I grew up loving the blues. We did not have alot, but we had a mighty capacity to dream, and appreciate the beauty of life experience.
Embedded deep within my being is an appreciation for the hard fought underdog making good in the world today.

I get that good and solid from my pops, Mahlon Simmons, who loves music deeply, but none so deeply as his attachment to the blues. Dad was in the Blue Note Band in Illinois, when he was growing up in Fairbury IL. This was a pretty well known Midwest band.

This was a week full of heart warming stories. From Sun's return to profitability, the Chicago Bears making history, and then when I heard of BB King hospitalization today at age 81, I decided it was time to honor the man and the music that is part of the tapestry of my life!

Folks and Blues is a big part of my roots and we were introduced to all the greats Odetta, BB King, Leadbelly, Muddy Waters, and Billie Holliday. There is some kind of grace to being put face to the fire and being able to face it, move on, and sing about it. Until last week it took guts to be a Chicago Bears Fan.. It seemed like a lifetime and well more than 2 decades ago that My husband was in the Army when the Bears were last in the Superbowl. He wrote "GO BEARS" in letters made by marching across the snowdrifts in his military boots with the huge block letters that can probably visible from outer space,

It seemed unlikely if you listened to the critics, that Sun would ever make it's return. However for the critics willing to say "no company has fallen this far and recovered'. To some that would be cause to give up. To a blues loving, midwesterner that is cause to work a little harder to let the story of success occur and let it be now!

BB King, born in the cotton fields, raised in difficulty to Legend of the Mississippi Delta, Father of the Spirit of Blues, but the dream in his heart and the music of his spirit was always there. That he came from pretty humble beginnings, to the king he is today, is just part of his charm. The music however he sings is edgy, not because of the words he lived, but because of the experiences that inspired, and possibly necessitated the song. BB King is a man who earned his position and his throne. His grace under pressure created a portfolio, a lifetime of music that represents love, work and the times of the American.

He has such a gift with his guitar, able to create a sound all his own, and Lucille can sing!! His music had a quality of hopefulness, of beauty and honesty that you can feel in the core of your being, if you let it move you! A nice gift to see him getting Presidential Honors for his contributions to music.

The Chicago Bears have got game and it was time for history to let that story be told.

The Sun also rises on Sun. May we find the grace to face and transform our challenges to beautiful music. The blues of a generation, to be preserved for a lifetime in the hearts and spirits of people able to appreciate a hard fought and won success story!

Sun:
http://washington.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2007/01/22/daily31.html

Da Bears
http://www.tuftsobserver.org/sports/20070126/a_weekend_to_remember.html

BB King
http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?in_article_id=34862&in_page_id=7&in_a_source=