“Poetry and music are the lifeblood of human beings, and a society without those is inhuman. I assume that poetry and music are examples of free expression, and in that respect are the canary in a coal mine. If they’re diminishing or being extinguished it’s a sign the country is filling with the lethal gases of authoritarianism.”

Steven Gray: Counterculture To…

“There are a few really amazing slide guitarists around now that have kept it going. Also, slide has that vocal quality to it like a human voice and I think that moves people. I try to capture emotion in my playing as opposed to shredding a lot of notes, and maybe that’s easier to listen to for some.”

Rick Vito: Slidemaster -…

“Music today gives people a place to connect, escape, and heal. Blues is the root of it all — rock, soul, even hip-hop grew out of it. Preserving and spreading the blues matters ’cause it’s our history, our truth, and it still speaks to what folks are going through now.”

Jay Hooks: Tequila, Bullets &…

“Blues is the root of rock and roll. It is the birthplace; we wouldn’t have rock and roll without it. It’s the root of Americana, of country, or RnB, you name it. Wehave to preserve the genre and its history. We simply cannot move on as a society and leave it behind, we need to honor and cherish the genre as an art form. There’s a thousand ways to keep it alive, reinterpret it, uphold the tradition. Blues cannot and will…

“My personal opinion is the blues came out of hardships and the music was a place where humanity could go and find release. That's why I want to spread and preserve the blues.”

Geoff NewhalL: Music City’s Soundtrack

“Long Hollow…

“The blues means honesty. It means soul. It means taking pain and turning it into something powerful and something beautiful. The blues is real life, it’s not perfect, it’s not polished, it’s raw and it’s emotional. But it’s also joy and strength and attitude.”

Lexie Blue: Blues with…

“Blues is the foundation of so much modern music but more importantly, it’s the voice of human experience. Preserving it means preserving stories of resilience, pain, hope, and survival.”

Nardia: The Force in Contemporary R&B

Nardia is an award-winning singer-songwriter…

“Music is a different level of awareness than normal everyday life. It’s usually a unique experience, a unique experience often beginning at birth. Now after a whole lifetime of doing music professionally for the love of it, I realize very clearly what a special rare gift it is.”

Charlie Miller: The Music Gumbo of…

“It's important because blues was the start of it all; it's how we got to be here music-wise. I don't think race plays a part in blues. My understanding of blues is that it's about a struggle you might go thru as a person, and there are all sorts of people in this world; therefore; anyone can sing and play the blues.”…

“The blues refuses to lie. It looks pain in the face and sings anyway. It says, this happened, and I am still here. For me, the blues feels like home. When the band locks in and the audience is right there with us, it just feels right.”…