Greensboro College's Healing Blues Project Features Concert with Adrian Duke and Lawyers, Guns & Money Feb. 16

Adrian Duke

"GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Greensboro College presents a Healing Blues Project benefit concert featuring Adrian Duke, with special guests Lawyers, Guns & Money, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.

The concert will be in Mane Stage at the college's Royce Reynolds Family Student Life Center, 1015 W. Market St. (corner of Tate Street). Admission is $10, with 50% of the door going to the Interactive Resource Center, a day center in downtown Greensboro for people experiencing homelessness.

Duke is a singer/songwriter/pianist in the New Orleans musical tradition of Professor Longhair and Dr. John. His music combines elements of New Orleans blues, classic soul, and Americana.

Lawyers, Guns & Money is a Greensboro-based blues band that has been active in the Healing Blues Project since its inception. The band contributed to the project's first CD, "The Healing Blues Project, Vol. 1," and is working on the second CD, currently in production and scheduled for release in early June.

The Healing Blues Project, begun by Greensboro College professors and local musicians, pairs local people experiencing homelessness or related issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder - "storytellers" -- with local musicians to turn the storytellers' life stories into blues songs.

The songs are recorded, with storytellers receiving songwriting credit and royalties; sales of the CDs benefit the Interactive Resource Center. To date, the project has given the center more than $10,000 from CD sales and concerts. 

Greensboro College provides a liberal-arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities."

- A Press Release

Greensboro College's Healing Blues Project Announces Fundraising Concert Series

"GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Greensboro College's Healing Blues Project will present a concert/presentation series to aid the homeless and support fundraising efforts for recording and production of the CD, "The Healing Blues Vol. 2."

The series begins with "A Merry Meldavians Christmas," a musical written by Greensboro College music professor Dave Fox and featuring music by The Meldavians, The Apple Pie String Band, and the Apocalyptic Quartet, with special guest Neil Clegg.

Starring in the musical are William Perry Morgan-Hall, Jo Hall, and Victoria Clegg, all of Greensboro College. The performance will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at Mack & Mack, 220  S. Elm St. in downtown Greensboro.

Tickets are available at http://www.triadacousticstage.com/eventdetail.php?id=62. 

The series will feature an event every two months thereafter. One of the events will be the premiere of the "Healing Blues" documentary.  All of the other events will be concerts featuring guest artists as well as Healing Blues artists.

Fifty percent of proceeds from these events will go to the Interactive Resource Center, a day center in downtown Greensboro that assists people experiencing homelessness. The remainder will be used to help pay for recording and production of the CD "Healing Blues, Vol. 2."

As with the first Healing Blues CD, this one will pair local homeless people, called "storytellers," with area musicians to turn the storytellers' life stories into blues songs. Vol. 2 also will include some spoken-word compositions. Proceeds from sale of the CD benefit the Interactive Resource Center, and storytellers receive songwriting credit and a share of the royalties.

The first Healing Blues CD, released in October 2014, and benefit concerts associated with it raised more than $10,000 for the Interactive Resource Center.

The Healing Blues Project is supported by Greensboro College, the Interactive Resource Center, The Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, and YES! Weekly. For more information, visit www.thehealingblues.org.

Greensboro College provides a liberal-arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities."

- A Press Release

YES! Weekly Donates $15,000 in Advertising to Greensboro College's Healing Blues Project

"GREENSBORO, N.C. -- YES! Weekly, a Piedmont Triad-based arts and entertainment publication, has agreed to donate $15,000 worth of advertising to an effort organized by Greensboro College to benefit the homeless.

The advertising will support and promote the college's Healing Blues Project, which seeks to raise money to benefit the nonprofit Interactive Resource Center, a day center in downtown Greensboro for people dealing with homelessness and related issues.

The Healing Blues Project unites local homeless people, called "storytellers," with area musicians, including the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, to turn the storytellers' life stories into blues songs. A CD of the songs was released in October 2014.

The Healing Blues Project Vol. 2, which will include both songs and spoken-word compositions, is scheduled to be released in June 2016.

Proceeds from sales of the CDs, as well as concert performances of the music, benefit the Interactive Resource Center. Storytellers also receive songwriting credit and a portion of the royalties.

"The Healing Blues Project is something that is near and dear to my heart," YES! Weekly publisher Charles Womack said. "As a long-time supporter of the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society and the annual (blues) festival, a blues music fan and someone who wants to do anything and everything I can to help those in need, this is something we wanted to get behind in a big, big way."

He added, "It made sense to me that promoting and creating awareness of The Healing Blues Project to the generous and caring readers of YES! Weekly would make a significant impact and bring in some needed donations."

Kim Thore, the college's marketing director, says the college will use the advertising to promote Healing Blues benefit concerts and the release of the Healing Blues Vol. 2 CD.

"We are very grateful for this support from YES! Weekly," Thore said. "Advertising is very important to the success of any project, and this gift will help ensure that the Greensboro community and beyond are informed of all of the exciting events that will be coming from this next phase of the Healing Blues Project."

Greensboro College provides a liberal-arts education grounded in the traditions of the United Methodist Church and fosters the intellectual, social, and, spiritual development of all students while supporting their individual needs.

Founded in 1838 and located near downtown Greensboro, the college enrolls about 1,000 students from 29 states and territories, the District of Columbia and seven foreign countries in its undergraduate liberal-arts program and four master's degree programs. In addition to rigorous academics and a well-supported Honors program, the school features a 17-sport NCAA Division III athletic program and dozens of service and recreational opportunities."

- A Press Release