1 President’s Column SBS Smiles When Blues Fans Use By Sally Katen Amazon Smile I am going to start this article with thoughts of Did you know you can support the Sacramento Blues Society every everyone in our blues community: friends, family time you shop online at Amazon, at no cost to you? AmazonSmile and musicians, I am sending prayers that we are is a simple and automatic way for you to support SBS. When you all staying safe. It is hard to be confined day after shop online at smile.amazon.com, you'll find the exact same low day, and to keep mentally sane too! To those who prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as are still working, be safe and thank you. Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate 0.5% With all the music being canceled or postponed, it seems strange of the price of your eligible purchases to SBS when we are selected not to go out and see friends and enjoy the music we all love. I was as your charity of choice. looking forward to SBS Women Sing the Blues this past Sunday, Go to Amazonsmile.com. Sign into your Amazon account (or create and am sorry that the SBS has had to step back from live shows for one). go to the Charity List. Select "The Sacramento Blues Society". now. Most future events for which I had tickets throughout May have Start shopping and you'll be giving a bit of Blues back. Thank you! been rescheduled to dates later in the year. This May 7th is Sacramento's Big Big Day of Giving! And no, it's not 2020 Committee Chairs canceled; instead it will occur online this year. Be sure and check out the website on that Thursday. Blues in the Schools - Lisa Phenix I can't write my article without mentioning my friend and musician Hall of Fame - Sally Katen Charles Baty. Hearing of his passing was a great loss to me and Events - Mindy Giles to our community. RIP, Charlie. I have spoken with Rick Estrin and Membership - Linda McShane there will be a Celebration of Life for Charlie this summer. We will Sponsorships/Fundraising - Doug Pringle keep everyone posted as soon as plans develop. Public Relations & Social Media - Mindy Giles There are a lot of musicians offering up concerts (for free) on Face- book. I also see that they are accepting donations, and I feel we Volunteer Coordinator - Lisa Phenix, Deanna Myerson should donate, if you are in a position to help. Not only would it be Donor Gifts -Sally Katen our way of saying thank you, but it would help out a musician who Blue Notes Newsletter - Cari Chenkin & Jan Kelley can’t be out and playing for us, where we would be paying a cover charge. IBC Competition -MariLu Onweller Webmaster - Dave Baldwin I hope to be out and about soon, once the quarantine is lifted, and I hope to run into everyone! With this virus we have going on, please Help keep the Blues alive - Contact a Chair or Board stay home, stay safe, do what’s right. Member to volunteer for the Board or a Committee! The Sacramento Blues Society (SBS) is one of the oldest blues societies in California, founded in 1979. SBS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation formed to preserve and promote blues music as an art form. SBS has kept the blues tradition alive in the Sacramento area by promoting the local blues music scene, bringing internation- ally renowned artists to the region,acknowledging our local blues artists, providing a musicians' Crisis Fund and publishing the “Blue Notes” six times a year. SBS is an affiliate member of The Blues Foundation, which hon- ored us with a 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Award, and provides educational opportunities for young people with The Blues Foundation’s “Blues in The Schools” Program. Sacramento Blues Society Publications 2020 Board of Directors Blues News, Weekly E-mail - Willie Brown Board of Directors Lisa Phenix Blue Notes, Bi-Monthly Newsletter - Meetings - 2nd Cari Chenkin Cari Chenkin & Jan Kelley, Co-Editors Tuesday of each Rich Gormley Layout - Cari Chenkin Month, 7:00 p.m. Mari Lu Onweller Cover Photos & Design: Bob Cosman; All SBS Members in Jim Tatol Event Photos: Bob Cosman, Mindy Giles good standing are invited to attend. Barbara Katen Printing & Mailing by: Premier Mail and Print For more details, Sally Katen Blues Notes Ad Rates: including meeting Renee Erickson Sullivan www.sacblues.com/advertising-rates location, check: Rick Snyder Website: www.sacblues.com www.sacblues.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/sacblues/ who-we-are/ Doug Pringle Twitter: @SacBluesSociety 2 Blues In The Schools (BITS) Sacramento Blues Society’s Big Day of BITS Has Got the Blues Giving Is May 7! By Lisa Phenix By Lisa Phenix, BITS Chairperson Hey Blues Fans! As we all know, Sacramento has one big heart. Due to the pandemic, the Sacramento Blues May 7, 2020, SBS and all of you will celebrate our heart and soul Society Blues in the Schools Committee has with Sacramento’s annual Big Day of Giving! Although the Blues in decided to cancel its Student Showcase, which was to be held May the Schools Student Showcase cannot proceed due to sheltering 7, 2020 at Stoney’s Rockin Rodeo. Of course, we’re very disap- in place, SBS will celebrate BDOG through social media with past pointed; we were so looking forward to it, especially since Stoney’s successes, our Blue Notes newsletter, and the latest and greatest in is freshly remodeled, and our students were so excited to perform. recent blues events. Our After School Teaching program started off with a bang. With Your generosity brings blues music and education to thousands of abundant support from fans, members, donors, and sponsors, BITS Sacramento area youth through the Blues in the Schools Program, was able to start three eight-week after-school music programs in support for struggling musicians through the Gene Chambers Emer- the Sacramento area. With Sacramento multi-instrumentalist Matt gency Fund, great blues events for Sacramento, and appreciation Hevesh teaching at Rosemont High in Rancho Cordova, guitarists for our blues community including musicians, volunteers, venues, Ross Hammond and Ryder Green assisting at River City in West and promoters through SBS’s annual Hall of Fame Awards events. Sacramento, and bass player Joe Lev and drummer Dwain Navarro In 2019, the Big Day of Giving event raised 8.4 million dollars for leading at West Campus in central Sacramento, our teachers were well on their way to guiding our student bands. Then, along came local Sacramento area non-profits. In 2019, SBS raised over $3600. This year SBS hopes to reach $5000. Our generous members, Judi the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools were shut down, and blues lovers and Roger Patterson (Roger is a heck of a harmonica player too) everywhere are sheltering in place. have agreed to match up to $1000 of SBS donations. Yay! Despite this setback, the Sacramento Blues Society and BITS By donating through Big Day of Giving, your donation makes SBS will actively participate in the Sacramento area Big Day of Giving eligible for all kinds of matching funds, prizes, and other perks. To through social media, highlighting many of BITS’ accomplishments donate, givers will have to set up an account. (Many of you are reg- throughout the years. And BITS continues to celebrate and appreci- ular donors and already have an account.) Thank you, thank you, ate our many teachers and students who make this annual Show- thank you! The info is private and allows you to donate throughout case an SBS standout event each year. the year. Please check out the SBS’s BDOG site at: We are updating our BITS collateral materials as well; a new https://www.bigdayofgiving.org/SacramentoBlues- updated brochure and logo are in the works. Thank you members, Society. Log in as a donor and create or enter your existing log fans, donors and sponsors for all your support during these tough in information. Select "donate to SBS". You might want to consider times. Stay safe, and listen to some blues. creating an online fundraiser event and invite your friends to join in. Share our BDOG information and website, sacblues.com, with friends and family on social media. Share how SBS fills your blues needs, and connects you with music and community during these difficult times. Please mark your calendars to celebrate our blues community on social media, our Blues in the Schools accomplishments, and give what you can on May 7, 2020. Thank you so much for your SBS support, volunteerism, smiles, and community spirit. Calling All Tech By Lisa Phenix During these tough times, SBS has the blues. And we need you if you’ve got tech skills. So many of our Board, members, musi- cians, promoters and venues are now relying on social media and communication technology to share our love for the blues and stay Sacto- blues connected. Do you have tech skills to share with SBS? Please volunteer! Email or call Volunteer Chairperson Lisa Phenix at 916-719-6106, [email protected] . 3 DJ Martin; Julian Davis on trumpet; bassist Allen Markel and drum- mer extraordinaire Lavell Jones. They performed many of the songs from Sugaray’s latest album Dark Night of the Soul. Sharing some of his life story, Sugaray talked of his childhood as one of three brothers raised by their mother, their strug- gles to just live and eat and praising his mother who died of cancer early on.