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Press Release -
"ALABAMA BLUES"
The Alabama Blues Project innovative arts and education programs are receiving international recognition!
The international Blues Foundation has chosen to give their annual "Keeping The Blues Alive" award for education programs to the Tuscaloosa, Alabama based Alabama Blues Project.
"ABP" Director Debbie Bond received the award in Memphis, Tennessee and dedicated it to the late, great Johnny Shines who lived in Tuscaloosa until his death in 1992 and was the inspiration for founding the "Alabama Blues Project".
The "Alabama Blues" Project was founded in 1995 and has provided a series of "blues" education programs that have reached thousands of adults and children. In addition to school programs and residencies, the "ABP" runs a summertime "blues" camp and "after-school" program for at-risk students in the local community.
These programs combine hands-on blues music instruction with a life-skills curriculum to foster self-esteem, cultural diversity and self expression. "ABP" educational programs have also been presented out of state including Mississippi and Florida. The "ABP" will be touring Iowa schools during the first week of March.
The "ABP" has also showcased Alabama blues musicians including musician of the year Willie King, Little Whitt and Big Bo and Jerry "Boogie" McCain in the US and Europe, including Birmingham's City Stages Festival, Tuscaloosa's CityFest and Wiendorf, and Montgomery's Jubilee CityFest. The project has been enthusiastically endorsed and supported by the Children's Trust Fund of Alabama, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Mercedes Benz, and Tuscaloosa Housing Authority, as well as such blues celebrities as Bonnie Raitt and Kenny Neal.
**NOTATION FROM BIBB PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTIONS/DISTRIBUTORS:
CONGRATULATIONS, "ALABAMA BLUES PROGRAM"!!!!
BIBB PROMOTIONAL AND IT'S DIRECTOR, ANNE BLAKE, ARE VERY PROUD OF AND FOR RICK AND DEBBIE BOND IN THE SUCCESS OF THIS FANTASTIC PROGRAM - "ALABAMA BLUES"!
BEING A BIG LOVER OF THE "BLUES' HIMSELF, HANK WILLIAMS WOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN VERY PROUD TO SEE THIS PROGRAM INSTIGATED INTO "SCHOOLS" AND "RESIDENCES" ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
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