Arts and Culture 2011

Amy Holtcamp

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  • South Carolina Festival of Discovery
    South Carolina Festival of Discovery
    Thousands descend on Greenwood each year for the Festival of Discovery. The weekend-long event attracts thousands of Blues and barbeque fans from around the country.
  • Discovering the blues
    Discovering the blues
    The South Carolina Festival of Discovery features outdoor Blues concerts and performances from some of the biggest names in the business. The annual event is held in Greenwood.
 

Discover the sound of South Carolina at the Greenwood Blues Cruise

Posted 6/23/2010 10:12:00 AM

When it starts to heat up down here in the South, the Blues’ slide guitar licks and passionate vocals seem to be the perfect soundtrack. So as temperatures soar this July, head to Greenwood for the 10th annual Greenwood Blues Cruise.

The Blues Cruise is part of the S.C. Festival of Discovery. It’s not really a “cruise,” per se; you won’t leave dry land. But you will get a fantastic opportunity to “cruise” the folk and traditional arts, crafts, music, and foods of the American South and Greenwood County in particular.

Born in the Mississippi Delta, the Louisiana Bayou, and the Piedmont region of South Carolina, the blues emerged at the end of the 19th century and is a uniquely Southern art form. It has its roots in the African vocal traditions and rhythms of the slaves who invented the art form. Then they incorporated the musical sounds of their everyday life: field hollers (work songs that included chants, whoops, shouts and cries), spirituals, church music and country strings. Above all, the Blues’ captured the emotion of a community dealing with the suffering of slavery, poverty and separation. Today, although the Blues has spread throughout the country and the world, influencing and inspiring R&B, jazz and rock and roll, it is the deeply emotional quality of Blues music remains one of its hallmarks.

The Blues Cruise presents more than 20 of the best regional and national blues acts in seven venues in Uptown Greenwood. The artists included in the festival demonstrate the range of modern Blues music: JJ Callier & the Zydeco Knockouts combine zydeco-style Louisiana blues and hip hop rhythms; Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade play the blues with a sultry swing; octogenarian Warner Williams and his partner Jay Summerour roll out a more traditional, finger-pickin’, honky-tonk style blues.

The best part is that all festival music is free.

Actually, the best part might be that the Blues Cruise is held along with the S.C. State Championship cook-off for Carolina Barbeque and traditional Black Kettle Hash, sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. So while you’re discovering the sounds of the south, you can discover its tastes as well.

The Festival of Discovery and Greenwood Blues Cruise will be held July 8-10 in Greenwood. For more information and a schedule of events visit www.festivalofdiscovery.com.