>> this >> weekend is Oscars and the film centers is up for best picture.

The film has a record 16 nomination and it starts Michael B Jordan and by bringing Blues music to the big screen.

promote the art form.

But while the Blues enjoys its moment in the mainstream media, our next guests have been dedicated to preserving its history and evolution for quite some time.

>> Their guardians of a sound that continues to shape American music and they Emmy Award-winning and 3 time Grammy-nominated blues, musician and local legend Billy Branch.

>> West Plains, artists like Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters and Diamond Dickson, executive director of the nonprofit organization, Chicago Blues Revival uses the Blues to support its local Chicago neighborhood that created the music and musician guitarist and producer Melody Angel and joining us via zoom from Jackson, Mississippi, Blues musician and guitars.

Her Allie Young, Davenport.

Thank you all for being here.

You want I have to say that I feel like when I listen to blues, it takes me.

Told his new dimensions and it makes me feel all sorts of things.

It brings you back all these kind of emotions.

the melody with just that's a good description of how does it make you feel when you're performing on stage?

Yeah, it's passion.

I always think of.

>> free news of very passionate when my emotions and it's about story telling as well.

And so you get to tell you a story and just I love that.

And exactly make you feel when I listen to I want to bring it back a little bit.

Diamond briefly, tell us about the Blues music's.

>> The building 16 and how it ended up in Chicago.

I know it's long history, right?

Why would you say is like the the short version?

So short version was kind of take it back to the great migration.

So, you know, thousands of African Americans move from.

>> The south where you'll like Delta, Mississippi area migrated here to the Midwest.

Chicago, just for better opportunity for that, you know, air of freedom that they weren't really getting in the south.

And with that, they're bringing that Delta Blues.

Traditional blue sound here.

Chicago's loud, it's busy, right?

And so this is where Blues got plugged in.

Got electrified just because it matches the energy of that.

How.

And so that is where and how Chicago blues derived and where it came from.

A love that in Billy, how would you describe that defines a musical style of Chicago Blues?

Well, Chicago, but like diamond said, reflects the the noise and hustle bustle of the city.

Chicago became the blues capital which in turn gave birth to the not only all of all the root of all of the America's music.

>> But also gave birth to the British Rock invasion.

And one of the things I've always found challenging is that Chicago is yet to fully embrace its legacy and cultural, especially with all the history that has here in Chicago.

You know, I know.

>> you buy her, Monica?

I see it right here.

Can you shows us some of the rhythms Chicago has and will OK the typical when you hear this?

You know, >> a that makes all of us want go to mall.

>> I love that.

That's great for 101, wrote, I want to bring you in.

How does it feel being a younger musician playing the blues and he'll stepping in the shoes of some of the greatest.

>> to me, I mean, it feels great.

It's an honor, you know, and at the same time.

I think you know it.

gives me a chance to, you know, teach people my age and even some people who are older than me, the history.

And you know what I've studied and what I've the knowledge I've gained from the elders and in this industry, you know.

>> What is it like for you when you're playing on stage?

>> I mean, it's it's my world.

You know, I'm a shy person.

But when I get on stage, all of that disappears, you know, I for me, it's a feeling, you know, it just comes out when I'm when I'm up there alter ego.

>> I love that.

>> Melodie muddy waters once said the blues other routes.

The you music's are the fruits.

How did Blues musically the foundation of all popular genre music?

So if you think of music in layers.

>> There's all of these different genres right?

But at the base of all American music, which is all of the genres of music that exist, the blues is underneath musically.

Like literally that will buy blues can be found in hip-hop in country will live that music everything.

So you can't have one.

Without the other hand, if you want.

>> More from I believe that you can have to start with the Blues traveler.

That's really description.

I want to talk a little bit about a scene centers.

Diamond.

>> There's a line from one of the character's name Delta Slim, which reads.

>> See white folks.

They like the Blues.

Just find they don't like the people who make it.

There's history of African-American blues musicians having their song stolen and popularized by white performers.

Can you tell us more about the struggle for African-Americans to own their music?

Well, absolutely.

And I think that that quote from the movie speaks to it directly where, you know, just because of prejudices and racism and things like that.

>> And not even have any exposure.

As you know, white counterparts black folks in history across the board have always had issues with owning music, not even just from an exposure standpoint, but just from, you know, the things that that they don't have, they don't have access to, you know, the managers and things like that.

The financial components that it takes to build your business that way.

And so that is why you see such ownership and such pride when it comes when people are speaking about blue, specifically because we know that at the root of it, that is when that type of behavior began.

But as culture carriers, we are trying to make sure that those things don't continue to happen for our counterpart.

So what are what are your thoughts, melody about that?

That line moving?

>> Yeah, I think that for me is kind of a call to action for us that are steel moving forward we need to move forward together.

We need to combine forces and make sure that.

Not only that we get treated fairly, but that are legends.

The ones that are here with U.S.

deal creating that they get their due as well.

And that's going to take all of us working together.

>> Billy, I mean, you have traveled the world performing blues.

What makes blue so universal for fans all over will for one thing is the only music you and say that you have.

You can see I got the J and Z that, you I feel And it's universal feeling.

You I haven't melody as well played in countries where they don't speak or understand English language.

But the feeling and the blues, you know, transcends that and they get I've done several tours in China people tears running down their faces.

Just listen to the music.

I mean, that just says that tones and rhythms what it does to someone so right big.

But, you know, the downside is that the blues is always relegated to the bottom rung of the ladder even in the Grammys.

The recent Grammys, he mentioned all the other.

John was a music, but they did not mention the word Blues won.

Not only is it like for you to know like a movie like centers, you know, specifically centered on blues.

That is very defected.

Buddy Guy makes a cameo and King Fish makes a cameo and the soundtrack is Blues base.

It makes maybe Hollywood and maybe the powers that be are taking a closer and a better look about time.

because the moon is always been, you suppressed you left because it's almost like yes would be.

Is that the run?

that is very interesting.

want to bring you.

What do you think about the current state of blues music?

>> what I think, you know, now that we've got, you know, we've got a lot of people, especially young people playing the blues, not 19 correct.

you've got a lot of people like Stephen Hall Melody Angel, of course, myself and so many others.

Young young guys women and young African-Americans, especially who are getting into the.

You know, where's you know, like 15 years ago, I can even say.

>> You're not only 19 I wouldn't scene.

And so it's it's really rising.

And then we've got other people from all over the world who are playing.

And I think the movie centers just is probably helping, you know, kind of pull the next generation of year.

>> I mean, really, what is it like for you to see such a young musician, 19 years old, listened remember when you were 19 idea All right.

I want schools since 1978.

>> And We my wife and I have the of privilege.

he stays with us when he comes to visit and he's I can't say enough about him.

But it's just it.

Does my heart good to see these young folks and they're coming in strong.

The coming in knowledgeable.

They're coming in skilled.

They know the history and they're learning patching it.

And so I'm happy I'm told I do realize board, you know, all along I've been waiting for you can't sure who that And now their comments, you pave the way will one of them Thank you.

And I'm in.

I want to ask the city of Chicago will be doing more.

>> You know, to honor the legacy of clues.

>> And investing in the communities where the where the blues started in lived.

You know, Chicago Blues festival is if it's not like the biggest, you know, festival and I think in United States may be like even the world when it comes to blues.

And so Chicago a lot of commerce based on that.

And so, you know, with this re, I guess emergence of the interest of blues.

I'm hoping that that taps Chicago on the shoulder to begin to show up and invest in these communities.

We need commerce on top of the culture as well.

>> would buy you've you're born in Chicago, correct?

How would you say how would I think Making show that music is in schools and that our history is preserved on music.

History as well black history for CPS.

That's a way more money needs to go into that because it's an empowering factor.

Like knowing.

discovered all of this on you, But what if I could also discover it in a classroom?

And what if they also handed me an instrument that I could play and get inspired from?

So I think that more needs to be done for I use We only have a couple seconds.

just one.

>> When you go to New Orleans or Memphis soon as you didn't play out the blaze in the airport, you see the memorabilia.

You see the images.

You hear the music by and Chicago is missing.

The boat Buddy Guy.

Just in an interview recently, he just presentation to the city Council.

Lee stated as should