When blues musician and educator Michael "Hawkeye" Hemlan came to Grafton last fall to perform aLschools and in concert, he spoke to local residents about their community as "a sleeping giant."
Grafton, Herman told his audiences, has a chance to acknowledge its place in American music history and let the rest of the world know about a rich legacy that has been overlooked by the genera] public for decades.
America lost one of its great bluesmen last weekend, and Grafton lost its last living link to a storied past.
...it's not every Wisconsin town of an under 11,000 population that throws a day-long blues festival.
Grafton, however, was home to Paramount Records, the label (and outgrowth of a furniture company) responsible for 78s by Charley Patton, Son House, Skip James and other figures of inestimable importance to the music's recorded history. Thus, the inaugural Paramount Blues Festival.
Six months after the Paramount Blues Festival debuted to an enthusiastic reception in Grafton, organizers have unveiled plans for the 2007 edition.
The American Heritage dictionary definition of Paramount: "Superior and Foremost". After attending the 3rd annual Paramount Blues Fest in Grafton, Wisconsin, I left town, those two words echoing in my head. Before I begin the review of the live music from this 2 day event, a bit of blues history is in order.
Grafton’s status as a hub for one of America’s greatest musical exports remains rooted in history. It’s that connection to the past, nurtured by people who care about maintaining that legacy, which fuels the Paramount Blues Festival, held this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18, at Lime Kiln Park at 2020 S. Green Bay Road.
The event, now in its fifth year, is named for the record company run as a subsidiary of a furniture company in this Ozaukee County city from 1918 to the mid-’30s. The label’s greatest commercial success came from its “race” records line, which included some of the earliest recordings of such luminaries as Alberta Hunter and Charley Patton.
The resounding success of last year's innaugural Paramount Blues Festival has organizers and sponsors excited about this year's event. The festival, which will return to Grafton's Lime Kiln Park, ha sbeen expanded to two days of activities on Sept, 21 and 22.
