April 19, 2008
at Kenny Dorham’s
Backyard
1106 East 11th Street
1:00-5:00pm
Did you know that Barbecue is not American?
It comes from the French word barbe-a-que meaning
snout to tail. Of course we know that beer isn’t American,
we owe our debt of gratitude to the Sumerians who
developed the brew some 6000 years ago.
There is no doubt that the blues are American, getting
their start from the music carried over in the slave ships by
millions of Africans, the blues come from spirituals, shouts
and chants.
Great blues artists of the early 20th century like Blind
Lemon Jefferson, and Robert Johnson have gone on to
inspire popular American music genres like jazz, bluegrass
and rock.
In honor of ProArts Collective and the Austin Community
College District (ACC) co-production of, Robert Johnson:
Trick the Devil, they will honor the blues elders in the
Austin community, with Blues, Beer and Barbecue.
“Robert Johnson was a great blues artist and we have and
have had many great blues artists live and play in our
community,” says Lisa Byrd, Executive Director of ProArts
Collective. “It is important to let them know we have
listened and appreciate their contributions to Austin’s
musical culture”.
The event will feature artists such as Blues Boy Hubbard,
Donald “Duck” Jennings and others. They will jam with
each other and swap songs in a traditional song circle.
Everyone and anyone who has a song to share are
welcome in the circle. We hope to hear some good stories
and maybe some little heard songs that would be worth
archiving.
The event will end with a special showcase performance
by Matthew Robinson and the Central East Band .Bring
your lawn chair and $5.00 for admission.
This is the second co-production between Austin
Community College and ProArts Collective. Last year’s
co-production was the critically acclaimed Funnyhouse of
the Negro. “The co-productions advance the educational
mission of the College and allow ACC to have a greater
presence in the Austin community,” says Lyman Grant,
Dean for Arts and Humanities at ACC.
Lisa Byrd Executive Director of ProArts Collective says
that collaborations with institutions like ACC and St.
Edwards allow a small organization with very limited
resources to have a greater impact on the cultural life of all
Austinites.
Please Join us for
Blues, Barbecue and Beer
at
Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
1106 East 11th Street
Saturday April 19th 1:00-5:00
For More Information call 236-0644
