LOVIN'THE BLUES

On www.amazon.com search Blues legends portraits by Helen Thomas or paintings by Helen Thomas

Also www.helen-thomas.artistwebsites.com , click on "artwork" and purchase through paypal actual prints, matted and framed, and giclees on canvas, contact Helen Thomas for purchasing original works.

On several of the pages on this site there are slide shows in form of revolving carousels which you may control with your cursor.

Images can be viewed full screen...use controls bottom right below each collection.

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Morgan Freeman and Helen Thomas at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

Juke Joint Festival 2006.

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Below, artist Helen Thomas with Lifetime Achievement Award winner, DAVID "HONEYBOY" EDWARDS

attending a celebration held in the L.A. home of Alan Goldman, honoring the lifetime achievements of

Honeyboy Edwards

On January 29th, 2010... I attended an exclusive house party in Los Angeles as one of only fifty

guests invited by Jeff Dale to celebrate Honeyboy Edwards recieving a Lifetime Achievement Award on January 30th.

I brought back several good photos (several not so good) which were taken at that event.

Honeyboy Edwards was there, and performed quite a long set for us, such a strong voice and a beautiful man.

And, Jeff and his band were fantastic (of course)!!! I had all the guys sign my CD cover, bought the T-shirt, also a fine

poster of Honeyboy which he graciously signed for me. It was a very exciting evening with them all, worth the trip!!!

This is one of those "not so good" photos that I mentioned, but what the heck!!!

I'm with Jeff Dale...that makes it just great!!!

Honeyboy Edwards, 94 and a true legend, still performing...

I feel immensely honored to have actually met this man.

These are two portraits of Honeyboy Edwards that I painted several years ago, needless to say,

both were painted from photos taken many years ago. The one on the right when he was a very young man.

I intend to do another from one of the photos that I took of him on January 29, 2010 the evening before he

was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award at the event shown below.

Honeyboy Edwards (wearing ball cap) shown seated in right portion of photo above...

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Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners (below) opening for Honeyboy Edwards

Exclusive "livingroom" party Jan. 29,2010, celebrating Honeyboy Edwards Lifetime Achievement Award

with Jeff Dale and the South Woodlawners, attended by artist Helen Thomas and husband Tom (Harold).

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Saskia and the Unruly Blues Band

This is a very exciting talented group and every time we've seen them perform they live up to their name...

If you're any where in the DC /Baltimore area, it's a guaranteed evening of fun with them.

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Clarksdale, Mississippi....The Heart Of the Delta Blues

This intersection is referred to as the "Cross Roads"...however this is NOT the cross roads from

Robert Johnson fame. Some say that crossroads was at a point where a traintrack intersects with a

country road and some say it was a particular junction of two old dirt roads somewhere near

Clarksdale...some also say it wasn't even Robert Johnson who made the "legendary pact"but what

ever the truth may be, there's no denying that there has always been a lot of mystique involved with

the origin of the Blues.

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The portraits by artist Helen Thomas shown below along with dozens of others are arranged in a slide show on the "BLUES LEGENDS" page...most of these are sold but there are several still available at various venues in Clarksdale, Ms....or, you

may contact the artist for info concerning these or to commission others of your choice.

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( B.B. Kings cousin ) Bukka White oil on canvas... the artist collection 16x20

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Photo's below ...some taken recently...and some taken a few years back.

"ARTIST HELEN THOMAS" having coffee with John Lee of jetcityblues, at SARAH'S KITCHEN in CLARKSDALE,MS.

BOBBY RUSH and a BOBBY RUSH DANCER (main stage) at CLARKSDALE, MS.

Reverand Robert playing on Cherry St for "Helena Blues and Heritage" 2008

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2008 Helena, Blues and Heritage Festival Tensley Ellis

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October 2008 Helena Reverand Robert playing here with Deak Harp

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April, 2007 Clarksdale...The Juke Joint Festival. I was priviledged to spend a weekend during one of Clarksdales blues

festivals awhile back at The Riverside Hotel, which incidentally is an internationally known establishment. The man who

owns and manages the place ( Frank Ratliff) is also as well known and is a living, breathing, walking around Delta blues archives and always happy to take the time to tell you anything you want to hear about...and so much of it all happened

right there.This guy actually went to school with some of the great bluesmen, Ike Turner for one.

Each of the many rooms in the hotel is named for the last blues legend who occupied it but the room in which Bessie Smith spent her final day (when it was still a hospital) has remained the Bessie Smith room.The painting of Bessie Smith which I did for Mr Ratliff is permanently installed in this room.

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Granted it doesn't look like much, but it is an authentic connection to the early day's of the"blues."

There are rooms off each side of the long hall way, more downstairs, also individual bungalows on the property .

There are many actual objects of luggage, clothing, musical instruments, etc... which belonged to the now famous

guests, from way back in the earlier years. The owner and acting manager of this famous hotel grew up with many

of these past residents (has photos) and is always willing to revisit these memories with his guests.

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Ground Zero Blues Club during The Juke Joint Festival Clarksdale, Ms April, 2005

A very special ( to me ) painting depicting the interior of GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB ( co-owned by Morgan Freeman)

is on permanent display at Madidi in Clarksdale, the painting was personally presented in 2005 by myself to...

the great man ................Morgan Freeman ! (Of course, that's why it's special to me).

The subjects in the painting are...Puttin' (Ground Zero Blues Club spoksman for the PBS documentary), and

Ryan Perry of Homemade Jamz Blues Band, Kenny Brown (seated) & in the upper right corner...Amos. (Sorry, I missed

the sax player's name)... these are some of the performers and local folks whom we met on one of our visits to Ground Zero,

there were other performers there that weekend but these guys stuck in my memory and I felt compelled to paint them, and

I began to do so just as soon as I returned to my studio in southern Maryland..

This photo of Morgan Freeman and myself was taken a few months later in Ground Zero Blues Club the same evening after I presented the painting to him ...everything just seemed to come together beautifully for me that weekend.

Don't you just love it when special events fall into place on a "best case scenerio" basis & without a hitch !!!?

Somehow I suspect many events involving Morgan Freeman may happen that way...

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Pott's Farm Ms. The North Hill Country Festival summer 2006

This photo of Kenny Brown was taken by a friend of ours and one of Kenny's biggest fans, right

up there with Tom and I, at the HILL COUNTRY PICNIC at Potts Camp, Ms. in 2007.

This is an annual event which was originated by Kenny Brown a few years back and has grown

tremendously each year to a series of smashing successes. Kenny brings in "very big talent"

each year who all feel privileged, I believe, to share the lime light with him.

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Here's another...I'm not certain if I took this one or if Judy did, she is a very good photographer and I am not, so

since this one isn't as great as it could be, maybe she'll let me take credit for it...:-) Naw, it's hers too.

When you have a moment you might "google" Kenny Brown then surf his links to find the video clip from the movie

"BLACK SNAKE MOAN," in which Kenny was featured with R.L.Burnside, and Burnsides grandsonson Cedric

with Samuel Jackson, good sounds there!!!...pretty bad movie, though.

Also there is a really cool 3.48 min. sound video of Kenny and Burnside in conversation on a utube link...archive stuff !!

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2007 Cat Head Blues & Folk Art MINI FEST Clarksdale, Ms.

One visit to Ground Zero we saw these kids...Ryan, Kyle and Taya Perry...at the time Taya was playing tamborine

and has since gone on to drums for the group and even doing great with guitar. Couple of years ago these kids took

second place in the annual international blues competition held in Memphis and was each personally presented

signature guitars from B.B.King in addition all other awards (these photos were taken in 2007, Clarksdale, Ms.

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BLUES LEGENDS, JUKES, BLUES FESTIVALS.............And paintings by Blues Artist Helen Thomas!!!

Primarily PAINTINGS, PHOTOS and SKETCHES of BLUES RELATED SUBJECTS ...also dozens of other paintings which are in no way related to the BLUES, some available for purchase (or contact the ARTIST HELEN THOMAS for details concerning commissioned work).