SUNDAY, AUGUST 8, 2010 Music ARCHIE EDWARDS BLUES HERITAGE FOUNDATION
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PHOTOS BY WHITNEY SHEFTE/THE WASHINGTON POST UNBROKEN CIRCLE:A jam session at the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation’s new home in Riverdale. The group honors Edwards, who played with blues greats in his Northeast D.C. barbershop. They’re still playing the barbershop blues
Though a music mecca was lost, its devotees found a way to jam on
by Whitney Shefte
Folks kept saying it wouldn’t be the same. They kept predicting the death of Archie Edwards’s legacy. Shows what people know. The first time they said it was when the last snippet of hair hit the floor at Archie’s Alpha Tonsori- al Parlor in Northeast Washing- ton. For nearly 40 years, Archie Edwards had cut hair in that bar- bershop on Bunker Hill Road. Opened in 1959. But hair wasn’t the thing. The thing was: Blues legends such as Mississippi John Hurt would stop by for a trim, then play blues with Edwards till late in the night. It got to be the place to go if you had blues in your soul, at least Piedmont blues, with its roots reaching to the woes of slavery and sharecropping. “Ultimately, Saturday afternoons became known to people who were tight in the blues community as a place you could go play some acoustic blues,” says Jim Lande, a regular and an economist for the federal government.
When Edwards died at 79 in 1998, some said that’s that. But grieving regulars wouldn’t give up the ghost. They formed the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Founda- tion to keep the shop open for the Saturday jams, sans haircuts. The rent was cheap, about $100 per month, and was paid through do- nations and benefit concerts. “People who had known Archie, been friends with Archie and had spent a lot of Saturdays there said, ‘Gosh, we don’t want that tradi- tion, that part of Washington, to just disappear with Archie,’ ” Lande says.
Crowds came with mandolins, washtub basses, harmonicas, rhythm bones, whatever, and played around Archie’s barber chair for 10 years. But it got to be a struggle finan-
cially, and the shop had to be let go. A dentist set up business there, and some said — again — that’s that. A year or so went by, and the
Washington blues folks were miss- ing their music dearly. Last year, they found an old library in River- dale, and Archie’s Blues Barber- shop was reborn. The weathered beige-brick building feels like a destiny ful- filled, humbly residing beside a stretch of train tracks. A sign on the door reads “Jam Tip: If some- body is playing, take your con- versation someplace else.” A deer head is mounted on one wall. Pho- tographs of Archie cover another. It feels like he’s watching, maybe even playing along. Today, in addition to Saturday jam sessions, regulars and founda-
when Donna Fletcher took her turn leading a song. When a newer guitarist realized
that the growing crowd had forced him to the middle of the circle, he got up to move. “Not only will the circle be un-
broken, it will probably be ex- panding, too,” said Dale Roethlis- berger, a barbershop veteran. So Archie, R.I.P. The blues never
die.
whitney.shefte@
wpost.com
Jams are Saturdays from 1 p.m. until about 6 p.m. at the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, 4701 Queensbury Rd., Riverdale. Donations are encouraged, but it is free to come play or listen.
PREMIER SPONSOR 2010 WOLF TRAP SUMMER SEASON
This Week at Wolf Trap
THAT SWEET SOUND:Bill Thompson plays his harmonica during one of the foundation’s weekly sessions.
A CONCERT FOR PEACE & LOVE STARRING:
JACK BRUCE OF CREAM WAR MITCH RYDER RARE EARTH TONIGHT! 8 PM
GEORGE THOROGOOD
& THE DESTROYERS SPECIAL GUEST STAR: THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Rebellious blues-rock TUES., AUGUST 10; 7:30 PM
This week at Wolf Trap Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods! DANCE INSTITUTE
OF WASHINGTON WEST SIDE STORY AUGUST 10–14; 10 AM
SONGS FOR ARCHIE:Willie Leebel leads a tune at the group’s new location. Edwards’s barbershop was sold in 2008.
on
washingtonpost.com
VIDEO ON THE WEB Immerse yourself in the music and the vibe of the Archie Edwards blues barbershop with a video of a group jam session at
washingtonpost.com/style.
tion members play occasional con- certs and host workshops teach- ing newcomers how to play the blues. The group has CDs to sell, and it has created a small exhibit in the back of the old library pay- ing homage to the original barber- shop. The old barber chair, with shoeshine seat, is there. “Well, the mission of the barber- shop is to pass the blues on, and I feel like that happens here every Saturday,” says harmonica player Pearl Bailes. One recent Saturday, Willie Lee-
bel donned his quintessentially cool blues shades and announced to a circle of old friends and new faces that the next song would be played in 12 bars. He strummed his acoustic Gibson guitar and la- mented the misconduct of farm animals, his croon colored with the slightest bit of twang.
You know the dogs they begin to bark
And the hounds they begin to howl...
Leebel passed the lead to an- other guitar player, and it passed around the circle, for a solo on each instrument. Kim Capps, a Methodist min-
ister, arrived, followed later by British immigrant Carl Aiyeola. A pet-supply seller, a radio engineer and an economist all bonded over common ground. “People here . . . [are] from all walks of life, and the thing we have in common is music,” says foundation founding member El- eanor Ellis. “And then we get to know each other’s people, and then we become friends.” Clusters of musicians took turns gathering outside for ciga- rette breaks. One of them, Bill Thompson, continued to play along on his mandolin, listening as each note of the song drifted through the window. Bailes belted out a solo on the harmonica, then sang, “The Jewish sister said, ‘I think Prohibition’s just fine.’ ” The song wound down and chatter rose, then just as quickly subsided
LYLE LOVETT AND HIS LARGE BAND Three-time GRAMMY winner has straddled genre lines his entire career
AN EVENING WITH TUES., AUGUST 17; 7:30 PM
GEORGE DUKE TRIO SPECIAL GUEST: MARCUS MILLER
AL JARREAU & THE
TUTU REVISITED THE MUSIC OF MILES DAVIS FEATURED GUEST ARTIST: CHRISTIAN SCOTT
GRAMMY-winning jazz vocalist Jarreau and pianist Duke reunite for an all-star night of jazz WED., AUGUST 18; 8 PM
CARPENTER SPECIAL GUEST: ELIZA GILKYSON
MARY CHAPIN
THURS., AUGUST 19; 8 PM LAWN ONLY
THE IRISH TENORS
GREAT BIG SEA Spirited folk-rockers SUN., AUGUST 22; 8 PM
AN EVENING WITH
GABRIELA SPECIAL GUEST: XAVIER RUDD
RODRIGO Y Mexican duo
fuses fast-paced flamenco guitar with heavy metal and rock TUES., AUGUST 24; 8 PM
ANITA BAKER Sensual R&B songstress with romantically soulful hits including
“Sweet Love” and more THURS., AUGUST 26; 8 PM
FINBAR WRIGHT, ANTHONY KEARNS & RONAN TYNAN
Sentimental classics “Danny Boy,” “My Wild Irish Rose,” and more FRI., AUGUST 20; 8 PM
TAKE METRO TO WOLF TRAP!
TONY BENNETT This timeless vocal jazz star resonates with all generations
AN EVENING WITH FRI., AUGUST 27; 8 PM
ROCKNOCEROS PAINTING THE TOWN PINK!
AUGUST 10-14; 11:15 AM
Recommended for children between Kindergarten and 6th grade. Tickets are $8—or come to both performances for only $10
THE TEMPTATIONS THE FOUR TOPS Dynamic Motown legends SAT., AUGUST 21; 8 PM
The hilarious MGM film is now a smash hit musical!
THURS.–SUN., AUGUST 12–15; 8 PM WEEKEND MATINEES; 2 PM
DISCOUNT 4-PACK PRICING AVAILABLE ONLINE
DOO-WOP SHOW STARRING:
THE ULTIMATE
CHARLIE THOMAS, FORMER LEAD SINGER OF
THE DRIFTERS
SHIRLEY ALSTON-REEVES, ORIGINAL LEAD SINGER OF THE SHIRELLES
THE FLAMINGOS FEATURING TERRY JOHNSON
JAY SIEGAL & THE TOKENS WITH THEIR SPECIAL GUEST JAY TRAYNOR OF
JAY & THE AMERICANS
EUGENE PITT & THE JIVE FIVE CATHY JEAN & THE ROOMMATES
THE VOGUES FEATURING BILL BURKETTE & HUGH GEYER DADDY G, THE JARMELS & THE RAMA LAMA BIG BAND SAT., AUGUST 28; 8 PM
DONNA SUMMER “Last Dance,” “She Works Hard for the Money,” “Hot Stuff,” and others make
this the dance party of the summer SUN., AUGUST 29; 8 PM
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S
THE SOUND OF MUSIC Celebrate the golden anniversary of this iconic musical! TUES.–SUN., AUGUST 31– SEPTEMBER 5; 8 PM WEEKEND MATINEES; 2 PM
DON’T FORGET The Barns performances go on sale August 10 at 10 a.m.!
TheWolf Trap Express Bus, supported in part by Heineken USA, runs fromthe West Falls Church Metro; go to
www.wolftrap.org/visit for more information.
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