To respond to the bitterness comment, nope. Like many musicians who might have just gotten a Gibson sig model, I bet I could give two cheeses about this group. I won't speak for my friend, but I will say, nothing stops the gig train.
As far as defending a group that has given Bob Margolin an award pretty much every year, well god, what would upset me about that.
I am guess that giving it to Pinetop and Sumlin is an easy thing.
I wrote an article for a national last month, detailing why I think I walked away from the "blues". And I walked away for this reason, I saw Tommy Castro 5 years ago, if I see him this summer, it will be roughly the same show. Yeah feeling, yeah good guitar, yea good band. No progress.
the first time I saw Bonamassa, it was an amazing guitar show, a rough and tumble band with a power trio model.
I gotta say, I see NONE of that show in the show I saw this year. Aside from guitar.
I say this, the blues award is as relevant to my life, as the award for best lifeguard. It is is NOT a public award. It is not truly open to all the records. Its selection process is not clear.
So why would I care?
Why would I care when in all honest if there is an award for a blues guitar player, and Joe does not get it. I mean really we all know I am hardly a Joe teamer, but seriously, objectively, musically, he is the best blues guitar player every year he straps on a guitar.
No one can accuse me of being in Joes world. Last year at this time I was posting a story to CNN.com about Joe calling for a boycott, and helping the publicist get me a quote to get him out of it.
Again, this is about this award going to the SAME PEOPLE. Tab is a nice man. Ate a meal with him two years ago. Fine. Saw him that night, saw him a few months later, then a few months after that. SAME SHOW. The thing with playing the drums, Sammy David Junior did that before Tab, and did it better.
Look at Back Door Slam. I just saw them on Jimmy Kimmel. Wow. that is blues. Why oh why do they not have an award? Why were they not invited to participate in Blues in the Schools?
I know this guitar guy, has a decent resume, sold 25,000 records last year, has petitioned to be a part of blues in the schools for the past 5 years. Formally. He is a father, a teacher, his band is drug free, arrest free, all married guys. His resume includes a decade on the road with a legend, and the recommendation of this english guy who plays a guitar and used to be in a band about dairy products.
But the foundation has LITERALLY NEVER RESPONDED.
So I, the reporter who writes freelance for two nationals now, decided about two months ago after hear a story I needed to do some research.
In the research I found three Blues Societies in the Continental United States, each with over 900 members each, had failed. All three of them had asked the Blues Foundation for help. They had petitioned not for money, but for organizational help. Each of the requests were ignored. When the second two heard about hte first one going under, they sent all the correspndence to the foundation registered, so it would have to be signed for.
So the foundation got the letters, signed for them, and never did anything.
How is this organization serving the history of the blues? How is it keeping it alive? I understand what they say they are doing, but I have not found much evidence of it.
Billy Gibbons owns, and funds the Delta Blues Museum. He recieves no funds or support from them.
Morgan Freeman pretty much owns Ground Zero, and the town around it. Again, no help.
If the Blues Cruise is sort of a gathering of the blues nation, well then are they doing anything there? Not really. Most of those bands are PAYING to play on it, in the form of paying for the cruise, and airfare to get to the boat.
Does the Blues Foundation provide health care for musicians? No. Bill Perry, RIP, had to buy his own health care, Bryan Lee that same. Magic Slim got sick in Europe, and friends and family had to raise funds privately to get him home safe.
Does the Blues Foundation provide musicians with help with things like ASCAP and royalties? No. For every Joe who handles business well, there is someone like Studabaker John, ten records into his career, and struggling with every record deal.
I ask you this, why do they not do it?
Why does the blues hall of fame have a permanent home? A building?
I am sorry to be so negative, but it sickens me that amazing talent like Joe, or others, is passed over for RECOGNITION by the agreed upon foundation, in favor of the usual suspects.
Joe can sell to 10,000 seaters, Margolin huh?
The blues is in trouble. It simply is. We see it at Moodys club, we see it in Colorado, in San Francisco, we see it in Chicago.
I call on the Foundation to provide leadership.
Ask me to join the board, I will pay to fly to meetings once a month, or whenever you need me. I will pay my own way.
Who fights for, and protects the musicians?
Libby 
