T W On The Blues.

The philosophy is simple. Once upon a time a group of people discovered that a burden shared is a burden divided between a lot of hearts. They also discovered the desire and the need to communicate their views and feelings about oppression and prejudice without being discovered and further oppressed. They also sought a way to celebrate themselves and life that could give full expression to their joy at being alive. Instead of calling it African Folk Music or "The Browns", they were wise enough to realize that every living soul could understand and respond to the Blues. Mostly because I cannot think I know anyone whose life has been so happy as to never have known sadness and even despair. So they called this new musical language the Blues. It is simple enough that anyone can learn the forms and complex enough for those forms to be one of the most comprehensive emotional languages ever to emerge from within the human heart. It is words for those who cannot speak and a song for those without ears. It is a lamp for those who cannot see. It is NOT a refuge for poseurs and damned fools and it is growing and has been growing since its inception.

I am only a man. Little or nothing at my best but the music is special. It is not a gift but rather a loan. Like all major loans it takes a big payment. My payment schedule says that I will every minute of my life until I am dead for the privilege of being able to communicate with people.