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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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