NORWICH – In keeping with its lineage of continued success, the Chenango County Blues Association – the nonprofit organization responsible for bringing the annual Chenango Blues Fest online in 1993 – was recently notified that the festival has been selected by the Blues Foundation to receive its top honor.
“It really came out of nowhere for us. We didn't apply for anything – we kind of just received a phone call one day and that was that,” said Chenango Blues Association (CBA) President Eric Larsen.
Founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation is Memphis-based, but world-renowned as the organization whose mission is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, expand worldwide awareness of the blues, and ensure the future of this uniquely American art form.
While unexpected, Larsen and other representatives from the CBA are jumping at the opportunity to receive the accolade, and will head south to Memphis, Tenn. to attend the award ceremony. The ceremony just so happens to coincide with the 32nd International Blues Challenge beginning January 27, featuring the final rounds of the world's largest and most prestigious blues music competition.
“We've never had the opportunity to attend the Blues Challenge —something I've always wanted to do — but now we have a perfect excuse to go down and actually be a part of it,” said Larsen.
The Blues Foundation will honor 15 individuals and organizations with its 2016 Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards during a recognition luncheon Friday, Jan. 29.
Each year, the Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music. The KBA, as well as seminars, showcases and receptions for blues societies, fans, and professionals.
According to Larsen, the model for the CBA's success is incremental growth over time. What started as a small affair with merely four acts in its first incarnation has morphed into a two-day, full-on festival complete with dozens of vendors, professional sound engineering, and on-site camping for the more than 3,000 locals and out-of-towners who came from as far as Atlanta in 2015.
Much in part to the festival's positive impact on local culture and the arts, the CBA was approached by corporate sponsor NBT Bank in 2015 with an offer of additional funding to enhance CBA's programming presence. The result: a marked increase in the number of “free” shows organized by the CBA in their offshoot 'Summer Concert Series' held at the City of Norwich's East Park stage every Thursday from July to August.
“The Chenango Blues Association and its core group of volunteers, many of which have stuck with the Blues Fest from the very beginning, works very hard each year to bring world-class talent and culture to our community,” said Larsen.
What's more, this year (for the first time ever) the Blues Foundation board eliminated a number of KBA categories as a way for the Committee to honor individuals who have excelled in a variety of KBA categories, according to KBA Committee Chairman Art Tipaldi.
“The slate of 15 winners includes individuals who have made a difference with their lengthy commitments to the blues,” said Tipaldi.
“That being said, it wouldn't have ever been possible without the contributions of local businesses like NBT Bank of Norwich, and Preferred Mutual Insurance over in New Berlin, and grant assistance from the R.C. Smith Foundation and the Chenango Arts Council.”
While the CBA is still very much hard at work on a 2016 lineup, Larsen did reveal that this year's Chenango Blues Fest is going to be the most exciting to date, and that bringing home such a prestigious honor accentuates the CBA's commitment to blues.