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Behind the Scenes- by LynnAnn Hyde
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Behind the Scenes- by LynnAnn Hyde
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Behind the Scenes profiles some of the many wonderful folks who have done, and continue to do, so much for the Blues community and the CBA. Each person we have profiled has been extraordinary in their dedication to supporting, promoting and preserving the Blues.
YOUR CBA at-large BOD members Rose Allen and LeEtta Clark will be writing profiles for publication, and they need your help. Please contact Rose or LeEtta at the meeting, at any CBA function, or by e-mail at: cbastaff@cascadeblues.org to submit Behind the Scenes candidates and ideas.
My heart goes out to the lovely Robin Ira. Robin could not respond to the profile questionnaire this month due to a family emergency. Let's all keep a prayer in our hearts for Robin and also for Rick Hall and his family during their time of loss.
I have chosen to profile that wild an' crazy guy, Ken Johnson. I have also included a piece about someone very important to the Blues scene that we have lost, Carol-Faye Moore.
I first met Ken and his sweet, lovely wife Susan
at a CBA meeting! Later that year, they were helping out at the picnic,
and let me hang out with them, as I knew no one in the CBA. It was my
first year as a member, and theirs, too. We became good pals that day and
continue to help one another in our endeavors.
Ken is from right here, P-town born and bred. He has been husband and father for many, many years and is totally dedicated to his family. Ken has a number of business interests, including the infamous, DRUMONE.com.
Ken and Susan began donating their time and resources to the CBA in '93, and have become two of the strongest advocates in the community. Ken has served on the Board as an at-large member and continues to serve the Board in various capacities. Ken was the first guy in our area to research the Blues First competition, and helped the CBA to initiate the Hudson / Journey to Memphis Fund. He has spent countless hours and many of his own financial resources on the CBA and community projects.
Ken and Sue donate their trailer each year as the Hospitality area for artists at the Waterfront Blues Festival, offering a cool and private place for musicians to rest, re-group, or just hang-out before and after their shows. Ken also donates drum kits from DrumOne to the festival each year, making it a lot easier for the bands and the supporting staff at the festival.
Ken has done several benefit concerts and has donated monies generated from those concerts to charity. He is a staunch believer in self-determination and provides excellent advice and counsel to musicians trying to break into the scene. Ken often does multi-bill concerts, sometimes featuring "new" acts. Many of these acts have gone on to become driving forces in our community, and Ken was the guy that gave them their first Portland gigs!
Ken also produced the first CBA CD, "The Muddy Awards Hall Of Fame", compilation and helped with the initial advertisement and some distribution.
Ken is currently involved with consolidating the various NW Blues Associations and Societies into a Regional Blues Affiliate. His goal is to have a large body comprised of members from each organization that will work to oversee the NW Blues scene. Ken would like to see more interaction between the Blues societies, and more cooperation with regional events that affect us all.
You can catch Ken's band, The Hudson Rocket Band, at innumerable clubs, festivals and other events throughout Oregon and Washington. Ken and Sue attend each general assembly and most other CBA events.
Thanks Ken and Sue for all you have done and for all you continue to do!
Carol Faye Moore, Rest in Peace. This piece is long, long overdue. Carol Faye was a gregarious, outspoken woman and she loved the Blues. Carol was wife to notorious drummer, Johnny Moore, and she was a big part of the Blues community from the late `70s until the day she passed away.
Carol Faye Moore is loved and missed by many of us with her contagious laugh, her tiny shoulders big enough for any one to cry on, her randy quips, and twinkling eyes. Carol Faye was110% behind anyone that actually played THE BLUES, and she often went out of her way to help out disenfranchised musicians and their families.
Even though Carol Faye was critically ill, she put her whole heart and soul into the Mel Solomon / St. Valentine's Day Party last year. Carol organized the food, the auction, and got a group of volunteers together to help out. She never complained or mentioned her own failing health, and until the end, Carol kept her humor and grace.
God blessed us with Carol Faye, and He has taken her back. She is loved and missed.
Until the Next Time
- LynnAnn Hyde
© 2001 Cascade Blues Association