainstream academia and institutional folklore.In this episode, we'll explore how Dr. Oliver uses film, photography, and the spoken word to document the intersections of storytelling, traditional healing, and environmental sustainability. We'll discuss her contributions to the American Folklore Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, and her role as a Zora Neale Hurston Award winner and Wenner-Gren Public Scholar Fellow. And we'll go deep, into land as medicine, Black maternal health, and the importance of centering community in every research question asked.https://texasfolklife.org/eoliver@texasfolklife.org

The Blues as Black Sonic Folklore: Part 2:"Hard Ground and High Water: The Blues of Survival and Struggle"We continue our Black Music Month series by diving into the Blues as a witness to environmental crisis and class struggle.Featuring music by Bessie Smith, Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and Lead Belly, we explore how songs about flood, drought, and urban segregation serve as time capsules, preserving Black ecological, economic, and emotional history through sound. These are more than Blues, they are survival songs, testimonies of people shaped by both nature and the systems that fail them.

In this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, we welcome Kandia Crazy Horse, Afro-Indigenous musician, rock critic, author, and frontwoman of the genre-defying band Cactus Rose NYC. From the newsroom to the stage, Kandia has blazed a singular trail across rock, country, and Americana—reclaiming sound as a site of cultural sovereignty, survival, and storytelling.We dive into her legacy as editor of Rip It Up: The Black Experience in Rock 'n' Roll, her academic work at Princeton University, and her bold mission to center Afro-Indigenous identity in American roots music. Her concept of “sonic sovereignty” challenges colonial gatekeeping in music, and her voice—both literal and literary—carries the spirit of revolution.

In this kickoff episode for Black Music Month, Jack Dappa Blues Radio explores the Blues as Black folklore, not just as music, but as cultural testimony, survival strategy, and sonic memory. Through the voices of Tommy Johnson, Mance Lipscomb, Rube Lacy, Charley Patton, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, we treat Blues lyrics as living archives, capturing addiction, emotional depth, environmental trauma, and coded cultural critique.We examine the Blues as testimony, as ecological witness, and as class commentary, diving into how metaphor, moan, and memory serve as vital tools for storytelling and resistance.This episode honors the spirit of Black Music Month by placing tradition bearers front and center, revealing how the Blues doesn't just recall history—it makes it.

In this episode, we dive back into the film Sinners, not just as a movie, but as a cultural reckoning. We're breaking down how the film tells a deeper story about Black American folklife, Blues culture, and the enduring legacy of Blues People. This time, we're not just exploring themes; we're getting into the characters, the plot, and the ways they reveal the real-life struggle between tradition and transformation.Rather than just reviewing the film, we're asking why Sinners matters. It's not just entertainment, it's a bold statement about what it means to be a Blues person in a world where survival, spirituality, and cultural memory are constantly tested. We'll explore how the film reflects critical ideas like Blues Ecology, Clyde Woods' Development Arrested, and the legacy of the Plantation Complex. We'll also look at how the film's portrayal of Black womanhood, feminism, and colorism challenges or reinforces cultural narratives.Big Bill Broonzy's legacy will be front and center as we examine how his words and music resonate with the film's themes. As Broonzy once said, “They don't like the idea of hearing the old original way it went because it's said to carry them back to the horse and buggy days, and slavery time, and they don't want to think about that.” Just like his music, Sinners forces us to confront the past and ask hard questions about what's been lost and what survives, and how Ryan Cooger brings to life this visual story of Blues People, Blues Folk Belief, and Blues Culture of the time!We'll also dig into the cultural intersections of the Mississippi Delta, how Irish, Chinese, Black, and Afro-Indigenous communities shaped the Blues tradition. And we'll make connections to other cultural works like August Wilson's plays, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Crossroads, exploring how each handles the intersection of performance, truth, and storytelling.To break it all down, I'm joined by Dr. Langston Collin Wilkins and Dr. Elisha Oliver, whose insights into Black folklore and cultural memory will help us unpack the film's deeper layers.This episode isn't just a conversation; it's a call to think critically about how Black life and Blues culture are represented and remembered. Tune in for a cultural reckoning where the Blues itself gets to testify.

In this episode of The African American Folklorist, we honor Dr. Ebony Bailey as Folklorist of the month of May. Dr. Bailey is a dynamic scholar, writer, and cultural worker whose groundbreaking research intersects Black Literature and Folklore. Dr. Bailey explores how African Americans have historically been both represented as “the folk” and how they have powerfully redefined that term through literature, activism, and cultural intervention.We dive into her acclaimed article, (Re)Making the Folk: Black Representation and the Folk in Early American Folklore Studies (Journal of American Folklore, 2021), and discuss her public talk, Re(Making) the Folk: The Folk in Early African American Folklore Studies and Postbellum, Pre-Harlem Literature. Through this dialogue, Dr. Bailey highlights how early Black writers and intellectuals used folklore as a site of resistance, cultural affirmation, and narrative control.She also shares insights from her work as a museum researcher with Kera Collective and her leadership in equity-centered initiatives within the American Folklore Society. As a contributor to The African American Folklorist platform, Dr. Bailey helps shape the future of folklore by amplifying Black voices, reclaiming tradition, and challenging dominant narratives.Join us for a rich and necessary conversation on race, representation, and the reclaiming of folk knowledge.

Jack Dappa Blues Radio Live – Sunday Night EditionEpisode: Spirit Work, Hoodoo & Black Southern Cosmologies: Conjure, Pentecost, and the BluesIn this deeply spiritual and culturally rich episode, Jack Dappa Blues Radio Live explores the sacred intersections of Blues music, Hoodoo, Black Southern Pentecostalism, and Afro-Indigenous folk beliefs. Host and folklorist Lamont Jack Pearley guides listeners through a journey of ancestral memory, ritual practice, and the spiritual systems encoded in the Blues.We honor the life and work of the late Freeman Vines and his haunting “hanging tree guitars,” examine texts like Black Magic by Yvonne P. Chireau, Mojo Workin' by Katrina Hazzard-Donald, and Stories of Rootworkers & Hoodoo in the Mid-South by Tony Kail, and spotlight the special Hoodoo Heritage digital issue of The African American Folklorist, curated by Hess Love.This episode isn't just a conversation—it's a revival of memory, a ritual of sound, and a space for cultural reclamation.

In this month's episode of The African American Folklorist, we shine a spotlight on Dr. Constance Bailey—Assistant Professor of African American Literature and Folklore at Georgia State University, and an innovative scholar whose research explores Black women's comedy, speculative fiction, and African American oral traditions.A native of Natchez, Mississippi, Dr. Bailey's work is grounded in the richness of Southern Black culture, Black humor, and the possibilities of Afrofuturism. In this engaging conversation, we discuss her academic journey, her role as a digital media editor for the American Folklore Society, and her forthcoming book The Black Folktastic: Black Speculation and the Sankofa Aesthetic. We also explore how folklore, humor, and speculative storytelling are powerful tools of resistance, cultural memory, and imagination in Black communities.Join us as we celebrate Dr. Bailey's contributions to the field and highlight the significance of preserving and teaching Black folklore in contemporary spaces.https://constancebailey.com/

In this special episode, we sit down with Kelle Jolly, the self-described "Affrilachian-Georgia-lina-Peach", whose music and storytelling embody the rich cultural tapestry of the Appalachian South. A celebrated folk artist, community builder, and ukulele virtuoso, Kelle shares the inspiration behind her latest book, Lady Fay Ukulele, and the deep significance of its story.We'll explore how her roots, influences, and passion for tradition shape her work, weaving together themes of friendship, forgiveness, and the magic of music. Join us for an intimate and lively conversation filled with melody, heritage, and the enduring power of storytelling.

The blues is more than just music—it's history, it's storytelling, and it's the soul of Black American life. In this compelling live broadcast, we explore Writing the Blues—the ways Black authors, poets, and filmmakers have infused their works with the rhythm, pain, resilience, and triumph of the blues.From Langston Hughes' poetic blues verses to Alice Walker's deeply emotional narratives, from August Wilson's stage masterpieces to period-piece films that use the blues as a backdrop, this discussion uncovers how Black storytelling in literature and cinema keeps the essence of the blues alive.Join us as we break down the themes of struggle, survival, love, and liberation found in both historical and contemporary works. We'll examine films like The Color Purple, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Ray, and Down in the Delta, alongside the written works of W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, and more.How does the blues shape Black narratives? How do these stories continue to evolve while honoring the legacy of the blues? Let's dive into these questions together in an insightful, thought-provoking, and culturally rich discussion.

Join us for a real, Blues People conversation about the blues on Jack Dappa Blues Radio! In this live broadcast, I—Lamont Jack Pearley, a traditional blues artist and folklorist—will take you deep into the blues as an oral tradition in the American South.The blues ain't just music; it's a living, breathing record of our history. It carries the voices, struggles, and triumphs of Black American life, passed down through song, rhythm, and storytelling. The blues tells us where we've been, who we are, and how we make sense of the world around us.Throughout the show, we'll dig into the roots of blues as oral history. We'll break down songs like Son House's Am I Right or Wrong and American Defense, Howlin' Wolf's Smokestack Lightnin', Muddy Waters' Louisiana Blues, and more, getting into the messages woven into their lyrics and performances. We'll also talk about floating verses—how blues artists built on each other's words and passed them along like folklore—and the dialect and storytelling style that make the blues one-of-a-kind.This live broadcast is more than just a lecture—it's a conversation. We'll be playing classic blues recordings, talking through their meaning, and opening up the lines for you to join in. Share your thoughts, ask questions, and become part of the ongoing tradition of keeping the blues alive.So tune in, turn it up, and let's get into it—one story, one song, one truth at a time.

In this electrifying episode of Jack Dappa Blues, we sit down with the powerhouse that is Honeychild Coleman—a pioneering force in the world of punk, blues, and avant-garde music. A Louisville native and Brooklyn-based artist, Honeychild's journey has taken her from busking in the New York subway to collaborating with legends like The Slits, Mad Professor, and Greg Tate's Burnt Sugar Arkestra.As the frontwoman of blues-punk outfit The 1865, Coleman fuses raw energy with historical narratives, crafting sonic landscapes that echo the struggles and triumphs of Black American culture. Her music has graced films, documentaries, and television screens, all while staying true to her ethos of artistic resistance and community empowerment.In this candid conversation, Honeychild delves into the intersection of punk, blues, and Black identity, sharing how her lived experiences and sociocultural activism inform her art. From her early days in the underground NYC music scene to shaping spaces like Sistagrrl Riots, she continues to be a trailblazer for alternative Black voices in music.Join us as we explore the roots of rebellion, the power of storytelling through sound, and the unapologetic spirit of punk blues. This is an episode you won't want to miss!Honeychild Coleman (The 1865 / Bachslider / The Phensic) Brooklyn, NY Louisville, Kentucky native recording/visual artist, and Sistagrrl Riots founding member Honeychild Coleman has worked with The Slits, Mad Professor, afro-futurist shoegazers Apollo Heights (The Veldt), Badawi (Raz Mesinai), Death Comet Crew (with Rammellzee), and the late Greg Tate's Burnt Sugar Arkestra.  Honeychild started her musical career during the hot summer of 1993 in the real underground – the New York City Subway system. Busking there, and eventually performing freestyle and improv weekly sets with DJs Olive (we™ /Liminal), Sasha Crnobrnja (Organic Grooves), Lloop (we™), Delmar (Jungle Sky), Fred Ones (Mike Ladd/Sonic Sum) and Badawi (Raz Mesinai) contributed to the unique niche that Coleman created within the New York City electronic scene of the mid-90's.She is featured in documentaries  “Afropunk,” (James Spooner, USA), “Tina Turner:My Life. My Songs“  (Dir. Schyda Vasseghi, GERMANY), the MAKERS storytelling platform for trailblazing women (USA), "Fireflies" and "Getting My Name Up There" (Katarina Cibulka, AUSTRIA), Rock Chicks:I Am Not Female To You (Marita Stocker, GERMANY), and upcoming “Rude Girls” (Brigid Maher, USA). Coleman also made a cameo in Brooklyn film “Crooked” (Wordsound, USA) and  has composed music in the Sundance awarded film "Pariah" (Dee Rees, Focus Features, USA) and indie short “P.R.” (Maria Paraskevopoulou, U.K./Greece). Coleman fronts Blues-Punk outfit The 1865 (Mass Appeal Records) on lead vocals and baritone guitar. The 1865's music is in the Hulu series “Woke!” (USA, 2021) and composed an original song for Showtime's “Everything's Gonna Be All White” (USA, 2022). Coleman's writing appears in RAZORCAKE ‘zine issue 138 and BLACK PUNK NOW! (Softskull Press,2023).    Affiliations: Black Rock Coalition,Sistagrrl Riots, Underground Producers Alliance, Out Loud Louisville, Willie Mae Rock Camp, Human Impacts Institutehttps://www.instagram.com/hccoleman/https://www.instagram.com/the1865band/www.honeychildcoleman.comhttps://honeychildcoleman.bandcamp.com/https://shutitdowncomp.bandcamp.com/releaseshttps://the1865.bandcamp.com/album/dont-tread-on-we

Dr. Raymond Summerville joins me, as he is the African American Folklorist of February, to discuss the importance of having more Black Folklore scholars in the field to lead the discourse of our narrative, traditions, literature, and the dissemination of found research that represents the Black American experience. He also dives into his beginnings and what inspired him to write his book, In Proverb Masters: Shaping the Civil Rights Movement.Dr. Raymond Summerville is an alumnus of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (BA, BS, and MA in English and African-American Literature) and the University of Missouri-Columbia (PhD in English with a concentration in Folklore, Oral Tradition, and Culture). His research interests include African American history, African American literature, postcolonial studies, paremiology, phraseology, hip-hop, blues, and other folklore genres. He currently teaches at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.

On this episode, speak with Dr. Anika Wilson, The African American Folklorist of the Month for March! Wilson discusses her book, methodology, scholarship, and positionality as a Black Academic in the field. Anika Wilson (she/her) is Associate Professor and former chair of the Department African and African Diaspora Studies at UW-Milwaukee. She earned her doctorate in Folklore and Folklife Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and specializes in informal narratives (gossip, rumor, etc.). Her book Folklore, Gender, and AIDS in Malawi: No Secret Under the Sun (2013) was awarded the Elli Kongas Maranda Award for feminist scholarship in folklore in 2014. She teaches course topics related to African and African diasporic societies, expressive cultures, spirituality, and gender relations. Her current research project focuses on spirituality, sacredness, and the environment in southern Africa. ( American Folklore Society )

In this episode, we explore the rich cultural legacy of Black American music, focusing on the evolution from slave seculars—non-religious songs of survival, work, and resistance—to the development of the blues. Through stories, historical insights, and music, we uncover how enslaved African Americans used music to communicate, preserve their identity, and confront hardship. They also used their traditional expression to resist and revolt against ideologies and beliefs not part of their traditions. We also highlight the contributions of early folklorists, musicians, and modern artists who continue to keep these traditions alive. Join us as we celebrate the resilience and creativity that shaped American music and culture.

January 31 marks a pivotal moment in American history—the passing of the 13th Amendment in 1865, which abolished slavery. But freedom was more than a legal decree; it became a living story told through the rhythms of the blues, the wisdom of Black folklore, and the resilience of Afro-Indigenous traditions. On this episode, we explore how the fight for liberation shaped cultural expressions that endure today. Discover the powerful connections between Black American folklore, the birth of the blues, and the often-overlooked histories of Afro-Indigenous communities. From the trickster tales of Br'er Rabbit to the haunting melodies of the Delta blues, this is a story of survival, resistance, and the unbreakable spirit of a people who turned struggle into song. Join us as we honor the roots, the rhythms, and the resistance woven into the fabric of Black history.

African American Folklorist of the Month - Larry Handy Larry  Handy discusses with me the concept of Ethnopoetic theory (a method for analyzing and recording oral poetry and performances to capture the poetic elements of the original performance) and his love for archiving and being a librarian. Handy is a “Folklife Poet” and shares with us the meaning; he also dives deep into activism and protests. Larry lives in California, and we recorded this interview at the height of the California wildfires when he was a few miles away. In sharing his Journey to Folklore, he discusses Folk Consciousness and his "Tour of Duty," an LA Protest Memoir. BIO: Larry Handy is a folklife poet who leads the award-winning poetry band Totem Maples.  His fiction, nonfiction, and poetry appear in such journals as The Coachella Review, Cog, Mosaic: Art and Literary Journal, Proximity, Quiddity, Rivet, Roi Fainéant, Storylandia, Straight Forward Poetry, and elsewhere.  He holds an MFA in creative writing and writing for the performing arts from the University of California, Riverside, and a master's in library science from Emporia State University.  TWB Press published his horror novelette Paper Cuts: 1000 Paper Cranes.  His essay “What to Do When Grandma Has Dementia” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize and was listed in The Best American series under Notable Essays and Literary Nonfiction of 2016.  He is either practicing Chinese martial arts or running 26.2-mile marathons when not writing.  Southern California is his home.  

Misty Blues and lead singer Gina Coleman celebrate 25 years of composing and performing original blues. They will be celebrating this feat on a Blues Cruise this coming Friday. With that, after an encounter with Legendary singer and activist Odetta, Coleman and crew have been working towards a project that has now manifested as – I'm Too Old For Games: A Live Tribute To Odetta. In this episode, I will speak with Gina Coleman about the inspiration, thoughts, and efforts behind this significant folk-blues album! For donations so we can continue producing content please click here: DONATIONS

THE BLUES SOCIETY is a re-evaluation of the 1960s seen through the lens of the Memphis Country Blues Festival (1966-1969). It's the story of Blues masters like Furry Lewis and Robert Wilkins, who had attained fame in the 1920s but were living in obscurity by the 1960s. It's also the story of a group of white artists from the North and the South who created a celebration of African American music in a highly segregated city. THE BLUES SOCIETY follows the festival from its start in 1966 as an impromptu happening, through a period of cross-pollinization with New York's East Village scene, and up to the 1969 Festival, which mushroomed into a 3-day event and garnered substantial print and television coverage including an appearance on Steve Allen's national PBS show, Sounds of Summer. Festival co-founder and legendary music Executive Nancy Jeffries says, “Everyone remembers the 60s as a party, but there was a seriousness of purpose to what we were doing.” Furry Lewis worked for decades sweeping the city streets, so the efforts to recognize his musical accomplishments echo the 1968 Sanitation Strike, where each worker's sign proclaimed “I AM A MAN,” underlining theracist refusal to honor African Americans' basic humanity. Reaching into the present, the film ends in a 2017 concert where Rev. John Wilkins returns to the stage he last shared with his father 48 years earlier. What is the legacy of the Memphis Country Blues Festival, and who do the blues belong to in 2020?   On this episode, I will speak to Filmmaker and Scholar Augusta Palmer, daughter of Robert Palmer, one of the founding members of the Memphis Country Blues Society, who, with her team, worked relentlessly to get this film to the public. Joining Augusta in this episode will be The American Songster Don Flemons, who is featured in the film.

In February of 2024, the Mississippi John Hurt Museum burned. The fire, believed to have been set intentionally, happened immediately after the Legendary Mississippi Blues Pioneer's cabin received landmark status. That was not the first or last attack on the Hurt Family museum, land, or legacy. A week later, the sheriff's office began investigating a break-in at the historic store located on County Road 41 in the Teoc community, where the Mississippi John Hurt marker was stolen. The executor of the estate and granddaughter of Hurt, Mary Francis Wright, has been fighting for a long time the many racialized attacks on her family's land and legacy. Mary and Shannon Evans have been working to keep the integrity and safety of the location and family. In this episode, I will speak with Mary and Shannon about the fire and many other assaults they have endured.

As we celebrate JUNETEENTH, we must understand how Folklore and the Blues Narrative relate to this celebration. In this episode, I will discuss the celebration, what the celebration is actually about, and its connection to and significance of African American Folklore and traditional Black Music. Juneteenth should always be mentioned with “African American Traditional Music and Folklore!” Juneteenth is the celebration of the releasing of the last remaining slaves after the emancipation proclamation and civil war. In 1865, June 19 Union soldiers led by Major General Gordon Granger shared the news that the war is over and the slaves were now free, in Galveston, Texas. Ironically, this freedom came after the actual date of 1863, when Lincoln made his declaration. Though, the first documented celebration of emancipation dates back to March 2, 1807, when Congress passed a bill to halt the importation of “slaves” into the United States, effective January 1, 1808, which prompted Absalom Jones, a pastor at St. Thomas's African Episcopal Church in Philadelphia to call for a special commemoration of the ban. “Let January 1, the day of the abolition of the slave trade in our country, be set apart every year, as a day of public thanksgiving for that mercy,” he declared. The 1808 ban fueled annual public observances, primarily religious gatherings in northern cities such as New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, called Emancipation Day. Though the initial celebration of January 1, 1808, was the first recording of Emancipation Day, June 19 then took on the name Emancipation Day, as well as Jubilee Day, now known as Juneteenth. In 1866, during the first celebration of “Jubilee Day” aka Juneteenth, newly freed African Americans sang Black Spirituals such as “Go Down Moses,” and “Many Thousands Gone.” In resemblance to Independence Day, they released a barrage of fireworks. The fact is, Texas was the last to free the slaves... Read More Here: Get Merch here: --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jackdappabluesradio/message

Black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave Seculars celebrate Black American Traditional Music and Experience. This show is dedicated to sharing and raising awareness of folklife, songs, dance, scripture, lyrics, and everything related to black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave secular expressions, as well as the coded songs of Black Spirituals that were maps and landmarks for escaping bondage. June 5th, I will be speaking with Eric Crawford, Associate Professor of Musicology, and Peter K. Siegal, Producer and American roots music archivist, about the June 14, 2024, Smithsonian Folkways release “The Complete Friends of Old-Time Music Concert” by Bessie Jones, John Davis & The Georgia Sea Island Singers with Mississippi Fred McDowell and Ed Young. The album is a live recording of a 1965 concert that captured the intersection of Black folk traditions and civil rights activism, produced and hosted by Folklorist Alan Lomax and recorded by Peter K. Siegal. The Liner notes, and essay are written by Eric Crawford, whose research focuses on the rich tradition of Gullah music. Crawford has also written books titled Gullah Spirituals: The Sound of Freedom and Protest in the South Carolina Sea Islands (2021) and Gullah Culture in America (March 2023). Together with Smithsonian Folkways, they have collaborated on presenting a significant album that conserves black expression while introducing these outstanding performances to new audiences. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jackdappabluesradio/message

On this episode of Jack Dappa Blues, enjoy the collaboration of Jack Dappa Blues Radio and Southern Ohio Folklife for a conversation w/ Lady D (West Virginia's First Lady of Soul) to talk about her recent performance of The Lady and the Empress, a one-woman show about the life and music of Bessie Smith, the Empress of the Blues. Learn about Bessie Smith, her role in Blues music, her lasting impact, and why Lady D was drawn to her life story.   On the day of the interview, Lady D later performed at the Southern Ohio Museum of The Lady and the Empress!   This project is made possible by Mid Atlantic Arts' Central Appalachia Living Traditions program. Project collaborators include the 14th Street Community Center, Time Out for Me Inc., Portsmouth Unity Project, Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, The African American Folklorist, and Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation.   #wethebluespeople #appalachia #centralappalachia #ohio #appalachianohio #westvirginia #bessiesmith #blues #folklore #folklife #livingtraditions #southernohiofolklife #hiphoptraditions   Facebook: @MidAtlanticArts @CentralAppalachiaLivingTraditions @southern.ohio.museum @jackdappabluesradio @TheAfricanAmericanFolklorist @ladyandtheempress @fourteenthst @TimeOutForMeInc @dafields   Instagram: @fieldsdoris @MidAtlanticArts @centralapplivingtrad @jackdappabluesradio @africanamericanfolklorist @southern.ohio.musum --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message

For some reason, when it comes to Country Music, most people do not associate it with black folk or folk musical expression. The thing is, country music, in its many forms, comes directly from black expression. i.e., the blues, country blues, and more. To give the context to the roots of commodified music presented and thought of as white music… We can use Leslie Riddle as an example… he was the teacher to the Carters for the music they would be credited for. Maybelle Carter always let that be known. In this episode, I discuss Why it is Always about Race regarding Country music, Country Blues, and Blackness. Coffle Gang and Domestic Slavery African American Tribal Music DONATION --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message

Today, I speak with Candice Ivory about her new project, When The Levee Breaks. As said on her website After releasing three acclaimed albums of jazz-driven original songs, vocalist Candice Ivory reveals a whole new sound on When the Levee Breaks: The Music of Memphis Minnie. Raised in Memphis and based in St. Louis, Ivory hails from an illustrious musical family that shaped Memphis's secular and sacred sounds. Her great-uncle was the singer and guitarist Will Roy Sanders of the Fieldstones, one of the premier Memphis blues bands from the 1970s to the 1990s. Ivory grew up in the church, and by the age of eleven, she was singing in a choir that featured the soon-to-be-famous R&B artist D'Angelo. When the Levee Breaks brings together all of her formative musical experiences in a tribute to Memphis Minnie (1897-1973), whose powerhouse vocals and compositional creativity served as inspiration for Ivory's own innovations as the Queen of Avant Soul. Produced by singular guitarist-bassist Charlie Hunter, a onetime D'Angelo collaborator, Ivory's When the Levee Breaks is a midnight run to the crossroads, where jazz, blues, gospel, and R&B all converge. https://candiceivory.com/ paypal.me/LamontJack  Join Patreon⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message

Many Black Academic Scholars are also active practitioners in our respective cultures and traditions. That doesn't negate their ability to teach, mentor, or share skills and tricks of the trade with the folk. It actually makes them even more qualified. Some feel Black Scholars who are educated or formally trained cannot teach or pass on the folk tradition. I see it differently, and here's why. Charlotte Forten Grimke NAMA HARLEM (New Amsterdam Musical Association) Colored Musicians Club John Wesley Work III DONATE Join Patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message

On this episode, I'm encouraging all folks invested in the story of Black American tradition, folklore, folklife, material art, street art, religious belief, spiritual belief, Advocacy, Organization work, Public Programming, and everything that has to do with the "so-called" African American Narrative to submit work to the African American Folklorist Magazine and website. We no longer need to rely on any other platform to share, publish, or even interrogate our narratives. After a long-time supporter contacted me and shared how we are significant in disseminating and distributing the Blues People story, I felt it necessary to put the call out! Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation is a focal point for researching, archiving, and raising awareness of African American Traditional Music, folklore, folklife, public programs, and the Black Experience!! The African American Folklorist Magazine gives a voice to those writing and working in and on Black American Folklore through the lens of Black Folk. From the nonprofit to the Magazine, this is the space for the story of everything African Americans. https://jackdappabluesradio.tv/ https://theafricanamericanfolklorist.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message

On this episode, I speak with Shirley Moody-Turner, an associate professor of English and African American Studies and founding co-director with Gabrielle Foreman of the Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk. She is an Author and award-winning educator that says, “As a young girl growing up in Buffalo, NY, I felt a deep longing to learn more about my family history. Shirley has worked to unearth those stories and many others.  She has authored, edited, and written many books, essays, and journals depicting the African American story through a folkloric and ethnographic lens. She is highlighting and honoring the Black men and women scholars like her who have significantly contributed to the Blues and Black narrative of the Americas.  Her website also states, “Honoring the legacy of the intellectuals and activists I study, I also work in partnerships to carry these histories out into communities beyond the university. Through the Center for Black Digital Research/#DigBlk and the Black Women's Organizing Archive, I work with extraordinary individuals to help public and scholarly audiences forge meaningful collaborations with the shared mission of bringing the buried and scattered histories of early Black organizing to digital life. “  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/support

On this episode, I speak with singer, songwriter, and music educator Hannah Mayree about her journey in music, culture, tradition, and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project. Hannah Mayree (she/her/they/them) is a creative facilitator and musician whose work and art lend itself as a tool for redesigning and reconnecting to our roots as humans on this planet. A banjoist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist, Hannah shares original and traditional banjo compositions and harmonies through acoustic live vocal looping. She reminds us of the power found in our relationship to the earth, music, and community. They co-founded and creatively direct the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, which is currently creating musical, cultural, and land-based opportunities for Black, Afro-Diasporic communities around the world to work with the banjo as a tool for reclaiming ancestral wisdom & creating Afro-futures.  http://hannahmayree.com http://blackbanjoreclamationproject.org https://www.patreon.com/Hannahmayree?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator (embedded link for Patreon) https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj5p_TWzYH9AhUUHzQIHdd6A2QQFnoECAoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fhannah_mayree%2F%3Fhl%3Den&usg=AOvVaw3x0r2TmDf43NArkHU-9iAF (Embedded link for Instagram) Videos: https://youtu.be/EANT04mAd44 https://youtu.be/og3r1stPR9w https://youtu.be/X7JjQZJRtbs https://youtu.be/z1BAVugqVGE Lessons/Teaching: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19LCljx1e4cvDVKvV0JMYedtJnd4aZvfhge8o-Wsl0A0/edit  Articles: https://afropop.org/articles/black-banjo-reclamation-projects-hannah-mayree --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/support

In this episode, I will speak with Kristina R. Gaddy about her journey and New York Times best-selling book, Well of Souls - Uncovering The Banjo's Hidden History. Kristina R. Gaddy is an award-winning writer who believes in the power of narrative nonfiction to bring stories from the past to life in order to inform the world we live in today. Her debut nonfiction book Flowers in the Gutter (Dutton 2020), tells the true story of the teenage Edelweiss Pirates who fought the Nazis. Through narratives based on memoirs, oral history interviews, and Nazi documents, she immerses the reader in the world of these teenagers as they resist the Third Reich. Her book Wells of Souls: Uncovering the Banjo's Hidden History (W.W. Norton 2022) is an extraordinary story unfolding across two hundred years, where she uncovers the banjo's key role in Black spirituality, ritual, and rebellion. For More: https://www.kristinagaddy.com/about.html --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/support

In this episode, Todd Lawrence, Maria Lewis, and Lamont Pearley will host a live stream event offered by the AFS African American Folklore Section, the African American Folklorist and Jack Dappa Blues featuring Notable Folklorists of Color creators and curators, Phyllis May-Machunda, Sojin Kim, and Olivia Cadaval. The conversation will detail the inspiration, vision, purpose, and work of creating such a monumental installment. We will also discuss the follow-up project called, "Notable Folklorists of Color: Expanding the Frames ." Notable Folklorists of Color is a website that features profiles of BIPOC ancestor scholars of color and their contributions to folklore studies. The 2019 exhibition, Notable Folklorists of Color: Remembering Our Ancestral Legacies, marked the 25th anniversary of AFS's Cultural Diversity Committee by honoring 25 BIPOC ancestors, and the 2022 Notable Folklorists of Color: Expanding the Frames exhibition highlights the scholarship of approximately another 135 African American, Indigenous, Latino and Hispano, Asian American and Native Hawaiian ancestor scholars. Combined, the two exhibitions feature more than 160 BIPOC folklore ancestors. The Notable Folklorists of Color: Expanding the Frames exhibition extends the examination of the contributions of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) ancestor scholars to folklore studies that was begun in the AFS Notable Folklorists of Color: Remembering Our Ancestral Legacies exhibition in 2019. Remembering Our Ancestral Legacies marked the 25th anniversary of AFS's Cultural Diversity Committee by honoring 25 BIPOC ancestor scholars of color and their contributions to folklore studies. Our 2022 exhibition, Expanding the Frames, highlights the scholarship of approximately another 135 African American, Indigenous, Latino and Hispano, Asian American and Native Hawaiian ancestors scholars whose work, in what is now the United States and its territories, spans the 19th century through 2021, bringing the combined total number of BIPOC ancestors featured in these two exhibitions to more than160. Expanding the Frames recognizes the scholarly contributions of approximately 135 African American, Indigenous, Latino and Hispano, Asian American and Native Hawaiian ancestors scholars whose work in what is now the United States and its territories spans the 19th century through 2021. In contrast to Remembering our Ancestral Legacies (2019), this exhibition, Expanding the Frames, centers BIPOC ancestors—who often have worked within their own communities—as significant producers of scholarly knowledge about the communities and traditions they studied. Although some of these ancestor scholars applied mainstream academic approaches and perspectives in their folklore research, regarding the “folk” as remnants of the past, others alternatively anchored their research in the cultural knowledge frameworks and traditions of their own communities and worked intentionally for the benefit and futures of their living communities.  Some of these ancestors' theories and approaches are resonant with contemporary praxis, while several others are representative of the historical periods and circumstances within which they were conceived.   Be sure to become a member of the American Folklorist Society https://americanfolkloresociety.org/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/support

On this episode, I speak with Brei Carter, Country Singer-Songwriter, about her journey in Music and her signing with Brown Lee Entertainment For Exclusive Global Music Distribution & Digital Marketing. Emerging crossover country and southern pop recording artist Brei Carter proves that faith, patience, and time sometimes pay off. Growing up in Monroe, Louisiana, with a solid, southern upbringing, Brei's family raised her on several authentic southern staples: the Bible, Lone Star Missionary Baptist Church's choir, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, Aretha Franklin, and no shortage of familial love and devotion. However, before she became the dynamic and vivacious country singer she is today, Brei was busy earning a Bachelor's in Business from the University of Louisiana in Monroe, a Master's in International Relations from Webster University, and a Doctorate in Theology from New Foundation Theological Seminary. She is also a proud Veteran of the U.S. Army, where she served as an enlisted soldier and officer. Having moved to Nashville soon after, Brei has quickly established herself in the songwriter's community as a smooth and sometimes edgy songstress who melds country, soul, and southern pop into one fused style. Her first single at country radio, “Gave Him A Girl,” was immediately recognized as “cute and catchy” by country music journalist and historian Robert K. Oermann in his weekly DISClaimer review column for Music Row Magazine. Brei made her CMA Fest debut in 2022, along with a performance on WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour. Her growing catalog of new music includes her debut album Brand New Country, released in Fall 2022, and new music on the way in 2023 slated for April & June. Carter is quickly proving herself to be a welcomed addition to the emerging new styles of country music in today's diverse musical landscape. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/africanamericanfolklorist/support

There is excellent Black Folklife, Indian Folklore, Black Music, AND educational oral history in Kentucky and nationally that Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation archives and builds a repository for. In this episode, I discuss Storyville, Oklahoma, Freedmen, Blues, and the People of the Blues To Raise Cultural and Ethnic awareness of Black American Traditional Music, Traditional Art, Folklore, Oral Histories, and the Black Experience in America. I'm asking for donations to Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you'll consider celebrating with me. Your contribution will make an impact. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support. https://www.facebook.com/donate/6035802536450984/ paypal.me/LamontJack --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

On this episode, I speak with Dr. Diana Baird N'Diaye, The African American Folklorist of the Month! Dr. Diane Baird N'Diaye is an interdisciplinary Visual artist/maker and cultural scholar. N'Diaye developed and headed the African American Crafts Initiative, is the principal investigator and Curator of the Will to Adorn: African American Dress and the Aesthetics of Identity, was awarded the Smithsonian Secretary's Research Prize for Curatorial Conversations: Cultural Representation at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival; and currently holds the position as Senior Folklife Curator, Cultural Specialist, Directs African American Craft Initiative at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife & Cultural Heritage. She's written many pieces and engages directly with traditional arts. Dr. N'Diaye fancies herself a maker, creating everything from quilts to necklaces, clothing, bags, and everything in between. As a maker, her focus is to provoke conversations and contemplations around identity, heritage, healing, and the social terrain in those of the diaspora live. Utilizing her creativity as an anthropologist, Diane's travel and research permeate through her work. N'Diaye says, “ My art is shaped by my identities as a citizen of global Africa and 2nd generation transnational.” As the African American Folklorist of the Month, I had the honor to sit with Dr. N'Diaye and discuss her journey, works, and thoughts on Black in the academic and independent Folklore space. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

On this episode, we speak about, Why is B.OB. Essential in an era we are supposed to be united and integrated? What do we expect from a B.O.B. that we don't expect from anyone else? And most of all, How do I determine where I spend my Money? The criteria for the last question is broken down by : Customer Service Products Locations We also discuss what is needed in the community. Are there any B.O.B.'s filling those voids, or are they just opening and operating the business that has become culturally popular? B.O.B = Black Owned Business MASKS OFF POWERED BY BLACK LOVE: Hosts Lamont Jack Pearley Roscoe McCoy Coach Black --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

By Lamont Jack Pearley On this episode, I speak with Glen David Andrews, born and raised in Treme's 6 Ward, only blocks away from the historical Congo Square in New Orleans, Louisiana! Andrews shares that the gumbo of New Orleans culture is evident in the music and traditions and should be honored. Andrews knows who he is, where he comes from, and the people he descends from. One of the many musicians in his family, Glen's music transmits the roots of New Orleans. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

On this episode, I speak with the youngest daughter of Civil Rights Activists Charles and Marvinia Neblett, Kesi Neblett, who was born and raised in Russellville, KY, and has a fantastic story. She was also recently featured on THE Mole; a reality game show that originally aired on ABC from 2001 to 2008 before being rebooted on Netflix in 2022. Charles “Chuck” Neblett's songs of protest resounded in southern jails, SNCC meetings, and freedom marches. As a child in rural Tennessee, Neblett remembered walking to his one-room schoolhouse and being sickened by the “fancy white school that was two stories tall.” His teachers motivated him, saying, “You're Black, but you can make it. The one thing they can't take from you is what's in your head.” On September 23, 1955, the murderers of Emmett Till were acquitted, and “it told me that I didn't count in this country,” remembered Neblett. A little over two months later, the Montgomery Bus Boycott triggered something inside of him: “When I saw those Black men and women standing up to the system, it's like I got religion.” Kesi shares with us how she is living, continuing and writing her narrative! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

After sitting in and listening to the presentation "Greenwood's Past, Present, and Future" at this year's American Folklore Society Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Quraysh Ali Lansana (Tri-City Collective) and Carlos A Moreno (Tri-City Collective) shared the true story of the happenings before, during and after the 1921 Riots of Tulsa, I thought it would be beneficial for the Jack Dappa Blues and African American Folklorist Audience to get a more in-depth version of the story by folks that are from there doing the work! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

From Me to You: The Power of Storytelling and Its Inherent Generational Wealth In this episode, I speak with Deidra R Moore Janvier, Esq. about her new book, From Me to You: The Power of Storytelling and Its Inherent Generational Wealth. From Me to You is the answer to one crucial question: “So, Mom, what exactly was slavery about?” asked the author's young son after learning of the atrocities of the Holocaust and slavery. Faced with the formidable challenge of answering her son's question, Deidra devoted herself to exploring African American history with the end goal of creating a teachable moment. Starting with Ida B. Wells and ending with President Barack Obama, From Me to You features illustrations and short biographies of the most prominent 19th and 20th-century civil rights activists, centering their voices with quotes and affirmations anchored in the time in which they lived. Through stories about family, faith, and the power of multigenerational unity, From Me to You explores the legacy of slavery in America from the viewpoint of enslaved Africans and their descendants. Deidra proves that African American history is American history and that these two concepts rely on each other for posterity. Author Deidra R. Moore-Janvier, Esq. exemplifies the Bronx area. As an African American mother, wife, and advocate for change, Deidra set out on a journey in 2020 to teach young minds “the value in investing in themselves and in learning about their history.” Deidra is no stranger to self-investment. As a single mother in 1996, she quit her job to attend law school. Upon graduating from the City University of New York School of Law (CUNY School of Law), Deidra worked as a public defender with The Legal Aid Society in Bronx County. In 2004, she established the Law Offices of Deidra R. Moore, P.C. Her work is deeply informed by her personal and professional experiences. http://www.deidramoore.com/about/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

In this broadcast, Todd Lawrence and I discuss the scholarship and work Of John Wesley Work III and the newly launched Award named in His honor. The AFS African American Folklore Section is proud to issue the first call for submissions for the new John Wesley Work III Award, which the section has launched to honor and spotlight applied folklorists, ethnographers, and ethnomusicologists who actively focus on the research, documentation, recording, and highlighting of African American culture through performance, written word, and music in their scholarly works. Our Featured Guest is Fisk Alumni George 'Geo' Cooper, a pianist, composer, and music educator. While at Fisk, he was a member of the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers. The prize is named for John Wesley Work III, a composer, ethnomusicologist, educator, and choral director devoted to documenting the progression of Black musical expression. His notable collections of traditional and emerging African American music include Negro Folk Songs and the Archive of American Folk Song in the Library of Congress/Fisk University Mississippi Delta Collection (AFC 1941/002). The Stovall Plantation recordings for the Library of Congress where the world is introduced to blues legend McKinley Morganfield, aka Muddy Waters. In honor of Work, this award is offered to celebrate and encourage African American traditional cultural expression and galvanize folklorists, ethnographers, and ethnomusicologists of color to participate in the documentation of African American folklife. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

In this episode of the African American Folklorist, I speak with Sherley Spears, NAACP Unit 6219 President, President of the National Historic Landmark Fort Concho, and founder of the Buffalo Soldier Project. The National Historic Landmark Fort Concho Museum preserves the structures and archeological site features for pride and educational purposes, serving the San Angelo, Texas community. One significant story coming from Fort Concho and the San Angelo community is the contributions and community development of and by the Buffalo Soldiers. In 1866, Congress established the 9th, 10th, 24th, and 25th U.S. Cavalry Regiments for enlisted colored people in the Army. Eventually, troops from each of these regiments served at Fort Concho. These black troops would be given the name ”Buffalo Soldiers," allegedly, by the Indian tribes because of their dark, thick, curly hair resembling buffalo hair. Fort Concho, originally established in 1867, was built for soldiers protecting frontier settlers traveling west against Indian tribes in the area. A notable member of the San Angelo community of that time was Elijah Cox. Elijah enlisted in the military and was stationed at Fort Concho, in San Angelo, Texas in 1871. Elijah was a fiddler he and his son, Ben played for all of the dances at the Fort. Elijah, born and remained a freeman, settled in San Angelo, Texas, and would learn the songs of the slave from ex-slaves now soldiers. Elijah would become the traditional bearer of these songs as he played fiddle, guitar, and sang. You can hear my podcast on his story here. https://youtu.be/jOV68xA9EBE These, and much more crucial historic narratives are being preserved by Ms. Sherley Spears and the organizations adamant of raising the awareness of African American contributions to the establishment and sustainability of Fort Concho & San Angelo, Texas. https://sanangelonaacp.org/ https://fortconcho.com/home/about/mis... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

Louisiana BLUES VIXEN GEMINIIDRAGON is set to take over the BLUES MUSIC community with her latest single JUST THE WAY IT IS from her upcoming album FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE! From the murky bayous of Louisiana, comes a fresh face to the Blues music scene. A vocal dynamo GeminiiDRAGON has channeled her love for the late 60s era and 70s blues and AOR bands/artists the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Koko Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac, Cream and Led Zeppelin and the supergroup Arc Angels, to name a few, into a ferocious mix of blues-rock soul…. Blues on Steriods!!! More on GeminiiDragon here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ4TKJUrJUo To Donate to Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation follow this link https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/LamontJack/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

The “Blues Narrative: Blues People, Covid-19, and Civil Unrest” focuses on African Americans born between 1945 and 2004. The article delves into the establishment of homes, lifestyles, and traditions on a concrete terrain with Southern and country values, and shares how those values not only weathered the storm of many generations but how they armed interviewees to defend what some call an all-out attack on the Blues People in the present day. This is an ongoing project conducted from the perspective of a folklorist and ethnographer. This episode, i speak with Phoenix Moon, a Colonial America historian, Forensic genealogist, Civil Rights Activist. Grassroots Political Legist. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

The term Soul Food and Southern Style food were not an initial naming convention for the meals eaten in the households I grew up in. We ate what grandma cooked. What granddad bought, for auntie and momma to prepare. As time went on, the meals of my family began popping up in stores around our community, then particular spaces across the nation by the name “Soul Food” or “Country Kitchen.” I remember Country Kitchen specifically, because it was on the route home from church, and on special occasions my family and I would stop there to order meals. The food was good, not as good as my grandma, or mother's, but non the less we enjoyed. The irony is as I matured in the space of being a folklorist, I wondered why we paid for meals identical to what we ate at home. And when and why did my grandma's and mother's meals receive this name. To us it was just dinner. To many people, it's just dinner, lunch or breakfast. As I pondered this, I began to remember the great times we had as a family, either around the dinner table, or sprinkled around my grandparents home. My grandparents had five children, and their children had children. So it would be a full house. I began to think about the activities that took place during those times. As a folklorist these are the questions, research and interests we dive into, and in diving, I am introduced to Foodways. As heard on WKU PUBLIC RADIO & NPR --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

Mara Kaye is a blues singer, born and raised in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. She has had the pleasure of singing in venues all over NYC and beyond. Some of her most electric and rewarding moments have been her sold-out performances at Joe's Pub, Rockwood Music Hall, and the intimate gatherings at Sunny's Bar. In this episode, Mara shares her musical beginnings, introductions to the Blues, and the importance of connecting with the songs you sing. She also shares with us that she wrote and sang the chorus on AZ and Rick ROss' new song! https://www.marakaye.com/ Donate to Jack Dappa Blues HERE paypal.me/LamontJack --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

On November 23rd, 1936, Robert Johnson partook in what's considered the most historic recording session in music history. But there's a problem with the story Why was that more iconic than Peetie Wheetstraw, Memphis Minnie, Henry Thomas, or Mamie Smith? Because someone else told the story! Today we talk about the importance for everybody from any particular community, family, or culture taking the responsibility to document their story utilizing Ethnographic and Folkloristic tools. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support

Daryl Davis, a musician, author, and race relations expert was assaulted with flying bottles during the Cub Scout parade in 1968 when he was 10. This was his first experience with racism. He spent years studying and researching to answer the question he had about racial hatred. It would be a chance encounter later in life that would birth a dangerously intriguing project, documenting his search for the answers. Daryl Davis, a musician, author, and race relations expert was assaulted with flying bottles during the Cub Scout parade in 1968 when he was 10. This was his first experience with racism. He spent years studying and researching to answer the question he had about racial hatred. It would be a chance encounter later in life that would birth a dangerously intriguing project, documenting his search for the answers. As an entertainer, Daryl is an international recording artist, actor, and leader of The Daryl Davis Band. He is considered to be one of the greatest Blues & Boogie Woogie and Blues and Rock'n'Roll pianists of all time, having played with The Legendary Blues Band (formerly the Muddy Waters band) and Chuck Berry. As an Actor, Daryl has received rave reviews for his stage role in William Saroyan's The Time Of Your Life. Daryl has done film and television as well and had roles in the critically acclaimed 5-year HBO television series The Wire. As an author, lecturer, and race relations expert, Daryl has received acclaim for his book, Klan-Destine Relationships, and his documentary Accidental Courtesy from many respected sources including CNN, NBC, Good Morning America, TLC, NPR, The Washington Post, and many others. He is also the recipient of numerous awards including the Elliott-Black Award, the MLK Award, and the Bridge Builder Award among many others. Filled with exciting encounters and sometimes amusing anecdotes, Daryl's impassioned lectures leave an audience feeling empowered to confront their own prejudices and overcome their fears. More on Daryl Here: https://www.daryldavis.com/ Join Our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/theafricanamericanfolklorist --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/africanamericanfolklorist/support