So, got any plans at 4 p.m. today (April 4)?
Bremerton-born blues man TJ Wheeler will present a free workshop today at the Opal Robertston Teen Center, 802 7th St. in Bremerton. He’ll also give a concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at Island Center Hall on Bainbridge Island, 8395 Fletcher Bay Rd NE; donations welcome. A 6 p.m. potluck precedes Saturday’s entertainment.
Wheeler graduated from an alternative school on Bainbridge Island and found music to be a grounding influence in his early life, which was full of challenges, according to Jerry Elfendahl, who is helping publicize the musician’s visit to the Northwest. He has earned many awards and accolades, including the W.C. Handy Keeping the Blues Alive Award in education.
Wheeler’s workshops combine music and inspiration. His
educational program Hope, Heroes and the Blues, which started with
a small grant from Ben & Jerry’s, has reached more than 450,000
students nationwide.
The concert/workshop in Bremerton is sponsored by New Life
Community Development Agency. Although the workshop is aimed at
youth, everyone is welcome. There is no cost.
Wheeler’s calling his Saturday concert a 50th Jubilee, since he’s been playing guitar for 50 years.
“The next week the Jimi Hendrix Museum AKA EMP / (Experience Music project) have booked me to do a ‘Blues to Hendrix’ BITS (Blues in the School) residency and concert,” Wheeler wrote in his blog. “It is a blessing to be coming home and I hope I see all of you at one site or another.”
