Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Radio

Latest Episodes:

Go Back and Fetch the Rhythm: Baba Súle Greg Wilson on Sankofa, Spirit, and Black Musical Memory Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio, we welcome Baba Súle Greg Wilson, an American Griot, musician, author, storyteller, educator, and cultural bearer whose work moves through rhythm, Spirit, memory, and Sankofa.Born and raised in Washington, DC, Súle grew up surrounded by street musicians, family stories, global visitors, neighborhood wisdom, and ancestral conversations around the kitchen table. From learning rhythm bones from his father to helping catalyze the Carolina Chocolate Drops and co-directing the historic Black Banjo Gathering, his journey speaks to the deep roots of African and African American musical traditions.Together, we explore Sankofa, rhythm bones, the Black banjo, African spirituality, movement, storytelling, and the body as an archive of memory and healing. This conversation invites listeners to hear rhythm not only as music, but as ancestral wisdom, cultural survival, sacred disruption, and a path toward renewal.for more on Baba Súle Greg Wilsonhttps://sulegregwilson.com/

Bearing Witness: Allisa Charles-Findley on Black Advocacy, Justice, and the Legacy of Botham Jean Jul 13, 2026

Show notes

Presented as part of The African American Folklorist Black Advocacy Issue, the Black Advocacy Symposium brings together public testimony, cultural memory, and practical community guidance for families and communities navigating institutional harm.

This episode centers Black Americans first—because our communities have too often been forced to learn how to respond to tragedy, protect our loved ones’ stories, confront systems of power, and demand justice while carrying grief. At the same time, the conversation welcomes all listeners who are committed to showing up with care, responsibility, and accountability.

Featuring Allisa Charles-Findley, sister of Botham Jean, who was killed in Dallas on September 6, 2018, this symposium offers more than remembrance. It provides a people-centered roadmap for what advocacy can look like after tragedy: how families and communities can respond, who they may need to contact, what steps can help protect the narrative, and how advocacy can be sustained beyond the first wave of public attention.

Hosted by the Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation, this episode also asks an important question for folklorists, ethnomusicologists, cultural workers, and community scholars: How can our tools serve the people? Through ethical documentation, oral history, community archiving, and narrative stewardship, we explore how cultural workers can support advocates, help families preserve legacy, and strengthen Black community control over our own stories.

The Black Advocacy Symposium is both a conversation and a call to responsibility—an invitation to listen, learn, document, protect, and act.

Ain’t No Uncle Tom in My Blues: A Conversation with The Undaunted Professor Harp Jul 12, 2026

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In this long-overdue episode of Jack Dappa Blues, we welcome The Undaunted Professor Harp for a deep and unflinching conversation about Blues, Black history, survival, and truth. Drawing from his memoir, Ain’t No Uncle Tom in My Blues: Life and Times of the Undaunted Professor Harp, Professor Harp reflects on a lifetime in the music—from discovering the harmonica through George “Harmonica” Smith, to sitting in with Muddy Waters, to carrying the weight of being a Black Bluesman in Boston and the New England region for decades.This conversation goes far beyond biography. Professor Harp speaks candidly about racism, appropriation, injustice, under-recognition, perseverance, and the struggle to preserve the Blues as a Black cultural form rooted in lived experience. He reminds us that the Blues is not just entertainment. It is testimony. It is protest. It is memory. It is Black history carried in sound.We also discuss the roots of his stripped-down Texas-style approach, the mentors who helped shape his path, the meaning behind the title “Undaunted,” and his belief that the Blues remains the original protest music in America. Honest, sharp, and deeply grounded, Professor Harp offers a necessary word on what has been lost, what still remains, and why this music still matters.This is not just an interview with a harmonica master. It is a witness statement from a man who has lived the Blues, studied the Blues, fought through the Blues, and never stopped telling the truth about the world that made it.

The River Carried the Music: Michael L. Jones and Louisville's Black Jug Band Legacy Jul 12, 2026

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Join us as we celebrate Michael L. Jones, August’s African American Folklorist for the Month of August 2025, on this special episode of Jack Dappa Blues Radio. Michael is a Louisville‑based journalist, author, and music historian whose award‑winning book Louisville Jug Music: From Earl McDonald to the National Jubilee traces the roots of jug band music and earned the 2015 Samuel Thomas Book Award. A musicologist, ethnomusicologist, historian, and folklorist, Jones straddles many disciplines to document and preserve African American cultural traditions.In this in‑depth conversation, we explore how jug band music emerged along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, drawing on West African rituals, New Orleans “spasm bands” and the melting‑pot soundscapes of Louisville. Jones explains why Louisville’s location on the Ohio River made it an “information superhighway” for Black musicians in the 19th century. By the 1890s there were about thirty active jug bands in the city; Sarah Martin and Whistler’s Jug Band produced the first two jug‑band recordings in 1925, helping to popularize the genre and inspiring groups like the Memphis Jug Band. We discuss the jug as the “poor man’s tuba,” its deep ties to the banjo, and how distilleries soon branded their vessels, embedding jug music into Kentucky culture.Michael also shares his personal journey, from living with indie musicians and writing for LEO Weekly to tracking down descendants of early jug‑band players and becoming a steward of Louisville’s musical memory. He explains why preserving oral histories matters and introduces his latest project, Soulful Sounds of Derbytown, a collaborative book documenting Black music across genres in Louisville. Along the way, he recounts stories of forgotten heroes like blues singer Sarah Martin and explores how Louisville’s vibrant arts community nurtures innovation.Whether you’re a music historian, a blues lover or a curious listener, this episode offers a masterclass in how journalism, folklore and ethnomusicology come together to keep tradition alive. Subscribe and tune in to learn how Louisville’s jug band legacy still resonates today.

His Harmonica Speaks: Billy Branch, the Blues Beyond Borders, and the Labor of Legacy Jul 11, 2026

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In this Deep Blues episode, we sit down with Billy Branch, Emmy Award winner, 3-time Grammy nominee, 2020 Blues Hall of Fame inductee, and living legend of the Chicago Blues tradition.Discovered by Willie Dixon and mentored by the late Carey Bell, Billy Branch has spent over five decades shaping, performing, and preserving the Blues. From recording with icons like Koko Taylor and Taj Mahal to pioneering the globally recognized Blues in the Schools program, Branch’s harmonica tells stories rooted in lineage, labor, and liberation.We explore his groundbreaking work in the culture, history, and music of the blues, his reflections on touring worldwide( from Chicago’s South Side to the stages of Turkey, China, and beyond), and his new project with the groundbreaking blues tune Beggin' For a Change featuring Ronny Baker Brooks and Shemika Copeland. Billy shares insight into his latest music, his tribute to Little Walter, and why the Blues is not just music—it’s a living tradition.Whether you’re a musician, educator, student, or lifelong Blues fan, this episode offers deep wisdom on heritage, pedagogy, and the enduring cultural power of Black traditional music.

Chicago Beau: Blues, Black Memory, and a Lifetime of Storytelling | Jack Dappa Blues Jul 11, 2026

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On this episode of Jack Dappa Blues, I sit down with the legendary Chicago Beau (Lincoln T. Beauchamp Jr.)—musician, author, publisher, poet, cultural commentator, and one of the great living voices of Black music and Blues culture. For decades, Chicago Beau has created, documented, and protected Black artistic expression through music, literature, and fearless storytelling.Together, we explore a lifetime shaped by the Blues, from Chicago's South Side to stages around the world. This conversation moves beyond performance to examine memory, community, Black cultural identity, artistic independence, and the responsibility of preserving our stories on our own terms.This is more than an interview—it's an oral history.If you're interested in:The history of the Chicago BluesBlack cultural preservationBlues folklore and oral traditionIndependent Black publishingThe relationship between music, community, and social historyThe voices of the elders who helped shape Blues culture...this episode is for you.At Jack Dappa Blues, we believe the Blues is more than music—it is history, memory, and a cultural archive carried through the voices of Black people. Conversations like this help preserve that archive for future generations.If you enjoy this episode, please:LikeLeave a commentSubscribeShare this interview to help preserve the stories of our Blues elders.Learn more about Chicago Beau:Official WebsiteFollow Jack Dappa Blues:🌐 https://jackdappabluesradio.tv🌐 https://lamontjackpearley.com

Benjamin Hunter – Traditions, Folk & The Future of Cultural Work Jul 10, 2026

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What happens when a classically trained violinist reclaims the roots of Black folk, Blues, and community power? In this robust conversation, I sit down with Benjamin Hunter, Artistic Director of Northwest Folklife and co-founder of Black & Tan Hall, to explore the intersections of music, memory, and modern-day folklore.🖤 Ben Hunter isn’t just playing music—he’s cultivating spaces where memory, folk wisdom, and creative resistance live.He’s an award-winning musician, composer, educator, and social entrepreneur whose work bridges ancestral traditions with contemporary movement-building.🔊 In this episode, we dig into:– His journey from classical to Blues and American roots– What it means to be a modern-day griot– The future of folk music and community preservation– Cultural equity, creative space-making, and musical storytelling– Winning the International Blues Challenge & composing for Black Bois– Why community is the archive—and the artist is the folklorist🎶 "The music he plays not only spans an array of genres but a huge swath of history." – City Arts Magazine📍 Whether you're an artist, cultural worker, or lover of the Blues, this episode will inspire, inform, and move you.🔔 Subscribe for more interviews exploring Black traditional music, folklore, and cultural memory.👇 Drop a comment below: How does Benjamin Hunter's journey connect with your own story?

You Have a Home Here: A Blues People Homecoming Mar 22, 2026

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Tonight’s live broadcast, “You Have a Home, Part 2,” is a community update and a homecoming message for Blues People. We’re sharing what’s next as we prepare to live broadcast on WPBR, We The Blues People Radio Network, and the Reflexive Podcast on Patreon, expanding the ways our community can gather, learn, and stay connected.We’ll walk through the rhythm of our programming, our Thursday night show and Sunday night show, and connect it to the larger African American Folklorist ecosystem, an archive and a Well, rooted in cultural memory, story, sound, and community-led stewardship. Come in, tap in, and welcome home.

Black Folk Belief, Hoodoo & The Blues: The Hidden Spiritual World of Blues People Mar 15, 2026

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Tony Kail, Memphis Hoodoo, and the Spiritual Traditions of the Black SouthWhat is Black American Folk Belief? And what does it have to do with the Blues?In this episode, cultural anthropologist and author Tony Kail, whose work documenting Memphis Hoodoo and the Beale Street Hoodoo History and Folklife Museum helps preserve the stories of African American healers, rootworkers, and spiritual practitioners whose traditions supported Black communities for generations, joins the podcast to discuss:• Black American Folk Belief as cultural knowledge• The connection between Blues music and spiritual traditions• Memphis Hoodoo and the cultural world of Beale Street• How land, environment, and Southern space shaped Black tradition• The role of rootworkers and healers in Black community survival• Why folklore documentation matters todayThis episode is part of the Jack Dappa Blues mission to document the intellectual traditions, cultural memory, and lived experiences of Blues People.Jack Dappa Blues is not just about music.It’s about the people, the land, the memory, and the knowledge that made the Blues possible.Subscribe for more conversations on:Blues History • Black Folklore • Cultural Preservation • Ethnomusicology • African American Traditional MusicJoin our community:► Support Jack Dappa Blues on Patreon► Join The African American Folklorist community► Attend our workshops and courses► Sponsorship and underwriting opportunities availableJack Dappa Blues – Preserving the Blues People, one voice, one story, one tradition at a time.

MASTER CLASS REPLAY: Locating Tribal Ancestry! Jul 04, 2025

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Presented by: Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation
In partnership with The African American Folklorist

This in-depth session brings together leaders grounded in Indigenous identity, tribal sovereignty, and reclamation work to guide participants through the process of connecting and reconnecting families to tribal ancestry.

💬 One powerful takeaway?
Blood quantum doesn’t equal identity. In this conversation, we unpack how someone can be recorded as having no blood quantum in the Cherokee Nation — not because they aren’t Indigenous, but because they’re from a different tribal nation (like Muscogee Creek). It’s a detail that seems small but carries deep implications for how ancestry is recorded, denied, or erased.

This master class covers:

Navigating Freedmen and tribal records
Understanding rejection letters as historical archives
Misclassification in blood quantum and tribal rolls
Using the Guion-Miller and Dawes Rolls to uncover family stories
How Black and Indigenous communities intersect in these histories

📺 Now streaming for paid members.
Support the work. Reclaim the knowledge. Restore the lineage.

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