Documenting Blues People and Black Folklore (w/ Lamont Jack Pearley)

My guest for this episode is Lamont Jack Pearley, Executive Director and founder of Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation & the African American Folklorist Magazine. He is an applied folklorist, an African American music historian, a traditional country blues artist himself, and an inductee into the New York Blues Hall of Fame.

We discuss a host of topics, including the meaning of applied folklorist, the relationship between folklorists & archivists, and the reason he founded The African American Folklorist Magazine I also chat a great deal with Mr. Pearley about the blues: Why the genre is such a potent lens for Black culture, hip hop songs that function as blues songs, and how being a blues artist informs his scholarly work.

• Lamont Jack Pearley's website: lamontjackpearley.com
• Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation: jackdappabluesradio.tv
• The African American Folklorist Magazine: theafricanamericanfolklorist.com
• Full episode notes here: blacketcpod.com/episodes/018-lamont-jack-pearley