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As part of our mission of "Teaching
Tolerance, Enriching Minds", Bluejeans' Place announces a new
initiative called the Blues History
Documentary Projectã.
As time marches on, many of
the entertainers and their origins have disappeared into the mists
of history with barely a trace.
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The
grave of Charley Patton was nearly lost forever when its
original marker disappeared into a Delta cemetery's soil and
wearing of the elements.
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While better known for jazz recording,
the Gennett Studios
where Charley Patton and other blues legends made their records in
the early part of the 20th Century is in near total disrepair with
few pictures remaining of its once graceful industrial
appearance.
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The railroad crossing at Moorhead,
Mississippi, mentioned at length in a classic blues
song, is no longer a working junction, but merely a ghost of
itself and slowly disappearing.
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Dockery Plantation, home of
Charley Patton and other blues greats, often considered where
blues music first emerged from the grunts and moans of
slaves and former slaves, was nearly destroyed in
a state highway realignment in 2000.
The blues music fan community can do
better than lose sight of its musical heritage. To that end,
the Blues History Documentary Projectã incorporates
the existing performance and historical photographs and text already
shown on Bluejeans' Place, with others to be researched,
photographed, and documented in the future.
This project of a non-profit nature
includes photographing and
documenting:
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Blues entertainers during
performances
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The origins of the entertainers and
their music
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Their graves when
they've gone to the Great Stage In The Sky
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Blues music work sites
such as recording studios
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Historical sites related to the
origins and development of blues music
Visitors to Bluejeans'
Place who know of blues-related places worthy of becoming part of
this effort should drop me a
line. I'd love to hear about them to see if I can get
there with my camera and note pad. -- Pat Shediack aka
Bluejeans
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Please note the term Blues History Documentary Project is
copyrighted. See the Privacy and Copyright Notices Page
for Details.
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