July 2016 – Health Update  My latest doctor’s appointment and CT scan went better than expected.  My tumors remain “stable” and there are no new growths to report.  In addition, the two spots that were ablated continue to heal normally and show no signs of malignancy.

Since my health has stabilized, I decided to begin to volunteer my time.  One of the places that I volunteer is the Blues Hall of Fame in downtown’s South Main Arts district.  The Hall is part of The Blues Foundation: an international non-profit organization dedicated to preserving blues music and it heritage, along with promoting contemporary blues artists and encouraging new generations of blues musicians and fans.

My volunteer job is to be a docent for the museum that encompasses the Hall of Fame.  It’s a great gig!  I get to meet people from all over the world and talk about blues music and music history.  I’m not necessarily a blues aficionado, but I love all types of music and the history of American music- especially music that came from Memphis and the Mississippi Delta.

As a high school friend told me on Facebook after I mentioned working at the Blues Hall, “the blues ain’t nothing but a good man feelin’ bad.”  That quote is attributed to Leon Redbone, but it also shows up in song lyrics and even song titles.  So, like a lot of early blues history, there is some legend and mystery around the quote’s origin.  In fact, two sources I found state the quote this way – the blues ain’t nothing but a good man feeling bad, thinking about the woman he once was with.

Little Milton Campbell hanging out in front of the Blues Hall of Fame.

I always like this quote about blues music by Willie Dixon, “The blues is the roots, the rest is the fruits.”  So very true.  Folk music, field hollerin’, and ‘call and response’ in black churches all became the basis for blues music.  And the blues became the roots for country music, soul music, and, of course, rock and roll.

As always, thanks for listening.  If you have the chance, stop by the Blues Hall of Fame.  I’ll give you a personal tour.

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