ABOUT
A brief history of the European Blues Association
Throughout Europe and the United Kingdom, there is a healthy interest in the performance of African American music. Monthly magazines are published in France, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. National and international performers and a European audience travel widely to celebrate the common ground they share in their love of the music. A number of enthusiasts, including Dr Paul Oliver MBE (a leading authority in the field of academic research on blues music and African American culture for the past 50 years), believed there was a need to form an organisation that would become a major resource to foster an understanding of the culture from which blues and all related African American music (spiritual and secular) originated. The group wanted the project to provide a resource for study, research and live musical activities.
In 1999 the decision was taken to form the âEuropean Blues Foundationâ and in 2001 the name was changed to âThe European Blues Association.â On 18 January 2002, the European Blues Association was confirmed as a Registered Charity by the United Kingdom Charities Commission and entered in the Central Register of Charities. The EBA is administered by a Board of Trustees and past trustees have included noted academics, well-known musicians, local broadcasters and politicians.
Working with performance
Participation through performance can be one of the key factors in the development and maintenance of a life-long enthusiasm for music-making. This in turn can lead to the desire for a deeper understanding of the cultural history and context that formed the music. Since 2000, the EBA has promoted and organised a range of workshops and performances held at various locations in the UK.
Stefan Grossman, at the University of Northampton
Working with young people
From the beginning, the EBA has been engaged in educational activities with primary and secondary schools. We have donated musical instruments and hosted performance workshops demonstrating the African American underpinnings of twentieth-century popular music.
Dana Gillespie with John Jackson Scholarship student Dani Wilde at the University of Exeter
Working with the local community
EBA trustees are frequent broadcasters and guests on national and local UK radio programmes featuring African American music. Michael Roach presented a three-part series called âDeep Blueâ on BBCâs Radio 4. The EBA has been working with the Gloucestershire County Library Services since 2003 presenting concerts and events to local community groups. In 2011, we received a grant from the Summerfield Trust to produce a film promoting higher achievement involving secondary school children that was featured at the âBlack Achievement Awards Ceremonyâ sponsored by the Gloucestershire County Councilâs Racial Equality and Diversity Services.
John Jackson
Working with the academic community
The EBA has formed a partnership with  Oxford Brookes University to encourage the use of the Archive of  African American Music for undergraduate and post-graduate students and academic researchers. The Archive is housed in the Oxford Brookes Special Collections section of the university main library.
Working with the music industry
Since 2000, the EBA has been actively involved in the Gloucester International Rhythm & Blues Festival promoting concerts, seminars and workshops. Local events are held, such as the âJug Band Weekendâ (Cheltenham 2009) and Canadian hip hop artist DJ Subliminalâs âMotivational Workshopâ (Gloucester 2010). To further our aim of âeducation through appreciation of performanceâ, we have featured noted African American performers such as John Jackson, Ethel Caffie-Austin, Louisiana Red, Lazy Lester, Johnny Mars, Keith Dunn, John Cephas, Phil Wiggins and âPhiladelphiaâ Jerry Ricks.