The musical style believed to be the first originating in America will be the topic of the 1 p.m. August 15 meeting of the Friends of the Eufaula Memorial Library. The meeting in the Follansbee Room is free to the public. It will feature a slide show on the history of the Blues.
Local writer and researcher, Lenore Bechtel, and writer and photographer, Mike Barnes, will be the presenters instead of Blues dignitary Selby Minner, who was scheduled to delve into Blues history with a speech and guitar presentation.
Upon Selby Minner’s unexpected and tragic death on June 9, both Bechtel and Barnes, who are regular attendees at the Sunday afternoon Blues jam sessions at Minner’s Down Home Blues Club in Rentiesville, stepped in to honor her legacy.
“Selby was one hundred percent dedicated to perpetuating the Blues,” Bechtel said. “We know she’d be pleased that we’re using this opportunity to introduce the Blues to what might be a totally new audience.”
Barnes recorded a video of what is likely Minner’s last song sung in public at the Sunday jam session the day before her death.
He has also located a video of her singing at a Tulsa event the previous night.
Bechtel researched and put together a slide show spotlighting a prominent Blues singer for every decade since the 1920s, when Blues songs started being recorded.
Born out of spirituals, work songs and African traditions, the Blues gave voice to the sorrow and resilience of African Americans in the Deep South.
Attendees will see pictures and hear short musical clips of Blues dignitaries like Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, B.B. King, Etta James, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Keb’Mo’.
The presentation also includes pictures of Selby Minner with her Blues legend husband, D.C. Minner, as they toured in the 1990s as “Blues on the Move” and later launched “Blues in the Schools” to inspire at-risk youth to value themselves and their heritage.
The couple’s Dusk to Dawn Blues Festival brought international crowds to their Rentiesville acreage.
Now entering its 35th year, the festival continues through the work of the Friends of Rentiesville, a group committed to keeping the Labor Day weekend event alive.
No reservations are needed to attend the Friend’s August 15 tribute to the Minners and the musical genre they loved.
Seating is limited so guests are encouraged to come early to enjoy refreshments and secure a seat.
