Blues Society of Tulsa Established 2002

Blues Society of Tulsa's partnership with David Berntson's Crossroads Learning Experience (Blues In The Schools program) is something I am both extremely proud and very passionate about.

David Berntson is a wonderful educator and a true gem in the modern blues world. At the very least, you should be proud to know that a portion of our annual membership dues  (At this time we donate Hohner Harmonicas and booklets for each of his students in the Tulsa area) helps to contribute to these efforts.

Mr. Berntson's most recent concentrations involve programs in "at risk" schools... most recently during a sixteen week program at the Lloyd E. Rader Institute in Sand Springs, OK.

One can only appreciate the total impact of real life values he instills in his students by witnessing one of his classes first-hand. 

 --Eddie Bagwell, BST Vice President

About the Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards

Each year, The Blues Foundation presents the Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Awards to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the Blues world.

Unlike the Blues Music Awards, the Blues musicians’ most sought-after honor voted on by thousands of The Blues Foundation’s members, the KBA's are awarded to non-performers on the basis of merit by a select panel of Blues professionals.

Twenty individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to Blues music were honored with The Blues Foundation's 2006 Keeping The Blues Alive (KBA) Award during a recognition brunch Saturday, January 28, 2006, in Memphis, Tennessee. The KBA ceremony was part of the International Blues Challenge (IBC) weekend of events that featured the semifinals and finals of the 22nd IBC competition as well as seminars, presentations, and receptions for Blues societies, fans, and professionals.

Noted educator, author, journalist, board member and KBA Chairman Art Tipaldi commented on this year’s recipients, “Each year the committee sifts through many worthy submissions in the process of determining the most deserving, whether that decision is based on a particular event of the past year or on years of contributions. After more than twenty years, one might think we would be running short on candidates, but the opposite is true. The sifting remains very difficult.”  

Tipaldi also notes: “The KBA is awarded for the recipient's lifetime body of work; we don’t view the recipient as the winner of a ‘best of the year’ category. Consistent with this philosophy, the committee generally refrains from awarding the KBA to an individual or organization more than once. Rather, we select a new deserving winner each year, except in rare cases when a significant period of time has elapsed since the first award.”