The BJFM Society was started by Marietta residents who wished to bring a variety of live music to our area not normally available to people. Starting in 1987, the first several years had individual shows with a wide range of artists, like John Hammond, Doc Watson, Elvin Bishop, Leon Redbone, James Cotton, Vassar Clements, Carey Bell and various jazz and Celtic bands. The first “festival” type shows were called “Swamp Stomps” and the society brought authentic zydeco bands from Louisiana like C.J. Chenier, Terrance Simien, Chubby Carrier and Buckwheat Zydeco while also offering dance lessons to encourage audience participation.
In March, 1992 the society organized the first blues festival, calling it a “Blues Convention” which evolved to become the River City Blues Festival. It has grown over time and the list of blues artists who have been on our stage is close to a “Who’s Who” of the blues world. An additional yearly event was the Blues Competition with local and regional acts competing to go to the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.
Expanding our mission, the society has offered two other varieties of events, Cobbler’s Coffeehouses and BITS (Blues in the Schools). The coffeehouse shows bring local, regional and national acoustic acts into a smaller, more intimate setting for audiences throughout the year. The other community service we offer is sharing blues music with young people in our area. Since 2015, we have expanded on an earlier program by bringing in certified professional blues educators who offer yearly presentations to over 2,000 middle school students teaching about the variety of blues music and how it relates to American history, culture and other modern musical genres.
All these evolving activities, done by board members and volunteers in the community, attempt to follow our mission of sharing wide varieties of live music genres to the Mid-Ohio Valley area and beyond.
