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The Blind Boys of Alabama & Ruthie Foster To Be Featured in Fourth Installment of The Smithsonian's "Roots to Pop" Series
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Performance and discussion on the musical effects of past and present, held
at The National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. on May 23
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| NASHVILLE, Tenn. and WASHINGTON D.C. (May 19, 2023) — The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and the Americana Music Foundation have announced the fourth installment of its collaborative "Roots to Pop" series. The Blind Boys of Alabama and Ruthie Foster will be the featured artists for the latest edition of the educational music programming moderated by Krystal Klingenberg, Curator of Music, Division of Culture & the Arts at the NMAH.
Throughout the partnership, the AMF and the museum co-curate events to present live music performances and conversations with artists from the Americana community. This initiative strives to connect contemporary music to past lineage through preservation, education and celebration.
The Blind Boys and Foster will discuss the American musical past and how it might affect the musical present while exploring the musicians' work and influences of gospel and blues through conversation and song.
"Our collaboration with The Smithsonian's Roots to Pop series has been the perfect union," said Jed Hilly, Executive Director of the Americana Music Association and Foundation. "Since our partnership last December, we've had the pleasure of featuring talented artists like Taj Mahal, Allison Russell, Flaco Jiménez, Max Baca, and Rhiannon Giddens. Now, I look forward to the next installment and the conversation with The Blind Boys, Ruthie and Smithsonian National Museum of American History Curator Krystal Klingenberg."
The fourth installment of the Roots to Pop series with The Blind Boys and Foster is a FREE event with limited ticket quantity available here.
The Blind Boys' career spans seven decades after their founding at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind in 1939. After rising to prominence through the Jim Crow era and Civil Rights Movement, the gospel group became Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductees and has been awarded five GRAMMY Awards and Lifetime Achievement honors from the Recording Academy. The Blind Boys continue to tour and record to this day with their latest project released in 2017, Almost Home, which was produced across multiple cities with award-winning producers, including John Leventhal in New York City, Vance Powell in Nashville, Chris Goldsmith in Seattle and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals.
Foster, a 10-time Blues Music Awards winner and three-time GRAMMY nominee, sparked her career through an unconventional path. As an officer of the U.S. Navy, she served as the frontwoman for the group Pride, which performed for naval recruits across the country. After taking root back in her home state of Texas, Foster released her 1997 debut album, Full Circle, and her sophomore album, Crossover, before she united with independent folk label Blue Corn Music. Foster has released seven records with Blue Corn Music and collaborated with other music icons such as Bonnie Raitt, The Allman Brothers, Warren Hayes, Susan Tedeschi and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
In December 2022, to celebrate the opening of the new “Entertainment Nation” exhibition at the museum, the two organizations began their partnership to chronicle the significance of Americana music and its place in American culture. Taj Mahal and Allison Russell served as the inaugural artists for the "Roots to Pop" series, then were followed by Flaco Jiménez and Max Baca, as well as Rhiannon Giddens, with each session being hosted by Klingenberg.
Following The Blind Boys and Foster's presentation in May, the National Museum of American History and Americana Music Foundation will collaborate for a final installment later this year.
About the Americana Music Foundation (AMF): The Americana Music Foundation (AMF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational and charitable organization, was founded to preserve Americana music through education. The Foundation endeavors to strengthen understanding, awareness and appreciation of cultural heritage, to shine a light on inspiration, and to promote the capacity and engagement of future creators. The foundation accomplishes this mission through educational programs, musical performances and public events. Throughout the year, its partnership with The Americana Music Association and NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development focuses on the preservation of past legacies and traditions that spotlight Americana music’s heritage, while also looking ahead to ensure the future of the community’s generations to come.
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