2008 Yes We Can!

I would like to inscribe in stone that the

“Year 2008 A.D. has been Momentous!”

It is a time of such uncertainty but also a time to hope and continue to work for a better world for all of us including all living things.

“We won the Grammy, Granny Annie!”

As you may know, my family started The Blue Shoe Project with the recording of “Last of the Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen” at the Majestic Theatre in Dallas, Texas on October 16, 2004. And the work was recognized as the “Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year” February 10, 2008. Since we had never put on a concert before, and knew little about  the recording business, it took a few years to assemble the album and get it pressed. We are still needing help in distribution and sales, as the mission of The Blue Shoe Project is bringing educational programs to kids.

Celebrations are important no matter how large or small the accomplishment or milestone reached. So just having the album nominated was enough for my son Michael Dyson, Co-founder of “Blue Shoe” to start the ball rolling on a party!  February 8, 2008 my family celebrated along with friends in our community of Grapevine, Southlake, and of course Colleyville, Texas with our own “Grammy Gala” Celebration in Grapevine, Texas. Then early the next morning, after nearly staying up all night at The Palace Theatre, we hopped on American Airlines for our flight to LAX. The Staples Center in Los Angeles was brimming with excitement and it was an experience we will never forget. Especially because I, Anne Dyson, a.k.a., ”Blue Shoe Mom” was there with camera in hand to capture some memories for the road, which I have to say was quite challenging without a press pass! I am not a self promoter by nature but please take a look! The concert and end result, an album, was not an easy feat, the recognition is well deserved; but still unbelievable.

The work of preserving and promoting Blues music goes on everyday with www.BlueShoeProject.org. Through sales of the Grammy Award winning CD and other small donations, we hope to be able to continue and leave a legacy of helping to educate children on ”the blues”, a truly American art form that significantly influenced nearly all of modern music today.

Photography: My path has never been without derailments in my pursuit of art, nor should I have expected it to be. I have been blessed many times over and this time with  lessons straight from voices who have travelled nearly a century on this planet. Along with students of all ages, I witnessed the performances of four great men who had been born in the Mississippi Delta and rose above hardship through the love of their music. Through their art, they have shared with younger generations the importance of never giving up. Each Bluesman embodied their own anecdotes about living a good life which included stories of perseverance and a commitment to work at it everyday.

If you are an artist, the desire to create art never ceases, no matter what your occupation or “day job”. And so it is with me.

I heard Bluesman, “Honey Boy” Edwards tell the boys at Georgetown Prep School last fall, “You only stop you”. (From doing what you want to do) Having lived a life where he had cared for his wife, children and others, he didn’t mean abandon your family to do what you want to do. I take that he meant; plan to do what you want to do and figure out how to do it. That said, what I want to do is continue working on becoming a better art photographer in tandem with my ongoing pursuit of appreciating nature, and doing what I can to preserve it for future generations.