WRAL-TV will offer its latest local programming endeavor on Tuesday, February 1, 2005, a special created for black history month. “I Got the Blues So Bad: NC’s Blues Tradition” takes viewers on a journey through North Carolina’s rich history of blues music.
WRAL-TV Anchor Gerald Owens hosts the program which will air at 7:30pm on WRAL-TV, DT and the WRAL NewsChannel. Shot in high-definition, the blues history in “I Got the Blues So Bad” mirrors NC’s black history.
Although Durham is the North Carolina city most associated with the Blues, the state is home to many talented blues musicians both past and present. In 2001, NC formally honored the Durham’s blues legacy with a state historical market dedicated to “Bull City Blues”.
Befitting Durham’s special blues status, the interviews and profiles of NC’s leading blues artists and historians included in “I Got the Blues So Bad” are shot in the Bull City’s downtown at the American Tobacco Project. The special also explores the Durham Blues Festival and Shaw University’s blues radio show.
“I Got the Blues So Bad” is a fitting special for black history month because the special celebrates black history by tracing the African American roots that gave rise to blues music. The program also examines the great African American blues players who performed in NC and later became musical legends.
WRAL-TV Senior Producer Phyllis Parish served as executive producer for the special, and WRAL-TV Chief Photographer Bob Sadler shot the footage and served as producer.
