Story and Interview by Kiki Plesha • www . facebook . com / TheFairyRockMotherKikiPlesha Photography by Graham Whittington • https :// grahamwhittingtonlensart . smugmug . com
The genre of “ The Blues ” is a unique one — not only in its sound , but in its origin . It was born from strife , as it developed from the deep south of America ; emerging from the soulful spirituals that were sung by African slaves that toiled in the fields of plantations . As a community , they would lift their voices , and found comfort and fellowship in the lyrics and messages of hope derived from the songs they sang . This was the birth of the blues — and its essence has been embraced by , not only America , but the WORLD as a whole . And never was the wide appeal of the blues so evident to me , as when I attended the International Blues Challenge , sponsored by The Blues Foundation , in Memphis , TN . I found myself immersed in the culture of blues ; a culture that was not only represented by the strains of crying guitars , lamenting bass tones and whining blues harps — but in the leagues of nations that filled the entire length of Beale Street . And it was in the midst of this , that I stumbled upon SOBO BLUES BAND , hailing from the Holy city of Jerusalem in Israel .