'The Blues Lady'
(5CD)
She uses songs like this one to show students how musical creativity is
often born out of everyday experiences. "Private Lessons with B. B.
King" is another original song that she performs to show students how
she learned various blues tunes and guitar licks by listening to records
of the great blues master. Her in-school performances consist of a range
of presentations. Typically, educators introduce Ms. Neal and provide
some context for her music.
She then performs a concert of her blues tunes and discusses blues
music's history through her own commentary. She often introduces songs
by describing the context within which the songs have been written to
demonstrate connections between individual life history and the wider
history of blues music in Arkansas. Her presentations close with
opportunities for question-and-answer sessions with students.
Essie the Blues Lady is available to conduct teacher workshops.
Essie Neal, who was inducted into the National Blues Hall of Fame in
2008, performs as "Essie the Blues Lady" in festivals, schools, and
numerous venues across Arkansas. She grew up in a musical family and
learned to play the guitar at twelve years of age. She formed an
all-girl blues band and toured the state during the 1970s, and she has
played throughout Arkansas and the surrounding states.
Essie the Blues Lady now usually performs as a solo act. Her
performances showcase a great variety of blues styles and tunes,
including her own compositions. She believes that blues music provides
ways to build social skills, confidence, and coping skills in a world
inundated with negativity. Essie sees blues music as a friend who helps
people learn to overcome "the blues" as a feeling. She was recently
quoted as saying "I was born into the blues; I was raised on the blues,
and I'm a product of the blues."