Blues for Peace (Israel)

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Blues for Peace

Blues for Peace was set up in Israel in 1997 to honor the roots of blues music and promote peace and the understanding that ALL peoples have had their share of the blues. The Blues for Peace slogan is "And they shall beat their swords into guitars..." TM

The website is dedicated to the unsung heros of blues music, the local blues musicians in every city in every country of the world that love the blues and pass it on to the next generation. Are you an unsung hero? Do you know one? We compiled a book about them called Touched by the Blues.
Events & Programs

Blues for Peace programs aim to be offbeat, entertaining, educational and to bring people together. They have included an evening of "Blues & Ethiopian Music"... a "Blues Bash" for a People to People group from the Eisenhower Foundation that toured Israel, Jordan & Lebanon... a "Faith, Hope and the Blues" concert in Jerusalem... midnight "Blues Cruise" on the Sea of Galilee... and a "Battle of the Blues Bands" and more..

An affialite the international Blues Foundation, Blues for Peace sent the SOBO band from Jerusalem to perform in the 2004 International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, TN. The band talks about the trip and the blues scene in Israel on the BBC's "Global Hit" - listen here!
We promote blues not politics!
We are based in Jerusalem and people ask us from time to time about putting together an Arab - Jewish blues band and sending them to blues festivals. We have considered it and it doesn't appeal to us for a couple of reasons. The main one is Blues for Peace is about blues music and playing blues guitar, starting a blues band and finding some gigs.. In other words, the focus of Blues for Peace is local and personal.. not international and political.

For example, here's a book we published about local "blues heroes" that turn on kids to the blues just like we were turned on by older musicians as teenagers. The editor is Eli Marcus.

The website offers free blues guitar lessons and we plan to to translate them into other languages. Also, Blues for Peace is based in Jerusalem and interested in launching a "Jerusalem Blues Festival" supporting existitng Jerusalem youth programs and perhpaps offering free blues guitar workshops to their participants.
Reviews & Awards

BFP was recognized by UNESCO as promoting the "Culture of Peace" and has appeared in Downbeat, USA Today, Jerusalem Post, CNN Student News, PBS American Masters, BBC's The World, etc.