October 12, 2005
ShimerCollege Hosts an Evening of Blues History

‘The Blues:  The History of an American Art Form’ will be the topic of a musical presentation in the Shimer College Gymnasium on October 27 at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Katherine Davis, a renowned singer of blues, Gospel and jazz, will discuss the blues tradition along with Erwin Helfer, an accomplished Chicago blues and boogie-woogie jazz pianist. Davis and Erwin are music educators as well as professional musicians. They often perform together as part of Chicago's ‘Blues in the Schools’ program.

A flamboyant alto singer, Davis will share stories about the music of classic blueswomen like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. Helfer, a native of Chicago's south side, has been performing and teaching college students about Jazz and Blues for decades. See their websites at www.katherinedavis.com and www.erwinhelferpiano.com.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Illinois Humanities Council, the Illinois General Assembly, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.