"Because it (Blues) connects with people on an emotional level and gives expression to pain and joys that we all feel in our lives. I wish for blues music to stay alive without ever losing its own roots."

Rob Stone: Nothing But The Blues

Long renowned as a blues harmonica wailer and forceful vocalist, Rob Stone combines tough Chicago blues…

"The tradition is so big and the history so long, there is so much honesty and connection within the songs and stories, the blues holds it all. It's really a kind of gift. A means by which we can recognize and acknowledge whatever is happening and find the way forward."

Rob Lutes: Journey Into The Unknown

Since the release of his first album…

"Music has always been a place for people to find common ground. And to also point out where things aren’t going so well. We still have so far to go, and yet music is a fantastic bridge that brings people together. Think of protest songs, sea shanty’s, certainly gospel songs that preach unity. It has and always will be part of our culture."

Cathy Grier: Buried Alive In…

"Roots music was the original protest music. While it spoke on an individual level about the challenges faced by everyday people, it also spoke on a societal level about injustice in all areas."

Clint Morgan: Under The Blues Law

Americana singer/songwriter and Blues Pianist Clint Morgan, a charter member of the International Blues Foundation, has…

"Much music seems to have lost the 'sacred' quality or aura it had in the late 60’s. I think this is through digitization and mass proliferation of it. It’s like a tap now that cannot be turned off, music."

Gary Lucas: The Sounds Of Human Psyche

Gary Lucas is a world class guitar hero, a Grammy-nominated songwriter and composer, an international…

"I think blues brings people of all backgrounds together as everyone can relate and honestly, I believe that it's a very open accepting genre. I've seen where other traditionally rooted African-American music has remained in the black community where as in blues it's become a wonderful blend of all people."

Alex Lopez: Alter Blues/Rock Mixology…

"The message is immediately accessible in heart and soul. So, I think the music that was being created that addressed these issues was had a huge impact on the thinking of that generation and deeply motivated activism and getting involved to go down and go on civil rights marches in the south and protest the Vietnam War and everything since."

Maria Muldaur: Let’s Get Happy…

"The similarities are easy because everybody around the world is looking for the same things in life, like happiness, health and joy for their family and friends and their community, that is universal."

Mark Johnson: Playing For Change

Mark Johnson is a Grammy award-winning producer/engineer and award-winning film director. For the past 20 years,…

"Gospel and Blues will forever generate a core based following because of what they mean emotionally from a race of people."

Dexter Allen: The Blues Stronghold 

Mixture of Blues, Soul, R&B and Funk with blues being the stronghold. Dexter Allen born in Crystal Springs, Mississippi, and raised on a farm and grew up understanding that life can…

"I think Jazz is a non-term. Like the term Love, which inherently encapsulates the best and worst of us. Can Jazz be a state of mind? I guess in a popular culture way, it can. Jazz being freedom of expression and lessons of the past, together in a mindset of understanding."

Lewis Achenbach: Jazz Occurrence

Chicago artist Lewis Achenbach is a…

“Before fans used to come to concerts to listen to the music, to enjoy themselves, to spend time with friends and to have a memorable experience. Nowadays more and more people are coming to hang out with their smartphones, to just take pictures and videos of artists as a token, “look I was there, “instead of enjoying the live performance; especially the younger fans.”

Tomislav Goluban: Express…

"The cultural history of the Blues is a microcosm of American history. So many great things about this country have come about as a result of the voices and actions of the underprivileged or disenfranchised."

Shakin' Woods: The Blues Sessions

Shakin’ Woods is a blues band from the Washington, DC region, formed in 2019. The band consists of…

"The blues is a music of sharing that we play with our guts or that we listen to with this feeling that touches us deep inside. The blues creates emotions and therefore when you feel them with several people, it inevitably creates strong links. Obviously, blues is a music that brings people together."

Same Player Shoot Again: King Blues

In 2018,…

"It can give a troubled heart words of solace, and if one is attentive, a way to give voice to one’s feelings.  It can become a journey of friendships, appreciation of great skill in one of the oldest arts, and if one is persistent, perhaps to be humble and kind.  No wants on this poet’s part—float your boat with poem down the stream, and be content with wherever it goes."

David Cope: Big Scream…

"Music is the greatest way that people can connect in a way that is irrespective of their prejudices or biases about politics or religion or culture or race or economics. The language of Music is more capable of bringing people and ideas together than the words and fictions that make up society. Those once useful tools have become inadequate to reach agreements and understanding with each other."…

"Blues music is a release and sharing of pain, similar to grief, you get through it with others and this form of music does that for me, and so many others. It is similar to prayer in a way."

Sunday Wilde: Peace, Blues, and Trouble

Sunday Wilde is from the wilds of a northern Ontario small town, and has been found singing everywhere from small…

"As with any facet of that goes, I think it’s (Cactus music) in the quality and consistency of the songs. Incendiary performances also seal the deal!"

Jimmy Kunes: Rockin' Blues Acrobat

'70s classic rock legends CACTUS released their new album, "Tightrope" (2021) by Cleopatra Records. CACTUS came to be known as "the American LED ZEPPELIN," a…

"The most important lessons I have learned in my music path is perservance. Some believe you get an agent and everything will fall into place. Wrong. It’s hard work and one must practice their craft, write, connect with like-minded musicians and start creating your own success. It’s not an easy path as many do not understand the hard work that it takes."

Laura Tate: Beauty, Heart &…

"Honestly, I don't know much about jazz specifically but about music in general, I would say creating happiness, a feeling of human closeness, a positive and generous energy, a certain form of spirituality ..."

Renaud Garcia-Fons: Music Visions

Renaud Garcia-Fons was born in 1962 near Paris to parents from the Catalonia region of northeastern…

"Well, I hope music can help people form relationships with those others that are as different from them as I am from someone like Taildragger; in my relationship with him, the subject of race is literally a  joke. We know each other well enough to know that we are truly more alike than different, because of the music."

Martin Lang: Old Good Days of Blues Harp…