History Happy Hour: Sweet Bitter Blues: Washington D.C.'s Homemade Blues

Celebrate Black History Month and the rich history of Blues with a talk and performance by musical legend Phil Wiggins. Washington, D.C. native Phil Wiggins is an award-winning blues musician, teacher, and artistic director and co-author of Sweet Bitter Blues: Washington D.C.’s Homegrown Blues (2020) with Frank Matheis.  Moderated by ethnomusicologist Mark Puryear, Phil Wiggins will share how rural African Americans brought their traditional musical styles to Washington, D.C.  Discover how the rich folk tradition of Piedmont country blues owes a debt to ragtime, traditional Appalachian Mountain music, African American string music, gospel, and more.

Enjoy a livestreamed performance by Phil as he shares songs on the harmonica that capture the spirit & heart of this underrepresented story of the acoustic blues scene in and around Washington D.C.