Augusta Heritage Center’s Blues Week in Elkins, West Virginia
Elkins, West Virginia provided a lovely, rural backdrop for all the exciting musical people and events that I experienced during my week at Davis and Elkins College at Blues Week. The gentle rolling hills, the old Victorian buildings on campus, and the pristine atmosphere created a perfect setting for relaxing and enjoying the people, the place and the music.
The first morning class that I attended was Richard Smith’s vocal warm up. Richard is a Bluesman, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and recording artist from Elkins known as Motor City Smitty. He has nurtured the talents of many generations of students as an instructor. His teaching style is loosey-goosey compared to some, but he exudes confidence and a positive spirit and draws something out of each student. We sang, and learned about phrasing and putting your soul into the music.
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| Pictured: Tittenhurst, the Victorian mansion on the campus of Davis & Elkins college where afternoon and nightly jams took place during Augusta's Blues Week in July. |
Blues Vocal Techniques with Alligator Records recording star, Gaye Adegbalola, with Roddy Barnes accompanying on piano was the next morning class. Gaye was in Sapphire, The Uppity Women of the Blues, which disbanded last November. She tours, teaches, records and performs now as a duo with Roddy Barnes, a brilliant pianist who lights up the room as soon as his fingertips hit the keys. Gaye also lectures on the history of women in the Blues. She was named teacher of the year in Fredericksburg, Virginia before going on the road with Sapphire, so it was no surprise to see her relaxed, comfortable teaching style. She provided great information on a full array of topics that included: choosing songs that fit the audience, setting a mood, giving 100% of your energy, making your delivery come from the heart, finding the right key for your voice, how and when to growl without straining your voice, creating stage presence and engaging the audience and keeping their attention. Gaye’s afternoon class was Vocal Performance which was limited to twelve students. Each student sang a song, and the class evaluated them, giving constructive criticism. It made you identify your strengths and weaknesses from an objective point of view.
I found Gaye to be the biggest source of inspiration to me. I am starting to teach vocal instruction and got lots of ideas from watching and listening to her. I am also performing as a duo with a guitar or keyboard player in addition to the five-piece band, Sweaty Betty, and am developing an appropriate repertoire. Gaye provided lots of ideas on the direction to take with that.
The classes were fun and informative all at once. I met and talked to lots of students who came from as far away as Canada, Texas, and Florida. I even ran into a harp player from Texas, Starvin' Marvin, whom I had met on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise in 2005. He agreed that the classes provided a self-esteem boost and a great deal of inspiration. Whether you were an instrumentalist or a vocalist or both, there was a wealth of good information and musical experiences in one week that will last a lifetime.
In the afternoons there was a jam session on the porch that I attended. Doc Blue, one of Pittsburgh’s most talented harp players, was also there. When he chimed in, he blew everyone away with his solo with a big range, great techniques, cool effects, and in perfect rhythm. The jam consisted mostly of guitar and harp players. I only got to sing one or two songs, so I didn’t get to ham it up as much as I would have liked!
At the more informal, evening "porch jams," I sang my heart out and strained my voice a bit. I had to take it easy for most of the week to preserve my voice for the Pittsburgh Blues Festival that Saturday, including a presentation in Jimmy Adler's Kid’s Tent and another gig that night in Sewickley at the Sons of Italy.
There was also a dance most nights where a few swing dancers ruled the dance floor doing the Lindy Hop, and blues dancing, which is a Dirty Dancing version of slow dancing. The band was smokin’ hot, making smooth transitions between blues and R & B, with a hint of rock. The drummer was a 21-year old prodigy from Washington DC, Andrew Guterman, who was a phenom. His playing was very smooth and loose, with lots of innovative and some unorthodox moves and rhythms.
The added bonus to the stay in Elkins was the cabin on the Cheat River which I rented with Kim Lucchini, aka ‘Ruby’, a budding Pittsburgh vocalist. I fell asleep every night to the sound of the river gently rushing by. The hot tub on the deck was a great perk, too. We made several glasses of wine disappear that week while soaking in it! In the mornings we recovered on the deck, sipped strong coffee, listened to the river, and watched squirrels run across the deck railing. When we saw a great blue heron glide by twenty feet from us and two deer walking in the shallow river, we knew we were in God’s country.
All in all it was a week well-spent meeting new people, enjoying the music of many professional and amateur musicians, examining my own musical and performing skills, and being inspired by the instructors on and off the stage.
For information about the Augusta Heritage program at Davis & Elkins College, go to:
Gaye Adegbalola will be in the Pittsburgh area on Thursday, November 4 at California Univ. of PA (near little Washington) in California, PA. She will deliver a lecture on the History of Women in the Blues, and will perform in concert with Roddy Barnes that evening.
~ by Sweaty Betty’s Marcy Brown
