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ABOUT THE PINETOP PERKINS FOUNDATION

Pinetop Perkins was one of the last great Mississippi bluesmen.  He began playing blues around 1927 and is widely regarded as one of the best blues pianists.  He passed away on March 21, 2011 at the age of 97.

 

The primary mission of The Pinetop Perkins Foundation is to provide encouragement and support for youth and young people at the beginning of their musical career; and help provide care and safety for elderly musicians at the twilight of their career.

 

The Foundation is a tax exempt non-profit organization.  Donations to the Foundation will go towards scholarships to enable youth to attend the MasterClass Workshops held annually in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

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PINETOP PERKINS FOUNDATION Announces Scholarships for 2012 Master Class Workshops

The Pinetop Perkins Foundation is pleased to announce the availability of nine scholarships for the 2012 Master Class Youth Workshops in Guitar, Piano and Harmonica.  Held in Clarksdale, Mississippi from June 12 - 15th, and open to the young and the young at heart, scholarships are available to youth ages 12 to 21 nationwide.

SCHOLARSHIP BREAKDOWN:
-  Two scholarships are sponsored by The Honeyboy Edwards Fund for the Blues at the National Blues Museum.  They are earmarked for harmonica and guitar in the amount of $600.00 each.
-  Six scholarships are available from The Pinetop Perkins Foundation.  They are up to $600.00 each and will be split between those attending the harmonica, piano and guitar workshops.
-  One guitar scholarship has been set aside by donations earmarked to honor the late legendary bluesman Hubert Sumlin.  The amount of the award will be determined by donations received in Hubert's name by April 15, 2012.

The deadline for submitting scholarship applications is April 15, 2012.  More Information can be found here.

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The Honeyboy Edwards Fund for the Blues at the National Blues Museum announces ongoing scholarship support for the Pinetop Perkins Foundation. 

Beginning in 2012 The Honeyboy Edwards Fund for the Blues at The National Blues Museum designated two scholarships for the Master Class Workshops to be held in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The founders of the fund have committed to making this an ongoing award and will provide at least one scholarship in every award year.

The Honeyboy Edwards Fund for the Blues at The National Blues Museum was created by the founders Michael Frank, Amanda Gresham, Barbara Hammerman and Lynn Orman Weiss in celebration of the life and contributions of Mr. David Honeyboy Edwards to the field of Blues music.

The purposeof the fund is to acknowledge the contributions of Mr. Edwards and other elders of the blues such as Pinetop Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Homesick James, Henry Townsend, Willie “Big Eyes” Smith and Hubert Sumlin.

More information can be found here.

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2012 MASTERCLASS WORKSHOP - DATES, REGISTRATION FORMS, ETC.

The Annual MasterClass Workshops will be held in 2012 from June 12 through June 15.  Once again we will be at Hopson and the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, MS with a finale at the Ground Zero Blues Club.  In addition to piano and guitar we are pleased to be adding a harmonica workshop.  More Information can be found here.

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ANN RABSON RETURNS TO TEACH PIANO MASTERCLASS

We are pleased to announce the return of Ann Rabson to teach the piano class at the Annual MasterClass Workshops this June.  More informatio about Ann can be found at her website.

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2011 MASTERCLASS Pictures Posted

The 2011 MasterClass Workshops have come to a close and by all accounts were a rousing success.  Thanks to all the participants, the instructors - Bob Margolin, Erwin Helfer and Clay Swafford and our hosts - Hopson Plantation, The Shack Up Inn and Ground Zero Blues Club.  We're already planning for next year!

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