Blow Out helps bankroll Beale Street Caravan's on-air costs

Blow Out helps bankroll Beale Street Caravan's on-air costs
July 14, 2009
By James Dowd
Memphis Commercial Appeal

For millions of listeners worldwide, the locally produced Beale Street Caravan dishes up a weekly serving of the sounds that put Memphis on the map.
Sid Selvidge is a producer at The Beale Street Caravan, a locally produced blues show that is heard by more than 2 million listeners each week on 400 radio stations worldwide. The program is having its second annual fundraiser Thursday.

Brad Luttrell/The Commercial Appeal

Sid Selvidge is a producer at The Beale Street Caravan, a locally produced blues show that is heard by more than 2 million listeners each week on 400 radio stations worldwide. The program is having its second annual fundraiser Thursday.
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Now, to help ensure that the music keeps playing, program producer Sid Selvidge is gearing up for the second annual "Beale Street Caravan Blow Out" on Thursday.

"We've got great name recognition all over the globe, but the show is really an unsung gem in Memphis, and this is a fun way to get the word out about it and raise a little money at the same time," Selvidge said. "We're committed to preserving and promoting Memphis music and the blues, and this will help us continue to do that."

Proceeds from the Blow Out will help offset costs of producing the popular radio show. It is the sole annual fundraiser staged by the not-for-profit organization and turned out so well in 2008 -- last year's event brought in more than $20,000 -- that organizers decided to do it again.

For the streamlined operation, Selvidge said, every extra dollar goes a long way.

"We do a lot with a little," Selvidge said. "We've become pretty good at maximizing the exposure of Memphis music to as many people as possible."

A compact outfit, Beale Street Caravan counts only two full-time employees, but also uses contract workers and volunteers.

Each year from July to August, staffers record performances of blues artists and Memphis musicians at venues here and across the country. Those shows are then edited into 40 one-hour radio shows that air each season, October through June.

During the summer, the program offers rebroadcasts of favorite artists, both well-known and obscure.

And that format has proved enormously successful.

The show, which is offered free for broadcast on 400 radio stations worldwide, is heard by 2.4 million listeners each week. Area stations carrying the program are WYPL-FM 89.3 and WEVL-FM 89.9 in Memphis, and KASU-FM 91.9 in Jonesboro, Ark.

"We've been on board since the beginning. The program is a great way to bring great music to our audience," said Marty Scarbrough, program director at KASU. "The mix of popular and lesser-known artists resonates with our radio audience and appeals to die-hard blues fans and casual listeners alike."

Brian Craig, program director at WEVL, agreed.

"Beale Street Caravan is enormously popular with our listeners. It's gratifying to realize that a program originating in Memphis is heard by millions all over the world."

Selvidge has been on board with the program since its inception in 1996. After years occupying a small space inside the Shrine Building, the outfit recently moved into new digs and now occupies an office and studio in the Union Center in the former location of Archer Records.

In addition to producing the show at the new site, Selvidge hopes to eventually offer a series of live music performances in the brick-lined studio. It will be one more way, he said, to promote his passion.

"Memphis remains a huge music town, and the soul and the sound of the city is undeniable," said Selvidge, who has been a musician and producer here for more than four decades. "I'm glad to do my part to make sure it's heard."

For artists such as Reba Russell, the effort is greatly appreciated.

"Sid found a way to get the blues and Memphis music heard around the world," Russell said. "I've been lucky enough to have been featured on some of the shows and gained a lot of work and new fans because of that exposure. Everyone involved with the show is passionate about the music, and it shows."

The fundraiser will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Red Rooster, 140 Lt. George W. Lee Ave. The event will feature music by Billy Gibson, a silent auction, free harmonicas, heavy hors d'oeuvres and an open bar.

For more information, call 527-4666 or visit online at bealestreetcaravan.com

-- James Dowd: 529-2737

Second Annual Beale Street Caravan Blow Out

What: Fundraiser for locally produced Memphis music and blues radio show

When: 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday

Where: Red Rooster, 140 Lt. George W. Lee Ave.

Cost: $75 general admission, $800 for reserved tables of eight

Details: Call 527-4666 or visit online at bealestreetcaravan.com