The Blues Foundation is an American
nonprofit corporation
A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a nonprofit corporation ma ...
, headquartered in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
, that is affiliated with more than 175
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
organizations from various parts of the world.
Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs the foundation whose stated mission is to preserve blues heritage, celebrate blues recording and performance, and expand worldwide awareness of the blues.
On its formation, the foundation organized the annual
W. C. Handy Awards to "give recognition of the finest in blues performances and recordings." The awards have since been renamed the
Blues Music Award
The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...
s. The BMAs are generally recognized as the highest honor given to blues musicians, and are awarded by vote of Blues Foundation members.
The Blues Foundation is also responsible for the
Blues Hall of Fame Museum,
International Blues Challenge (IBC), Keeping the Blues Alive Award (KBA) and Blues in the Schools program.
Every year, the Blues Foundation presents the KBA Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to blues music.
The KBA ceremony are held in conjunction with the International Blues Challenge. The KBAs are awarded on the basis of merit, by a select panel of blues professionals, working to actively promote and document the music.
The foundation established the HART Fund (Handy Artists Relief Trust) for blues musicians, and their families in financial need, due to a broad range of health concerns. The HART Fund provides for acute, chronic and preventive medical and dental care, as well as funeral expenses.
Barbara B. Newman succeeded Jay Sieleman, as president and chief executive officer of the Blues Foundation on October 1, 2015.
Affiliated members
*''
Block Magazine''
*
Delta Cultural Center
*
Ground Zero Blues Club
*Inland Empire Blues Society
*
Kentuckiana Blues Society (KBS)
*
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...
(NEH)
*
Knuckleheads Saloon
See also
*
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...
*
Blues Music Award
The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...
*
International Blues Challenge
References
External links
*
*
Blues organizations
Organizations based in Memphis, Tennessee
1980 establishments in Tennessee
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