102 History of the Blues in Three Parts
Art, Culture, Music, Tra | FULL (Membership Required)
In this class the following will be discussed:
- Early development of the Blues from field hollers to gospel music
- Delta Blues and the development of the Blues in the early 20th century
- Geographic and commercial development of the Blues to the present day
Doug Harris
Born in Oak Ridge, TN, Doug Harris began singing in church choir when he was 4 years old. In 1994, Doug moved to Murfreesboro, TN, where he worked in retail management with several CD stores in middle TN. There he learned about all genres of music. In addition, he took classes at Middle Tennessee State University, which included the history of popular music in America. Along the way he began playing harmonica. He began playing with bands. Doug returned to Knoxville in 2003. He began co-hosting the open mic at Brackins Blues Bar. In 2005, he and the band, Blue Revolution, represented the Smoky Mountain Blues Society at the International Blues Competition in Memphis, TN. Doug released 2 full albums with The Dirty Dogs and one EP. Doug co-teaches the Blues in Schools program for the Smoky Mountain Blues Society. Doug teaches harmonica at Murlin's Music in Maryville, TN. Since 2014, he has been a volunteer at Blount Memorial Hospital in a program called Rare Aire, a medical fitness program utilizing harmonica and singing to improve lung function.
Robert Higginbotham
Robert Higginbotham is a founding member of the Smoky Mountain Blues Society. Rob was raised in Brooklyn, NY. His earliest musical influences were associated with the church where he sang in the choir from 6 to 14. His life changed when he saw B.B. King live at the age of 14 in 1967. Rob was influenced by the Kings, James Cotton, T-Bone Walker and others. He played drums in the Jazz Me Blues Band, The Four Gone Conclusions, and smaller projects before switching to guitar in the Performing Band in the early 1970s. After moving to Knoxville in 1989, Rob began going to jams and meeting other local folks. He ran the Blues Jam at Brackins Blues Club for 10 years. Besides playing the guitar, Rob has been teaching guitar full time since 2004. He currently teaches at Open Chord in Knoxville, LeGrand Music in Fountain City, and online.