Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

~Cutting Ties~ Poem

Sometimes...
you gotta let go of hands that once held you,
just to hold on to yourself.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Blues Plus Column - Introduction

The blues is a living, vibrant, and contemporary art form, even if you couldn't tell from the limited coverage blues artists usually get in mainstream newspapers and magazines. Yes, there's a solid specialty press devoted to the music.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Honoring the Matriarchs: Black Spirituals, Field Hollers, and Slave Seculars on Mother's Day

Today, on Mother’s Day, we take a moment to honor the legacies of Black mothers, grandmothers, and aunties whose voices and influence continue to resonate through the traditions of spirituals, field hollers, and slave seculars. These women were not just caregivers—they were cultural bearers, spiritual leaders, and community builders who shaped musical traditions that echo through generations.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

The African American Folklorist of the Month of May - Dr. Ebony Bailey

In this episode of The African American Folklorist, we honor Dr. Ebony Bailey as Folklorist of the month of May. Dr. Bailey is a dynamic scholar, writer, and cultural worker whose groundbreaking research intersects Black Literature and Folklore. Dr. Bailey explores how African Americans have historically been both represented as “the folk” and how they have powerfully redefined that term through literature, activism, and cultural intervention.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

April 4 On My Heart

Thank you for making time to meditate on two prominent dates, April 4,1968, the day of Dr. Martin Luther King's Murder at the  Lorraine Motel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and April 2, 2020, the evening our oldest sibling and sister "Cookie" died from Covid 19. Her vibrant 52-year-old Daughter, Melvenia, passed 8 hours later. We didn't know Mel was infected.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

~Thinking~

Thinking about my grandmother and taking her advice to heart. 

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

Remembering Fred Shannon

One hundred years since Fred Shannon’s life was stolen by a mob of white men in a small town in Eastern Kentucky. As I stand here, in this place, I can’t help but feel the weight of that century—one hundred years of silence, unanswered questions, and untold pain.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

And the Oscar Goes To…Blacks, the Academy, and Representation.

McDaniel was only allowed into the venue with a strict “No Blacks” policy as a favor, and even then, she was segregated to her table in the very back of the room. No other blacks won that specific award again until Whoopie Goldberg did for her performance in the 1990 film Ghost.

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Lamont Pearley Lamont Pearley

You Have A Home!

We no longer need to rely on any other platform to share, publish, or even interrogate our narratives.

After a long-time supporter contacted me and shared how we are significant in disseminating and distributing the Blues People story, I felt it necessary to put the call out!

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