2012 BCBF Poster #2- Very Cool!

Created by EA Jones Design

100th BITS Program set forJanuary 30, 2012!!!

Crossroads Blues Society's is getting ready to celebrate their 100th Blues in the Schools (BITS) program.  Their programs scheduled for January 30, 2012 will be the 99th and 100th programs that Crossroads has hosted since they began providing BITS programs for area schools in May 2002.  Who would be better than Fruteland Jackson to do these programs, especially since he did the first BITS program for them?  Since that time, they have brought the blues to close to 30,000 student across Northern Illinois.

January 30th brings them to South Beloit for their first visit to that school system.  Riverview Elementary School will host the AM program.  In the afternoon it is back to Rockford and Martin Luther King Elementary School will host the 100th program.  

Crossroads are proud of their efforts in helping to keep the blues alive in the Rockford area. Funding for BITS in the past had come from the generous support of the Rockford Area Arts Council and Illinois Arts Council.  Current funding comes from their annual Byron Crossroads BLues festival held on the Saturday before Labor Day weekend in Byron, IL.  Programs are held at no cost to the schools.  Crossroads already has February programs scheduled for Keith School and Spring Creek ES on February 22nd.  More programs are being planned for the Spring.

Fruteland is a singer & songwriter performing acoustic blues, from contemporary to traditional, from the blues of early field-holler songs and work songs to Delta and Piedmont Blues, as well as his own original works. Fruteland is one of a select group of Americans dedicated to gathering, preserving and performing acoustic blues in its many styles. Fruteland has performed at venues across the US, Europe and Russia.

BITS program costs have been maintained low and continue to average only $1 per student in attendance. Assembly attendance averages about 300 per school.  Crossroads Blues Society is a non-profit corporation staffed entirely by volunteers.  They publish a bi-monthly newsletter of blues music reviews and articles in addition to their BITS work and running the annual festival in Byron.  For more information about Crossroads visit http://crossroadsbluessociety.blogspot.com or call 779-537-4006.

Bryan Lee Benefit Friday February 24th at Byron Legion Hall

2012 Preliminary BCBF Poster

Basement Blues Band to Play the Adriatic Cafe and Bar January 7th

Illinois Food Bank Benefit with Bobby Messano Dec 30 in Mt Morris

Bobby Messano
Dec 30, 2011 8:30 pm to 12:30 am 
Bring canned/dry good donations to get in 
Venue: Moose Family Fun Center
Mount Morris, IL 61054

Eastland MS Got The Blues

Eastland MS Got the Blues

Story, photos and video of BITS with Paul Rishell and Annie Raines at Eastland MS 11/1/11.

RIP Ernie "Sugarlips" Brown

Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown

On December 11^th 2011,  we lost a true treasure of the blues community.  Ernie “Sugar Lips” Brown passed away at his home in Freeport, IL.  Sad as it is, this was only about a week after Carol Coleman, his long time companion and caregiver passed away.

We all will miss his unique style of harmonica playing  which truly came from the depth of his heart.  Ernie played with great feeling and ventured outside the box to create his own sound and mood.  He was capable of playing all genre of music including country, rock and his beloved blues.  Over the years, Ernie played with many musicians and bands.  Besides playing with the Mississippi Band and Port Bluez, Ernie was well known for being with his namesake band, Ernie and the Po’ Boys.

Ernie Brown was the most kind, gentle, soft-spoken person that I have ever met.  He never complained about the fact he could not see you or said bad things about people that he had dealings with.  He also had a great love for his family members and Carol.  He will be missed by all of them.

The past few years, “Sugar Lips” was unable to perform on stage or even play his beloved harmonicas. This had to be hard for him to bear after all the years of music in his life. He even had me get a harmonica rack for him to try which did not work out well. One day Ernie told me “I’ve had my time in the sun and other musicians will carry on.”  I think that he was okay with that.

I want to give a special thanks to Ernie for putting up with me in my endeavor to learn how to play the harmonica.  This truly had to be a challenge for him.  We had many hours together playing harmonica and talking.  Thank you Ernie, you will be truly missed by me and all the people that got to know you.  

Harmonica Joe Poluyanskis-Crossroads Blues Society

Ernest “Sugarlips” Brown Home Going Celebration

December 20^th 2011  - 4:00PM till 9:PM

Stephenson County Farm Bureau - 210 West Spring St. Freeport, IL

Catered food will be served, live music and many pictures and memories of “Sugarlips”

No smoking or alcohol allowed

Dishes to pass would be appreciated also.

Contact Kaitlyn Peters 1-815-656-0392

2011 Christmas Party

Paul Rishell and Annie Raines BITS Nov 1 & 2