YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP:

Year of the Blues: 2003

In 1903, on a lonely train platform in Tutwiler, Mississippi,
African American composer W.C. Handy encountered a man playing ³the
weirdest music I had ever heard," an unexpected sound that would soon expand
to become the most influential form of American roots music. And
although it reverberates to this day across the globe, both on its own and
through the many genres of which it is the foundation ‹ including jazz,
rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, soul, and hip-hop ‹ it is still known,
quite simply, as the blues.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of this encounter, and in
recognition of the blues¹ ongoing impact on music and cultural history, both
in
America and around the world, on September 5, 2002, the United States
Congress proclaimed the year 2003 as the ³Year of the Blues² (YOTB). The
year will be celebrated by bringing together blues events, multimedia
projects (radio and film series), concerts, festivals, and education
initiatives.
Spearheaded by Robert Santelli, CEO and Director of Seattle-based Experience
Music Project (EMP), and the Memphis-based Blues Foundation, the
Year of the Blues aims to raise awareness of the blues, its unique American
stories, and its influence in America and around the world. The Year of
the Blues is sponsored by Volkswagen.

The Fuhrermobile sponsors a tribute to black music. Posted by Stephen Judd at January 17, 2003 8:18 AM