Robert Johnson Blues Foundation Announces the New Generation Award Contest

For Immediate Release:
Cathy Gurley / Gurley & Co. / 615-269-0474 / cathy@gurleybiz.com

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, MISSISSIPPI (NOVEMBER 19, 2005) -- The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation is now accepting entries for the 2006 New Generation Award Contest. The New Generation Award will be presented to the year's most promising young blues musician, as determined by an elite panel of music industry professionals from the entries received.

The contest is open to all young blues musicians at least 12 years of age, but no older than 18 years of age, as of May 6, 2006. Entries must be on VHS or DVD videotape and be postmarked by March 1, 2006. For complete rules and an application in downloadable pdf form please visit the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation website at www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org..

The winner of the New Generation Award will receive a Gibson "Robert Johnson" Edition guitar, a Robert Johnson harmonica, a certificate signed by Claud Johnson (son of Robert Johnson) and an invitation to perform at the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation Spring Festival held on May 6-7, 2006 at Chautauqua Park in Crystal Springs, Mississippi.

The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation was founded by the family and heirs of blues legend Robert Johnson to provide services to all generations of blues artists and to preserve and perpetuate the rich heritage of Delta blues music.

Robert Johnson, "King of the Delta Blues Singers", was born in Hazlehurst, MS in Copiah County, on May 8, 1911. Crystal Spring, MS is the sister city and host of the Robert Johnson Blues Foundation Spring Festival which commemorates the birth of the Mississippi blues legend. Johnson is one of the most admired and influential Delta blues artists despite his short life and the small number of recordings that he left. His songs, such as "Sweet Home Chicago", "Come on in My Kitchen", and "Crossroad Blues", are blues classics -- played by thousands of blues artists and adapted by rock 'n' roll artists such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton.

Robert Johnson was a gifted singer, guitarist and songwriter whose life story is wrapped in mystery and legend. Only two photographs are known to exist of him and he recorded only 29 songs before his death in 1938 at the age of 27. Many of his contemporaries believed that he met the Devil at a lonely crossroads at midnight and made a deal to sell his soul in return for becoming the greatest blues musician of all time. More likely, he was blessed with enormous talent and spent a lot of time learning from other blues masters and honing his skills. He achieved some success and fame from recordings and performances during his life and was scheduled to perform at the first "Spirituals to Swing" concert at Carnegie Hall when he died. Although his burial place remains uncertain, it is generally accepted that his death was not accidental. Johnson was poisoned by a jealous husband (or girlfriend) while performing at a juke joint near Greenwood, Mississippi and died on August 16, 1938.

Johnson's music lives on through his recordings, which were first released as a compilation by Columbia Records in the 1960's. In 1990 a complete two-CD box set of all his recordings (every take of every song) was released and over a million sets were sold. His music also lives on through the many blues musicians alive today -- old and young, throughout the United States and around the world.

The Robert Johnson Blues Foundation hopes to ensure that Robert Johnson's legacy and the delta blues heritage continue into the future by recognizing and assisting young blues musicians through the New Generation Award.

More information on the foundation and the festivals and events sponsored by the foundation is available at the website: www.robertjohnsonbluesfoundation.org.

Country in the Rockies Adds a Dose of Soul with Steve Cropper

FOR: IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more Information, contact:
Cathy Gurley: 615-269-0474
Cathy@gurleybiz.com
or Joe Pagetta
joe@gurleybiz.com

NASHVILLE (November 17, 2005) -- Veteran soul guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper has been added to the all-star lineup assembling for Country in the Rockies, the annual ski and music benefit event in Crested Butte, Colorado, now in its 12th amazing year.

Cropper joins the already announced appearances of Texas tunesmith Robert Earl Keen, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jeff Hanna and hit songwriter and recording artist Matraca Berg. The event takes place January 28-February 1, 2006.

Cropper is probably best known for his work with the Mar-Keys and as a founding member of Booker T. and the MGs. He was a key player on seminal 1960s recordings by Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Wilson Pickett and co-wrote the classics “In the Midnight Hour” with Pickett and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” with Redding.

In the 1970s, he went on to produce records by Jeff Beck and Mitch Ryder. By the end of the decade, he was a member of the fictitious Saturday Night Live band, The Blues Brothers, fronted by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd. The skit expanded into the 1980 movie and the Blues Brothers became a real-life sensation.

He remains an active and in-demand session player and producer today. He most recently collaborated with O.C. actor Peter Gallagher on Gallagher’s Memphis-recorded 2005 release 7 Days in Memphis.

“We are pleased to have Steve joining us in Crested Butte this year,” said Country in the Rockies co-chairman Paul Corbin. “Someone of his stature and talent is sure to raise the event to new heights, not to mention elevating the late-night jam into a full-scale country-soul revue.”

Country in the Rockies benefits the T. J. Martell Foundation’s fundraising efforts to advance the groundbreaking cancer research in the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. While the event has skiing and music at its core, it offers something for everyone. Outdoor activities in addition to snow-skiing and the celebrity ski races include snowboarding, snowshoeing, dog-sledding and horseback riding. Indoors, participants can take in all-star concerts on the Club Med stage, informal fireside “guitar pulls” till the wee hours with hit songwriters like Aaron Barker, Jeffrey Steele and Bob DiPiero and a celebrity Happy Hour in downtown Crested Butte.

The all-inclusive package includes lodging at Club Med, lift tickets, meals and hospitality, as well as the flight into the nearby Gunnison, Colo., airport and ground transportation to the hotel. Guests also receive a “goodie bag” with skis or a snowboard, ski clothing, CD’s and other items.

The money raised by Country in the Rockies enables the T.J. Martell Foundation to continue its support of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s growth and reputation. The VICC is designated as one of only 39 National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Centers

The Frances Williams Preston Laboratories is named for the former president and CEO of performing rights organization BMI. Ms. Preston is also president of the board for the Martell Foundation and serves on the board for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

For more information about Country in the Rockies, including registration information and event updates, please visit www.citr.org. or call 615-256-2002.

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