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Behind the Scenes- by
LynnAnn Hyde
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Behind the Scenes- by
LynnAnn Hyde
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A profile on some of the men and women who have made great contributions to the Blues community. If you know of someone who qualifies as a "Behind the Scenes" profile candidate, please let us know!
Valarie Davis, former CBA Board Member, has dedicated much of her time in supporting and
promoting the music and artists on a truly global level. Valarie is an award-winning photographer and has been responsible for the documentation of many Blues performers at local, regional, national and international events.
Her photos are highly sought after by national and international Blues publications.
Many artists request her to photograph them at promotional sessions and on-site at other venues.
BUT, IT DOESN'T STOP THERE!! Valarie also promotes and books the very successful
"Blue Heron Festival" at Cathedral Park (July 14th this year), and
she also booked and did all promotions for the Acoustic Blues Festival and the
CBA's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
Valarie was instrumental in turning the annual CBA Picnic into a "can't miss" event, and the many years she gave to the CBA has made a lasting impression! Her love of Blues and art have caused her to move forward with her outstanding career as a documentarian and photographic Blues journalist. Her work on the West Coast keeps her on the run, but she loves every minute of it!
She is a lovely woman with a heart of gold, a tireless proponent of acoustic, Chicago and West Coast Blues; she loves it all! Valarie keeps a positive attitude, and is a talent we should all be proud of!
WOW! Catching up with these two is almost impossible! But, I did speak with the lovely and
gracious Bobbie for many hours, and these are some of the things that are important to them .... Blues, Blues, and some more Blues!
Both Errol and Bobbie Shervey served the CBA as Board Members, volunteers, and just about any other capacity you can think of! Errol and Bobbie helped to start many educational programs here in Portland, starting with Blues In Schools, and including clinics, workshops, and other presentations by outstanding Blues performers. They tirelessly advocated Acoustic and Traditional Blues, as CBA agents, and in the Blues radio programs that Errol has been airing on KBOO (90.7 FM) for many years. Errol is also a strong supporter of Chicago Blues, and he and Bobbie have hosted many fine Chicago and Traditional Blues artists over the years.
Errol and Bobbie Shervey have chosen to dedicate their very lives to the support and promotion of the Blues, and Portland is a much better place for their efforts.
Steve Nassar is truly one of the most exceptional guys I have had the honor to know, and to call my
"pal". Steve is a long-time Supporting Member of the CBA, and also is a fine guitarist / mandolin player in the traditional music genre.
Steve came onto the CBA Board this year, and not only has he been the "back-bone" for many of the committees (THAT'S HOW WE GET THINGS DONE, FOLKS!) but he single-handedly up-dated and improved the CBA website to "Award Winning" status!
Steve also devotes much of his time to maintaining the website, keeping the links current, and adding new sections.
Steve has had to step off the Board for awhile, but continues to be the CBA Webmaster, and to support Blues on a local and national level. Steve has been helpful to Blues artists here in Portland through his engineering at recording sessions in his home studio. Steve also has photographed many Blues performers with his "digi-cam" and got their pictures out into Cyberspace for the entire world to enjoy. Steve Nassar has made outstanding contributions to our Blues community, and we owe him a big thank you!
Remember, we are interested in your input for Behind The Scenes profiles. Let us know who you would like to see featured in this column!
Next: Behind The Scenes: Joey Scruggs, Bill Rhoades and Mark Goldfarb.
© 2001 Cascade Blues Association