Beale Street, Memphis (January 21, 2010) Image by kenne
— kenne
Sonny Boy Terry — Image by kenne
Kenneth and Kenne — Image by Mary
I was able to spend a few hours with Kenneth and Mary, re “Ken and Mary’s Blues Project” on Monday.
They are friends we try to spend some time with when we are visiting in the Houston area — love you guys!
— kenne
Ken and Mary Dancing to Porterdavis (October 2007) — Image by kenne
You Don’t Have to Go
Two Years Later, Porterdavis was back in Porter, Texas, at The Ken & Mary Blues Project Doing A Muddy Waters Cover, “Can’t Be Satisfied.”
Pete Mayes, Grady Gaines, Calvin Owens and Joe Guitar Hughes (1999)– Image by kenne
Double Bayou Dance Hall (May 25, 2005) — Image by kenne
Mike Durbin Talking To Blues Friends (Ken & Mary’s Blues Project, May 2017) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The Blues Project
They called it a project,
a Blues Project, but really,
it was a party — a party for
family and friends to share
happy times, talk about living life,
and a love for good old blues music.
Once this party began
there would be no stopping it,
even when forced undercover
of rain, friends laugh and
talk about déjà vu the
evening had become.
Just sitting on the front porch
doing that front porch thing
telling stories now embellished
by all the good times dancing
and singing the night away
in the woods off Old Houston Road.
The Blues Project may be over
so listen, the night will lead you
to the music, the stories told,
and smile one more time
for each house concert was just a
rehearsal for what our tomorrow’s will bring.
— kenne
Kenneth Harris shares the story of how Ken & Mary’s Blues Project came about. (May 20, 2017)
Mr. V (James Vaughn) of Mr. & Mrs. V on Houston’s 90.1, KPFT — HDR Image by kenne
Mike Durbin of the Moe Hansum Band — Image by kenne
The Houston Blues community is feeling the pain. Two of the communities well known personallities past away this past week. To hornor the memory of these Houston friends, I’m sharing a Diunna Greenleaf video I posted several years ago — Growing Up and Growing Old in the Fellowship of Family and Friends.
— kenne
A Memphis Blues Club — Abstract Art by kenne
“I’m a bluesman moving through a blues-soaked America, a blues-soaked world, a planet where catastrophe and celebration-
joy and pain sit side by side. The blues started off in some field, some plantation, in some mind, in some imagination, in some heart.
The blues blew over to the next plantation, and then the next state. The blues went south to north, got electrified and even sanctified.
The blues got mixed up with jazz and gospel and rock and roll.”
— Cornel West
Houston Blues (The Rhythem Room, 2005) — B&W Collage by kenne
“Working in black and white makes me feel like a painter, not a photographer.
Shooting this way allows me to focus my attention on the light and shade, textures, shapes and expressions.
It’s really a matter of personal choice, but in my opinion black and white can lead to a more abstract reading of reality,
which is arguably more demanding and more challenging to produce. Here photographers cannot use flattering
colours or coloured light to distract the eye. You cannot cheat in black and white.”
— Guy Gagnon
We first became aware of Giddens about 15 years ago as one of the founding members of the country,
blues, and old-time music band Carolina Chocolate Drops, where she is the lead singer, fiddle, and
banjo player. In 2008, we attended the annual Houston iFest where local and international musicians and the
“iFest New Artist of the Year,” the Carolina Chocolate Drops, were scheduled to appear.
Since then, this very talented musician and her unique artistry continue to blossom.
Carolina Chocolate Drops (April 2008) — Images by kenne
Houston’s Little Joe Washington (April, 2008) — Image by kenne
“Personal inconvenience, experience, and environmental impact notwithstanding, a willingness to drive all over
and beyond Harris County has its rewards for the Houston blues aficionado wanting to make the rounds.
Not only is that travel necessary to access the various widely separated business establishments featuring live
performances on a weekly basis, but for those in the know, it’s also the key to experiencing some unique
presentations of the music — both of which evoke an earlier era.”
— Roger Wood (Down in Houston: Bayou City Blues, 2003)
The Blues On Campus (Lone Star College, Montgomery – 02/19/03) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
“The blues are the roots and the other musics are the fruits.
It’s better keeping the roots alive,
because it means better fruits from now on.
The blues are the roots of all American music.
As long as American music survives, so will the blues.”
Ground Zero Blues Club Memphis (01/21/10) — Abstract Art by kenne
“There are only two kinds of songs;
there’s the blues,
and there’s zip-a-dee-doo-dah.”
— Townes Van Zandt
Texas Johnny Brown at Houston’s Shakespeare Pub — Photo-Artistry by kenne
(Click on Texas Johnny Brown to see archived blog posting on TJB)
— Eugene Chadbourne Source: allmusic.com
Becoming is Superior to Being 