About Us

GRANT AWARDED TO DIGITIZE HISTORIC BLUES TO DO NEWSPAPERS

 

Keeping The Blues Alive Award winning blues DJ/publisher/TV host/musician, Marlee Walker, has been awarded a grant by 4Culture to digitize The Blues To Do Newspapers (BTD) she published from 1992 to 2012, provided by King County’s Lodging Tax.  This historic collection provided a unique place for blues musicians, venues, events and other blues businesses to get essential coverage for their events and music such as NW Folklife, Bumbershoot, The Triple Door, Jazz Alley, The Owl, The Tractor, The Royal Room, The New Orleans Creole Restaurant, Larry’s Greenfront, The J&M, Doc Maynard’s, Old Timer’s, Merchant’s Cafe and The Central for Fat Tuesday, and annual blues events in Port Townsend, Winthrop and more regional spaces that still give musicians a place to display and grow their art.  Many of these events were started with essential coverage in Blues To Do Newspaper, before the internet.

 

~ The project will take place at The Seattle Drum School of Music (SDSM), in Georgetown, where Walker’s Cadillac parts, signed by blues musicians, are on display.

~ When completed, there will be an event produced at SDSM with highlights of Blues To Do Newspapers from 20+ years of coverage in the King County region.

~ The content to be archived includes Northwest artists such as Little Bill Engelhart (who wrote a column in BTD which he turned into 2 books), Isaac Scott, Valerie Rosa, Patrinel Wright, Dave Conant, Leslie ‘Stardrums’ Milton, Eric “Two Scoops” Moore, and also touring national artists such as Gatemouth Brown, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Witherspoon, Charles Brown, Hank Crawford & Jimmy Smith, Ruth Brown, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Tab Benoit, Taj Mahal and so many more.

~ The creation of meta data will allow people to search for a musician, a festival, a venue, event or other blues activity in King County and the greater Northwest region during this crucial pre-internet time period.

~ Digital content will be posted each month at bluestodo.org.  (Sample attached)

 

MORE NEWS:

~ 2023-24 BTD podcasts at SDSM feature interviews with Jimmy James, Septimus, Leslie “Stardrums” Milton & Lady Keys, Jerry Miller, Patti Allen, Phyllis Talley, Jay Mabin, C.T. Thompson, John Pinetree, Curtis Seals, Reese Tanimura, Madearis Dixson and more at youtube.com/bluestodo and at seattledrumschoolofmusic.com

~ New content posted at bluestodo.org and various social media includes: Blues Venue Bathroom Reviews, video clips and recent interviews.