PRESS ROOM
please scroll right to see
more of what is on this page....thank you. |
|
Contact: Selby Minner
Phone: 918.855-0978 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2011 |
Rentiesville Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival - 21st Annual!
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Friends of Rentiesville Blues Inc.
www.dcminnerblues.com
Sept 2, 3, 4; 5 pm til 5 am, advance tickets $10/night or $15 at
the gate – old enough to party!
30 bands on 3 stages, 5 pm – 5 am $15/day, kids free,
Sept 2, 3, 4
“Hey Everybody! Tell Everybody!...”
that in Oklahoma, hidden out in the woods is a little old juke
joint called the Down Home Blues Club, It’s authentic, funky,
and very much alive.
It’s been there since Oklahoma Bluesman D.C.
Minner’s grandmother Lura opened up a bootleg corn whiskey bar
in 1936. Now, however, the bootleg whiskey is gone. You can get
a cold beer or a soda, and sometimes people bring potluck, but
it’s all about the music. The club hosts a free jam session
party every Sunday, musicians show up with cases, and the years
roll back. Part of the magic is in the music played there, but
the room itself has a grittiness and authenticity both palpable
and intoxicating. It is rural and real in a sense that other
venues fail to capture. For those who long to feel the power of
the Blues, try Rentiesville. For the full effect, mark your
calendar for Labor Day Weekend and come to the 21st
Annual Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival – Sept 2, 3, and 4th
– 200 musicians from across the US - 30 bands on three stages,
indoors and out! … created by D.C. himself and presented by
Selby Minner and the Friends of Rentiesville Blues Inc., even
the old cotton field out back will ring with the blues
!!!
Kids are free, we keep them busy. The High School Jazz Band will
come in courtesy of Jim Davis. And there is a Gospel Show to
start the Festivities on Sunday. The outdoor part is the most
family friendly Blues festival you will find. But adults only in
the juke joint, please. That part of the show goes on until 5
am!
HEADLINERS
INCLUDE:
Trampled Under Foot- IBC Winners, family Band, the sister plays
bass and sings!
Jimmy ‘Preacher’ Ellis – up from Dallas, everyone loves
Preacher
Berry Harris – from Stringtown and Wichita… a life in the blues
Johnny Rawls – won Soul/blues artist of the year in Memphis …
all 3 nites. Always gets em up!
Peter Karp and Sue Foley – just back from Germany – great
guitarists and in love, too!
Eugene Hideaway Bridges – a powerhouse from New Orleans and
Austraila, he travels the world.
Lightnin’ Malcolm and Cameron Kimbrough – Lightnin back w
another MS powerhouse drummer
Randy McAllister – tore em up here in 2009 – you may remember
the barefoot drummer in the club from Texas and his trio.
The subtitle “Homecomings
and Reunions” is because the fest functions as a reunion
on many levels, from fans to volunteers to players. This will
bring in Wanda Watson, Cecil Gray and Blue Fire
Foley, Roger Hurricane Wilson, Dues Paid,
Harry and Debbie Blackwell (CA). . . It also means the
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Famers will grace the stage in
abundance this year in Rentiesville. At least 10, including
Jimmy ‘Preacher’ Ellis (TX), Leon Rollerson, Berry
Harris (KS), Rudy Scott, Harry Williams,
Chuck Blackwell, Roland Bowling, Little Miss Peggy…
Lem Sheppard (KS), and Selby Minner herself.
Also, NEW is Jesse Dean (Winslow, AR) and new between
sets on the main stage will be Rich Berry (Kansas City,
slide and vocals).
The Kid’s Village (“children under 12 are free and we
keep them busy!” Marsha Whalen reports) will rock to the conga
drums once again with Jahruba and his drum circles. He is
an OK State Arts Council roster artist and their funding through a series of grants has
helped keep the festival alive over these 21 years. Kid’s
Village would not be complete without Joann McMillan and
her stick puppets (which require lots of little hands to make
them dance across the field) and Domenica Lovera will be
back with crafts and face painting as well as Patrick Duffy
and a legitimate excuse to get dirty – the pottery wheel!
Rentiesville is…:
15 miles S of Muskogee, 125 miles E of OKC, 4 Hours N of Dallas
or less and 1 hour SE of Tulsa
. . . From I – 40 North up US 69, second exit at
Checotah/Rentiesville and
. . . South from Muskogee, down US 69, second exit at
Oktah/Rentiesville
Info
(918)855-0978
. . . “World’s best - and largest - back
yard party!” . . . Such a variety of people – “This is peace as
the world should know it!”. . . A blues festival that is truly
unique as it is a family event with lots for children to do –
but not after midnight in the old Juke Joint – adults only,
please!
d
Sponsors:
Oklahoma Arts Council, VSA Artists, Yaffe, Bud, James Hodge
Ford, The Current, Love Bottling, Republic Guitars and scores of
volunteers. Event is coordinated by Friends of Rentiesville
Blues Inc., Selby Minner Executive Director, and is the premier
event of the OK Blues Hall of Fame.
.jpg)
POSTER
BT to BF
|
Contact: Selby Minner
Phone: 918.855-0978 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2011 |
Rentiesville Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival - 21st Annual!
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Friends of Rentiesville Blues Inc.
www.dcminnerblues.com
Sept 2, 3, 4; 5 pm til 5 am, advance tickets $10/night or $15 at
the gate – old enough to party!
30 bands on 3 stages, 5 pm – 5 am $15/day, kids free,
Sept 2, 3, 4
“Hey Everybody! Tell Everybody!...”
that in Oklahoma, hidden out in the woods is a little old juke
joint called the Down Home Blues Club, It’s authentic, funky,
and very much alive.
It’s been there since Oklahoma Bluesman D.C.
Minner’s grandmother Lura opened up a bootleg corn whiskey bar
in 1936. Now, however, the bootleg whiskey is gone. You can get
a cold beer or a soda, and sometimes people bring potluck, but
it’s all about the music. The club hosts a free jam session
party every Sunday, musicians show up with cases, and the years
roll back. Part of the magic is in the music played there, but
the room itself has a grittiness and authenticity both palpable
and intoxicating. It is rural and real in a sense that other
venues fail to capture. For those who long to feel the power of
the Blues, try Rentiesville. For the full effect, mark your
calendar for Labor Day Weekend and come to the 21st
Annual Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival – Sept 2, 3, and 4th
– 200 musicians from across the US - 30 bands on three stages,
indoors and out! … created by D.C. himself and presented by
Selby Minner and the Friends of Rentiesville Blues Inc., even
the old cotton field out back will ring with the blues
!!!
Kids are free, we keep them busy. The High School Jazz Band will
come in courtesy of Jim Davis. And there is a Gospel Show to
start the Festivities on Sunday. The outdoor part is the most
family friendly Blues festival you will find. But adults only in
the juke joint, please. That part of the show goes on until 5
am!
HEADLINERS
INCLUDE:
Trampled Under Foot- IBC Winners, family Band, the sister plays
bass and sings!
Jimmy ‘Preacher’ Ellis – up from Dallas, everyone loves
Preacher
Berry Harris – from Stringtown and Wichita… a life in the blues
Johnny Rawls – won Soul/blues artist of the year in Memphis …
all 3 nites. Always gets em up!
Peter Karp and Sue Foley – just back from Germany – great
guitarists and in love, too!
Eugene Hideaway Bridges – a powerhouse from New Orleans and
Austraila, he travels the world.
Lightnin’ Malcolm and Cameron Kimbrough – Lightnin back w
another MS powerhouse drummer
Randy McAllister – tore em up here in 2009 – you may remember
the barefoot drummer in the club from Texas and his trio.
The subtitle “Homecomings
and Reunions” is because the fest functions as a reunion
on many levels, from fans to volunteers to players. This will
bring in Wanda Watson, Cecil Gray and Blue Fire
Foley, Roger Hurricane Wilson, Dues Paid,
Harry and Debbie Blackwell (CA). . . It also means the
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Famers will grace the stage in
abundance this year in Rentiesville. At least 10, including
Jimmy ‘Preacher’ Ellis (TX), Leon Rollerson, Berry
Harris (KS), Rudy Scott, Harry Williams,
Chuck Blackwell, Roland Bowling, Little Miss Peggy…
Lem Sheppard (KS), and Selby Minner herself.
Also, NEW is Jesse Dean (Winslow, AR) and new between
sets on the main stage will be Rich Berry (Kansas City,
slide and vocals).
The Kid’s Village (“children under 12 are free and we
keep them busy!” Marsha Whalen reports) will rock to the conga
drums once again with Jahruba and his drum circles. He is
an OK State Arts Council roster artist and their funding through a series of grants has
helped keep the festival alive over these 21 years. Kid’s
Village would not be complete without Joann McMillan and
her stick puppets (which require lots of little hands to make
them dance across the field) and Domenica Lovera will be
back with crafts and face painting as well as Patrick Duffy
and a legitimate excuse to get dirty – the pottery wheel!
Rentiesville is…:
15 miles S of Muskogee, 125 miles E of OKC, 4 Hours N of Dallas
or less and 1 hour SE of Tulsa
. . . From I – 40 North up US 69, second exit at
Checotah/Rentiesville and
. . . South from Muskogee, down US 69, second exit at
Oktah/Rentiesville
Info
(918)855-0978
. . . “World’s best - and largest - back
yard party!” . . . Such a variety of people – “This is peace as
the world should know it!”. . . A blues festival that is truly
unique as it is a family event with lots for children to do –
but not after midnight in the old Juke Joint – adults only,
please!
d
Sponsors:
Oklahoma Arts Council, VSA Artists, Yaffe, Bud, James Hodge
Ford, The Current, Love Bottling, Republic Guitars and scores of
volunteers. Event is coordinated by Friends of Rentiesville
Blues Inc., Selby Minner Executive Director, and is the premier
event of the OK Blues Hall of Fame.
MISS BLUES BT
to BF
HOllywood Duck Dunn
JOHNNY RAWLS
DC and OKC BAND w LARRY JOHNSON
KEEPING
D.C. MINNER'S DREAMS ALIVE Dusk til Dawn 2010
|
isBT
to BF
SHELBY AND FRIEND KIDS VILLAGE
DC TITE FACE SHOT RED HAT BT
to BF
DC AND HIS HOLLYWOOD BAND IN 60s BT
to BF
TONY MATHEWS BT
to BF
.0
BT
to BF
BT to BFJoann McMillan's Sun Puppet n Action
D.C. guitar and rings in action
BT to BF
 Harry
Blackwell
 James
Peterson
James Peterson
Kid's
Village rocks on
 BT
to BF
residency LOCUST GROVE
BT to BF
DC and FLASH TERRY GET INDUCTED OMHOFBT
to BF
DC PHOENIX TAKE YOU DOWNTOWNBT
to BF
RESIDENCY LAWTON
IF you need a better quality copy of this poster, please
email or call me and I will send you the adobe acrobat version which
prints out much more clearly
...thanks! Selby Minner
dcinner@windstream.net
918-473-2411, 918-855-0978
 BT
to BF
BT to BF
BT
to BF
 
 BT to BF
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High Resolution Graphics
Click thumbnail to download high-res version of
image.
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Thumbnail |
File Type |
Description |
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GIF |
Dusk til Dawn Logo - black &
white (14k) |
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JPG |
Dusk til Dawn Logo - color
(14k) |
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GIF |
DD LOGO: Letters on the poster |
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JPG |
F.O.R. Blues, Inc. Logo - color
(20k) |
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JPG |
DC Minner performing at Dusk
til Dawn Festival 2003 (2MB) |
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LOTS more 300 dpi PHOTOS
--double click them in
"6. Photo Gallery" Top of
page |
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JPG |
DC and his friend in music, the
late Flash Terry getting inducted in November; OK Music Hall
of Fame |
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JPG |
Blues man (actual size)
Right-click on image to copy. |
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JPG |
DC Minner (photo from "I Can
Tell" CD cover) |
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David McDaniel photo for sale at www.newsok...com
photo #1453273 |
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back to top
Newspaper
Clips
|
Thumbnail |
Description/Title |
|
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Muskogee Daily Phoenix (July 2,
2003)
Minner's Hall induction well-deserved
Click to view
JPG version (98k)
Click to download PDF version
(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) (280k) |
|
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Muskogee Daily Phoenix
(August 31, 2003)
Front page coverage of Dusk til Dawn Festival 2003
Click to view
JPG version |
|
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Tulsa People (November
2003) Click to view
JPG version |
PRESS RELEASE
|
|
Contact: Selby Minner
Phone: 918.855-0978 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2011 |
Rentiesville Dusk til Dawn Blues Festival -
21st Annual!
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame Friends of
Rentiesville Blues Inc.
www.dcminnerblues.com
Sept 2, 3, 4; 5 pm til 5 am, advance tickets
$10/night or $15 at the gate – old enough to
party!
30 bands on 3 stages, 5 pm – 5 am $15/day,
kids free,
Sept 2, 3, 4
“Hey Everybody! Tell Everybody!...”
that in Oklahoma, hidden out in the woods is a
little old juke joint called the Down Home Blues
Club, It’s authentic, funky, and very much
alive.
It’s been there since Oklahoma
Bluesman D.C. Minner’s grandmother Lura opened
up a bootleg corn whiskey bar in 1936. Now,
however, the bootleg whiskey is gone. You can
get a cold beer or a soda, and sometimes people
bring potluck, but it’s all about the music. The
club hosts a free jam session party every
Sunday, musicians show up with cases, and the
years roll back. Part of the magic is in the
music played there, but the room itself has a
grittiness and authenticity both palpable and
intoxicating. It is rural and real in a sense
that other venues fail to capture. For those who
long to feel the power of the Blues, try
Rentiesville. For the full effect, mark your
calendar for Labor Day Weekend and come to the
21st Annual Dusk til Dawn Blues
Festival – Sept 2, 3, and 4th – 200
musicians from across the US - 30 bands on three
stages, indoors and out! … created by D.C.
himself and presented by Selby Minner and the
Friends of Rentiesville Blues Inc., even the old
cotton field out back will ring with the blues
!!!
Kids are free, we keep them busy. The High
School Jazz Band will come in courtesy of Jim
Davis. And there is a Gospel Show to start the
Festivities on Sunday. The outdoor part is the
most family friendly Blues festival you will
find. But adults only in the juke joint, please.
That part of the show goes on until 5 am!
HEADLINERS
INCLUDE:
Trampled Under Foot- IBC Winners, family Band,
the sister plays bass and sings!
Jimmy ‘Preacher’ Ellis – up from Dallas,
everyone loves Preacher
Berry Harris – from Stringtown and Wichita… a
life in the blues
Johnny Rawls – won Soul/blues artist of the year
in Memphis … all 3 nites. Always gets em up!
Peter Karp and Sue Foley – just back from
Germany – great guitarists and in love, too!
Eugene Hideaway Bridges – a powerhouse from New
Orleans and Austraila, he travels the world.
Lightnin’ Malcolm and Cameron Kimbrough –
Lightnin back w another MS powerhouse drummer
Randy McAllister – tore em up here in 2009 – you
may remember the barefoot drummer in the club
from Texas and his trio.
The
subtitle “Homecomings and Reunions” is
because the fest functions as a reunion on many
levels, from fans to volunteers to players. This
will bring in Wanda Watson, Cecil Gray
and Blue Fire Foley, Roger Hurricane
Wilson, Dues Paid, Harry and
Debbie Blackwell (CA). . . It also means the
Oklahoma Blues Hall of Famers will
grace the stage in abundance this year in
Rentiesville. At least 10, including Jimmy
‘Preacher’ Ellis (TX), Leon Rollerson,
Berry Harris (KS), Rudy Scott,
Harry Williams, Chuck Blackwell,
Roland Bowling, Little Miss Peggy…
Lem Sheppard (KS), and Selby Minner
herself. Also, NEW is Jesse Dean
(Winslow, AR) and new between sets on the main
stage will be Rich Berry (Kansas City,
slide and vocals).
The Kid’s Village (“children under 12
are free and we keep them busy!” Marsha Whalen
reports) will rock to the conga drums once again
with Jahruba and his drum circles. He is
an OK State Arts
Council roster artist and their funding through a series of grants has
helped keep the festival alive over these 21
years. Kid’s Village would not be complete
without Joann McMillan and her stick
puppets (which require lots of little hands to
make them dance across the field) and
Domenica Lovera will be back with crafts and
face painting as well as Patrick Duffy
and a legitimate excuse to get dirty –
the pottery wheel!
Rentiesville is…:
15 miles S of Muskogee, 125 miles E of OKC, 4
Hours N of Dallas or less and 1 hour SE of Tulsa
. . . From I – 40 North up US 69, second
exit at Checotah/Rentiesville and
. . . South from Muskogee, down US 69,
second exit at Oktah/Rentiesville
Info
(918)855-0978
. . . “World’s best - and largest - back
yard party!” . . . Such a variety of people –
“This is peace as the world should know it!”. .
. A blues festival that is truly unique as it is
a family event with lots for children to do –
but not after midnight in the old Juke Joint –
adults only, please!
d
Sponsors:
Oklahoma Arts Council, VSA Artists, Yaffe, Bud,
James Hodge Ford, The Current, Love Bottling,
Republic Guitars and scores of volunteers. Event
is coordinated by Friends of Rentiesville Blues
Inc., Selby Minner Executive Director, and is
the premier event of the OK Blues Hall of Fame.
|
|
|
Press
Releases
|
|
www.dcminnerblues.com. Call Selby at 918-473-2411 for info.
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
|
 DC
Minner, host and Fest founder -
performance at his OK Music Hall of Fame induction, November
2003 in Muskogee
|
|
|
back to top
 
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|
|
Donald DD Dunn
Ariana in a wings costume, Kid's Village
DC and Selby Statue
|
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 the late Beloved Ray
Tubbs.
fest friend, worker and keyboard man for D.C. Minner |
|
back to top |
|
PRESS ROOM
C.
Elli Click below for:
Press Release photos 300 dpi below
Newspaper Clips
about the Band
|
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|
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the "5 W's" |
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WHAT: |
Three days and nights, Three stages, indoors and
out... 35 bands, over 200 musicians, workshops,
kid's arts and
music activities,
bar-b-que. A fun time that attracts 4,000 people to
the historic rural Black Township Rentiesville,
the birthplace and home of OK Blues Legend D.C.
Minner. |
|
WHEN: |
2007 - Aug 29, 30, 31, Fri Sat Sun -- 5 pm 'til 5 am nightly |
|
WHO: |
Click to see
roster,
band bios
&
schedule. |
|
What's Cool, What' Not: |
Bring chairs or blankets unless you come early. No
coolers or pets or carry in food or beverages..
|
|
HOW
MUCH: |
Tickets are $15/day (about $1.50 a band!)
KIDS under 12 FREE! Volunteers FREE! |
|
Volunteer Option: |
It takes a lot of people to do this - we have a
great deal for volunteers --the Volunteer Option: help us
out for 3 hours, get your $15 for that day BACK and
½ off on a T-shirt!
Click here for
details. |
|
WHERE WE ARE: |
DC Minner's Down Home Blues Club in Rentiesville, OK
(pop. 66) is in the rural township of RENTIESVILLLE
OK. Just off of US 69, follow the signs into
Rentiesville to DC Minner Street and you are
here....Rentiesville is 15 minutes South of
Muskogee, 70 miles SE of Tulsa, 1hour West of Fort
Smith, 2 hours East of Oklahoma City -- 2 exits
north on US 69 from I-40;
Click for maps. |
|
MOTELS: |
We recommend any major chain in Muskogee, 15 minutes
up US 69. Travel Lodge, Bacone Inn, Motel 6, Super
8, Ramada Inn. .... In Checotah the only motel we
recommend is America's Best across from the truck
stop, near Wal-Mart.
More motel info. |
|
CAMPING: |
Parking is free across the road. You may camp there
also, no hook-ups. Or Fountainhead State Park on
Lake Eufaula, first come first served, as it is a
holiday weekend. |
|
SPONSORED BY: |
SPONSORS help make this happen...OK
Arts Council, The Muskogee Daily Phoenix, VSA Arts,
Budweiser, Coke, The Blues Festival Guide, Tom's
Golf Cars, the Muskogee Area Arts Council, KMOD,
KGOU, Preview, Tulsa World, IP, Entertainment Fort
Smith, Chef Eddie, SW Blues, BareBones Independant
Filmmakers, OK Blues Society (www.okblues.org), lots
of friends who come early and help...! |
|
HOSTED BY: |
OKLAHOMA BLUES HALL OF FAME, FRIENDS OF RENTIESVILLE
BLUES INC.
(a 501 c 3 not-for-profit corporation) together with
Selby Minner.
Click here for more
about F.O.R. Blues Inc. |
JBT
to BF
 
 BT
to BF
Dancers in Rentiesville
Oldest Blues Fest in the State ready to roll with more
music than ever
- a tribute to founder D.C. Minner
RENTIESVILLE 2008
LINEUP
 
please help pass the word! Thanks,
Selby
www.dcminnerblues.com
dcminner@uslogon.com
918 473 2411
701 DC Minner St
Rentiesville OK 4459
5 miles N of
I-40 off US 69…15 miles S of Muskogee OK
Jr. Boy, D.C.
DUSK TIL DAWN BLUES FESTIVAL
photos
@ 300 dpi
 Banners
for Checotah lite Poles
 Miss Blues
 Selby
DC Selby At Fest on Golf Cart
Ray Tubbs Keys behind Tony Mathews guitar DD Main Stage
06
OUR OWN OK BLUES HALL OF
FAME
INDUCTEES 2007
Tony Gets Lifetime Achievement Award from DC
DC Minner by Holly Roach
Tony Mathews Squeezes out a note DC Minner Lifetime
Achievement Award
DC Minner and friend Tony Mathews (getting Lifetime
Achievement Award this year)
Watermelon Slim - 2007 Inductee
watermelon Slim - 2007 Inductee
Tulsa's (KMOD) Blues DJ Rockin' John
Henry (2007 Inductee) and his smokehouse blues radio show
BT to BFDC accepts award Tiki, DC, Junior Markham, Jahruba Lambeth
Tony Mathews, DC, Ray Tubbs
DC, Ray Tubbs
 selby,
John
kid jams
our sign
2008 show postcard:
The RENTIESVILLE BLUES CLUB
is 70 miles SE of Tulsa – BA Exp, Hwy 51 South to 69
– Stay on 69 thru Muskogee to the Rentiesville Oktaha Exit.
Turn right 4 miles, then Left (E) onto
Rentiesville Honey
Springs Rd 2
miles to DC Minner St and you are here.
(918) 473-2411, dcminner@uslogon.com,
www.dcminnerblues.com
|
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FESTIVAL
PRESS
RELEASE contact:
Selby 918.473.2411
e:
dcminner@uslogon.com
 fest
organizer DC Minner
Domenica
Lovera Board member
The
Blues Festival E-Guide will be following for the next
several weeks the blues travels of newlyweds Tom Yearnshaw
and Cheryl O'Grady. Cheryl is a sales rep for The Blues
Festival Guide magazine, enjoying the fruits of her labors.
ON
THE BLUE HIGHWAY WITH
TOM
AND CHERYL of the BLUES FESTIVAL GUIDE Fest 2006
(A great revue - thanks Tom and
Cheryl - Selby)
It’s Just
A Family Affair…
 The
16th Annual Dusk Til Dawn Blues Festival was held over this
past Labor Day weekend in the Rentiesville, Oklahoma back
yard and home of founders DC and Selby Minner, . Back
yard and Home??? That’s Right!!!
But there’s a story here. Tradition, too.
Years ago,
DC’s grandmother ran a “corn whiskey house” on this
hallowed site in rural Oklahoma. When DC and Selby
decided to take some of the “move” out of their
road-weary band, “Blues On The Move,” DC grabbed Selby
and headed “back home,” where they moved into
Grandma’s old place, settled into the ‘quiet life in the
country’ (HA!!!), and set part of their house aside to be
‘The Down Home Blues Club’.
Dusk Til
Dawn -- that’s 5 PM to 5 AM, folks, ‘cause it’s
usually warm in Rentiesville in the daytime -- grew from its
origins as an annual event at the club. A few years
back, as the show got bigger, DC and Selby converted their
unofficial not-for-profit child into a full fledged,
official 501(c)(3) non-profit ‘teenager,’ including many
from their dedicated ‘family’ of volunteers on the
Board.
Everything
about Dusk Til Dawn is a ‘family’ affair.
The Minners are still very dedicated and integral to the
show, taking the lead role in organizing and presenting the
event and in performing twice nightly for the three-day
show. Their extended ‘family’ includes 12 Board
Members, over 100 volunteers, and thousands of dedicated
fans. Many of these folks have been returning each
year since the very beginning.
Several
weeks before the show, volunteers, some who come several
thousand miles to help, begin to work the magic that
transforms the ‘back forty’ into the festival site.
Three-foot tall grasses are mowed into a comfortable
‘lawn.’ Power is run so vendors can sell t-shirts,
jewelry, barbeque, fried fish, candy, ice cream, and even
‘fried pies.’ The Kid’s Village sprouts up
around an old school bus (the Kid’s Village is just too
much and gets a paragraph of its own below), and a
circus-sized tent miraculously appears before the main
outdoor stage to complete the ‘mirage.’ The
“Down Home Blues Club,” which is now in semi-retirement
and only open once a month, gets a quick dusting, some
posters and lights to liven its interior, and its Festival
time.
 This
year’s show presented 30 bands on three stages over the
three-day run. The mix, as it has been from the
beginning, was rich in the Oklahoma blues tradition (James
Walker, Tony Matthews, and Barry Harris – to name just
a few) but also included national and regional acts such as Rory
Block, James Peterson, and Johnny Rawls. The line
up even included several groups of young blues musicians
from as far away as Dallas, and to keep things moving
between acts, a rich variety of acoustic blues was presented
throughout the evening.
In keeping
with DC’s and Selby’s active participation in the
Oklahoma school system through their innovative ‘Blues in
the Schools’ programs, the Kid’s Village has also been a
big part of the event. Face painting, costumes,
‘dragons’ (a la Chinese New Years parades), clay
pottery, and puppet shows are made lovingly available by a
group of exceptional volunteers. These are all
hands-on activities, keeping young minds occupied while the
hypnotic sounds of blues slowly soak into the young minds
that will be the future of the blues. This Kid’s
Village is unlike anything we’ve seen before!!!
Around 5 AM
Monday morning, the mirage begins to fade. The corner
of Rentiesville Road and DC Minner Road slowly begins its
transformation back to a peaceful country corner, the echoes
of 30 great bands being slowly absorbed into the still
Oklahoma dawn. The Down Home Blues Club lets out a
slow sigh as it slips back into the comfort of
semi-retirement, and the grasses are already starting to
grow back. But this is truly a play land with a
once-a-year mission to spread its owner’s vision of The
Blues far and wide.
There are
fitting footnotes to this story and to DC and Selby
Minner’s long devotion to the blues tradition. Over
the weekend, Selby Minner (along with Elvin Bishop,
Junior Markham, Steve Pryor, James Walker, and Frank Swain)
was inducted into the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame, DC
Minner received a “Lifetime Achievement Award” from
the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame, and September 1, 2006 was
declared DC Minner Day throughout Oklahoma by Governor
Brad Henry. ‘Congratulations’ are indeed in
order for all.
After saying goodbye to our new found
family in Rentiesville we’re back on the road in Blues
Country and will keep you posted.
-- Tom and Cheryl
Tom and Cheryl in Rentiesville
Contact:
Selby 918-473-2411
Johnny Rawls DC Bellamy
Rory Block
dcminner@uslogon.com
www.dcminnerblues.com
30
bands from nine states on three stages indoors and out.
5 pm til 5 am, $15/day, kids and volunteers free, Kid's
Village with lots to do all thru the fest!!
70
miles SE of Tulsa, 125 miles East of OKC, 5 miles NE of
the Crossroads of I-40 and US 69 in RENTIESVILLE
OKLAHOMA
the
world's best back yard blues party... a showcase of the
OK-TX blues tradition, national headliners and more!!
….
“Hey Everybody! Tell Everybody...”
that
in
Oklahoma
, hidden out in the woods, is a little old juke joint
called The Down Home Blues Club.
It’s
authentic, funky, and very much alive. 30 bands from 9
states will rock all nite long at this year’s Festival
over Labor Day Weekend……
 
It’s been there since Oklahoma Bluesman D.C.
Minner’s grandmother opened up a bootleg corn whiskey
bar 80 years ago. Now,
however, the bootleg whiskey is gone.
You can get a cold beer, water or soda, and
sometimes people bring potluck, but it’s all about the
music. The
club opens the first Saturday of every month, and the
annual Festival is coming soon. There
are informal jam sessions, musicians show up with cases,
and the years roll back.
Part of the magic is the energy produced by the
connection of musicians with the audience, but the little
club has its own charisma: a grittiness and authenticity
both palpable and intoxicating.
It is rural and real in a sense that other venues
fail to capture. For
those who have never felt the power of the Blues, try
Rentiesville. For
the full effect, mark your calendar for Labor Day weekend
and come to the Dusk to Dawn Blues Festival, a three-day
event that has occurred yearly for the past fifteen years.
The Down Home Blues Club is operated by Friends of
Rentiesville (F.O.R.) Blues, Inc., who intend to preserve
the site in all its originality and make it a museum, as
well as the home of the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame, which
was founded by F.O.R. Blues and already has inductees.
Please mark the date and help us get the word out.
Thirty bands on three stages, indoors and out, keeping the
music alive and well. Musicians love to be part of the
Festival at D.C.’s old home place, and put on their best
shows. They jam with each other making connections that
last for years as others look on enjoying the music.
 
 
the
FESTIVAL --- Thirty bands from nine states over three
days and nights - September 1, 2, 3 - showcasing the OK
Blues Tradition (electric guitars and horn sections) and
more - with headliners brought in from across the
nation. Held at the birthplace and juke joint of
Oklahoma's two - time Hall of Famer D. C. Minner and his
bassist/wife Selby Minner, in rural Rentiesville OK
(pop. 66) - 15 minutes south of Muskogee. The rustic
facility and small community atmosphere pervade the
event. Musicians wander through the crowd. $15/day,
volunteers help out 3 hours and get their fee for that
day back plus 1/2 off on a T-shirt. Children under 12
are free, and the "Kid's Village" presents
activities throughout the Fest which include hands-on
drumming, costumes, printmaking, singing and more. There
are workshops. Gates open at
5 pm
to 5 am
, in
the all night blues tradition. Everyone comes. Fun!! www.dcminnerblues.com
DD Poster 2007
300 dpi version of poster
2006
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