This presentation is dedicated to the memory of Robert Lockwood Jr: March 27, 1915 - November 21, 2006

Photo to the left taken at the concert Robert Lockwood Jr. did for WUMB Radio at UMass Boston on September 30, 2006 (photo by Rich Hughes).

View a video of two of the songs Robert performed on 9/30/2006 -- Steady Rolling Man and This is Sweet in Windows Media Player format here.

View a video of the same two of the songs in Real Player format here

Click here for a Quicktime movie about the history of the Delta Blues

Hi, my name is Ivan Forde and I am a Junior at UMass Boston. The link above, is a compilation of information about the sweet music generated out of the Mississippi Delta and historic facts about its musicians. The great musicians might be gone, but we still have their musical recordings and their history - so the blues will live forever.

On Saturday, September 30, 2006, WUMB Radio, along with the Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture produced a concert with Delta Blues great Robert Lockwood Jr. As part of my campus work-study job at WUMB Radio, I was assigned the task of creating a Power Point presentation about the Delta Blues which was to be shown as an introduction for the concert. I knew nothing about the Delta Blues and I was not sure what to expect. But, after reading the information about the musicians and listening to their music I found it amazing. I did not realize that there were so many Blues singers, and that their lives were so interconnected. I did not know that the blues goes back from the days of slavery where the slaves used it to express their feelings. And, that it is the fundamental building blocks for modern music of all types in today's society.

While growing up I never cared or was interesting in any type of music besides Reggae and Soca because I was not exposed to it. So, when I got the chance to create a Power Point slide show about the blues and to also meet the last living blues legend Robert Lockwood Jr. I was honored. Mr. Lockwood who is a multi-award wining Blues musician gave an inspiring performance which opened up my eyes to another world of music. His performance was impressive for a man of 91 years of age. Not only was he a talented musician, he could have passed as a comedian.

After the show, during my conversation with Mr. Lockwood, he wanted to know why I was so interested in the Blues because not many young people seem to care about it. According to him, the Blues and the history of the Blues may soon be extinct, because he saw himself as the last of a dying legend. It amazed him that I was African American, because African American people hardly show him any love and admiration; the majority of his fans and followers are Caucasians.

After such an enlightening education experience my eyes will be open to accept new experiences.