Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Radio

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...

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 sig...

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, How...

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-o...

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 rememb...

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 i...

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,...

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 fo...

in this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, Annika Chambers shares with us her experience as a Black Woman navigating the current Blues Music industry.  ANNIKA CHAMBERS, like so many powerful vocal artists, can trace her love of music back to early childhood. “I grew up singing in the church,” she says. Not that she had to tell us. Citing the gospel influences of Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Dott...

In this episode of jack Dappa Blues Radio, I speak with Brother Christone Ingram, better known as King Fish. Clarksdale, Mississippi Blues legend in the making! King Fish discusses the culture, history, and meaning of the blues as it relates to fans, the industry, musicians, and the Black Community!   Once a generation, an artist comes along who not only reminds mainstream audiences how deepl...

Lea Gilmore, Minister for Racial Justice and Multicultural Engagement,  First Service Music Director, and First Lady of the Church speaks with us about her journey in music, faith, and the advocacy of racial justice.    Lea Gilmore is a blues, gospel, and jazz singing civic activist. a recipient of the Blues Foundation’s W. C. Handy Award: Keeping the Blues Alive and was named as on...

In this episode, I speak with the Amazing Chase Jackson. She shares with us some of the amazing things she's done for the Blues and the Blues People. For our health and wellness collection  https://lamontjackpearley.itworks.com/ https://denisepearley.itworks.com/  To Donate to The African American Folklorist Newspaper Campaign  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-african-american...

In this episode of the African American Folklorist, I speak to Elder Carlie Towne, Minister of Information for the Gullah Geechee Nation.    www.gullahgeecheenation.com  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010350254804   To support the African American Folklorist Newspaper and Channel  PayPal.me/LamontJack    Join our Patreon with a paid subscription...

In this episode, I speak with Louisiana Bluesman DK Harrell about the culture of Blues, the system that only allows one Black artist to be highlighted at a time, and the importance of reconnecting Blues People to Blues Music.   Born in Ruston, Louisiana on April 24, 1998. Dkieran was given the nickname, D.k. By his grandfather C.H. Jackson who swore that his grandson would be a musician. Dkie...

We are the African American Folklorist Newspaper. Don't be distracted by the term/classification African-American! Our platform is for the community, whatever your genealogy, identity, or nationality! We tell and help you tell the story of OUR PEOPLE!   Join the Black Folk Narrative Revolution and donate, share, even become a contributing writer!   The African American Folklorist is...

The documenting and sharing of our story and expression is revolutionary! 

In this episode, I talk about Boley Oklahoma, John Dolphin, and Uniondale, Alabama which is featured in the documentary "The Contradiction of Fairhope"   As we celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth, we shouldn't repeat the same stories always told. Black Wall St. wasn't the only thriving Black Community, there were many others.   n the early twentieth century Boley, Oklahoma was the lar...

In this episode, I discuss a new way we should think about celebrating "Black History Month! Also, forgive me, guys! Carter G Woodson called it Negro History Month when he first established it!  For the Black History Month Blues Line log on to https://jackdappabluesstore.online/ For A healthy alternative to coffee and other great products log on to https://lamontjackpearley.itworks.com/ or &n...

In this episode, I discuss how we should think about removing the word obscure from the vocabulary for ethnography, folklore, and ethnomusicology! The people we document from these cultures are pillars of their community! They are not obscure!  Also, Family Ethnography and Reading Comprehension is a great way to connect with your family history as well as encouraging reading and strong langua...

An American Hero & Anti-Hero Talks Reparations – The Story of Ari Merratazon Most of you are familiar with the movie Dead Presidents starring Larenz Tate. I bet you don’t know that Tate’s character was inspired by the real-life story of decorated war hero and Vietnam Blood, Haywood Kirkland – now known as Ari Merratazon. According to Mr. Merratazon, the heart of his life story actually began w...

Episode one begins the conversation of Lovecraft Country's inception, who is H.P. Lovecraft, and initial responses audience members have to the show.  The purpose of this series is to document the program's folklore, how convergence culture and mass media transmission play a part in the program's popularity, how Lovecraft Country is received, and the audience's interactive response and behavi...

In this episode of The African American Folklorist, I speak with Freeman Vines, a North Carolina guitar maker and bluesman. Vines shares with us the context of his latest project Hanging Tree Guitars, which has a spiritual connection,  supernatural elements, as well as a tree used for possibly multiple lynchings. The book is a collaboration between Freeman Vines, photographer Timothy Duffy, a...

In this interview I speak with Holle Thee Maxwell about her musical journey and recent book, Freebase Ain't Free, which depicts her 15 years working with and helping the Legendary Ike Turner.   Chicago-born vocalist Holly Maxwell, now professionally known as Holle Thee Maxwell, found her early fortune in the vibrant California music scene of the 1970s, eventually bringing her to the audi...

In this episode of The African American Folklorist, I speak with Dr. Tyler Parry, author of the book "Jumping The Broom - The Surprising Multicultural Origins of a Black Wedding Ritual"   In this definitive history of a unique tradition, Tyler D. Parry untangles the convoluted history of the "broomstick wedding." Popularly associated with African American culture, Parry traces the ritual...

In this episode, I speak with Blues Harmonica Legend, Dr. Adam Gussow about his most recent book "Whose Blues - Facing Up to Race and the Future of the Music"   If there's "No black. No white. Just the blues," as one familiar meme suggests, why do some blues people hear such pronouncements as an aggressive attempt at cultural appropriation and erasure of traumatic histories that lie deep...