Bringing —the— Blues Blues Society of Northwest Florida to Host Regional Blues Competition by Darien Hardy
The annual Regional Blues Challenge is returning to Seville Quarter in Pensacola on August 20, where top Blues musicians from across the region will perform for the chance to represent the Blues Society of Northwest Florida (NWFL) at the International Blues Challenge on January 23, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee. Hosted annually by The Blues Society of NWFL, this regional Blues competition consists of 14 to 15 acts, where musicians perform as part of a
Established in 1983, The Blues Foundation is a nonprofit organization based out of Memphis. Since its establishment, The Blues
band, a duo or a solo act for Foundation has dedicated their chance to advance to the itself to keeping the art of international level. The Blues blues music alive, with annual Society of NWFL will select events such as the Internawinning musicians from each tional Blues Challenge, the performance category to go Blues Music Awards and on to compete in the Inter- the Keeping the Blues Alive national Blues Competition, awards. Per its mission hosted annually by The Blues statement, the Foundation Foundation. “preserves Blues heritage, 16 | DOWNTOWNCROWD.COM
celebrates Blues recording and performance, expands worldwide awareness of the Blues and ensures the future of the uniquely American art form.” Today, The Blues Foundation has roughly 180 affiliate societies across the globe, with the Blues Society of NWFL being the only society located within the Northwest Florida corridor.
Blues jam in Florida. Today, the Blues Society of NWFL continues to host its Monday Night Blues jam sessions each week at Seville Quarter. In 2019, Bounds officially passed the torch on to Riggs and vice president Lee Maskery, who, with the help of multiple legacy donors, got the Society back to its
corporation. According to Scott Riggs, the current President of the Blues Society of NWFL, the original document stated, “The specific purpose for which the corporation is organized is to promote and support blues music in its historic and modern forms through events, publications and education.”
“The jam helps to give newer musicians live stage The earliest official record experience and of the Blues helps them to Society of NWFL dates learn the ropes back to 1998, of the Blues,” when the articles of incorporation were first filed. There was, however, an earlier formation a few years before the society became an official nonprofit
full 501c3 nonprofit status. Today, the Society’s primary goal remains to keep the Blues alive in Pensacola through their Monday Night Blues jams. For each Monday Night Blues session, the Society brings in international, national, regional and local blues musicians to perform before beginning the weekly jam session. “The jam helps to give newer musicians live stage experience and helps them to learn the ropes of the Blues,” Riggs explained.
Over the years, the Society has Riggs and the Society’s Board changed lead- of Directors, use specific e r s h i p , w i t h guidelines provided by The Mike Bounds Blues Foundation to orgataking over as nize and conduct the official p r e s i d e n t i n judging for each of the acts 2000. In 2004, competing in the Regional Sam R i c h - Blues Challenge. For the chalardson helped the Society lenge, each act will be allotted launch its popular Monday 25 minutes to perform their Night Blues program, which set, and going over this time is held weekly and serves limit will result in a loss of as the longest running points. Each act will be judged
