One of the unique and wonderful aspects of the Washington, D.C., acoustic blues was and is a strong sense of community and kinship. This solidarity continues to this day and is one of the main differentiators of the vibrant D.C. blues scene compared to nearly any other. One of the early catalysts to unite the local musicians of the African American community was the Travellin’ Blues Workshop, comprised of young music fans who recognized that within their midst were folk blues musicians of great cultural importance. The Travellin’ Blues Workshop was a non-profit organization founded in 1974 by Elliot Ryan, the publisher of the Unicorn Times, at that time a free weekly arts and culture newspaper that was very popular in the D.C. metro region between 1973 and 1986. This newspaper was also an important voice for the traditional blues scene, with a series of significant articles published by writers such as Richard Harrington, who later joined the Washington Post as a music critic. Many readers, mostly young college students in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia, were first made aware that there even was a local, deep-roots African American blues scene in the region by reading the local free press.
Read an essay about the The Travellin’ Blues Workshop on the Sweet Bitter Blues website.
