"An Instrument of Unity"

LAMW Sponsors  The Mayor and City  Council of Los Angeles The Department of Cultural Affairs for Los Angeles L.A. County Board of Supervisors The L. A. Branch  of the U.S. Postal Service Los Angeles Unified School District Target Corporation Richards, Watson & Gershon Law Firm Professional Musicians Union Local 47 First Congregational Church of Los Angeles Logo by Jeff Tsuji LAMW's Past Honorees

THE "L.A. MUSIC WEEK" ANTHEM If harmony is what you seek, Then turn to "L.A. Music Week." For young and old the goals are there  To find in music joys to share. The values that we strive to teach To all those children in our reach Are found in music, songs, and sounds, With fun and impact without bounds. Through classes, concerts, and events, With skills and interest as intents, We marshal stars who sing and play, And even stage a "Children's Day." The impact goes beyond the young, With gains that truly are farflung In nurturing the talent pool To aid careers long after school. So join our quest and help those goals;  Yes, add your voice within our rolls, And say what kids say as your plan: Say, "I can do it...Yes, I can!" Lyrics by Stanley M. Gortikov What is Los Angeles Music Week? Los Angeles Music Week  (LAMW) is a seven day celebration  of Los Angeles' multifaceted musical heritage, serving the entire city and county of Los Angeles, now in its ninth year.  Throughout the week of December 8 to 15, 2002, LAMW annually showcases L.A.'s musical past and the many artists whose legendary contributions have impacted this city,  while building links to all citizens.  This is accomplished through  performances, interviews,  student projects, performer showcases and special events, representing music of all genres,   held at multiple locations.  LAMW's goals are to encourage legendary artists to teach and mentor students, raise public awareness of the diverse musical genres performed in this great city, honor cultural diversity and encourage those who artistically educate our youth.   Every year,  LAMW coincides with the issue of the U.S. Postal Service's Commemorative Music Heritage Stamps, whereby framed enlargements are presented to honorees.   Rare cancellations with postmarks, true collector's items since 1996,  may only be purchased through Los Angeles Music Week.

 

                                                    Ed Archer was born in 1928 in the small town of Waldo, Southwest Arkansas.  He remembers hearing the blues and Negro spirituals
                                                    around the age of three in his grandparents' home on an old RCA Victrola.  This love for music, especially Blues, has continued
                                                    throughout his life.  At about age 12, he acquired his first radio given to him by an uncle who moved to Detroit,  Michigan.   He listened
                                                    to Blues on radio stations in Shreveport, Louisiana,  KRKD in Dallas, Texas, Little Rock, Arkansas  and WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee.
                                                    Today, he still prefers radio over television.

                                                    After living in Arkansas, Michigan and Illinois, he moved to Los Angeles in 1951.  His passion and love for the Blues ontinued to grow.
                                                    Ed became a serious collector of records and memorabilia in the 1970s.  In the early 1980s, he became more involved in Blues activities.
                                                    He joined the Southern California Blues Society (SCBS) at its first open meeting in 1982.  He joined the Board of Directors as a Vice
                                                    President in February, 1984 and was elected President in February, 1987, then again n 1991, serving afterwards as Chairman of the Board.
                                                    Ed produced several events for the Society, including Topanga Blues Festivals.  When the SCBS established the Big Joe Turner Musicians'
                                                    Assistance Fund, Ed also served on that Board of Directors.

                                                    Being a photographer with his own business, it was just natural for Ed to photograph Blues events and artists.  He was a photographer
                                                    for the Long Beach Blues Festival for nine years, from 1982 to 1990.  He also travelled across the United States photographing blues
                                                    festivals in cities like Chicago, Las Vegas, Monterey and Sacramento.  Ed also did special assignments for Living Blues Magazine.  His
                                                    collection of photographs includes many artists no longer with us and most of the present-day artists, such as B.B. King, Bobby Bland,
                                                    Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Johnnie Shines, Larry Davis, Lowell Fulson and Charles Brown.

                                                    Ed is no stranger to volunteering.  He began volunteer work as a teenager, and it has always been a part of his life.  Therefore, it was just
                                                    natural for him to volunteer for Blues organizations, events and causes.  For a number of years, Ed has been a nominator for the Memphis-
                                                    based Blues Foundation William C. Handy Awards.  He worked with the Venice Folk Art Council for six years, advising and helping to
                                                    produce theri annual Black History Month Blues Show and also hosting, as well as narrating, each event.  Ed worked with the Los Angeles
                                                    Folk Art Council and Museum by advising and securing Blues artists.  He lectured and produced an acoustic musical at the museum.

                                                    Ed joined the Willie Dixon Blues Heaven Foundation Scholarship Committee and was Chairman for two years, later becoming Senior Vice
                                                    President of the Board of Directors in 1992.  He became a Board Member of Los Angeles Music Week in 1995.  When Dr. Oliver Wilson
                                                    bought the Los Angeles 5-4 Ballroom with the idea of bringing it back to its original prominence, Ed was invited to a meeting by Margie Evans.
                                                    He asked permission and organized a volunteer support group.   He declined the position of President and chose to become both Advisor and
                                                    Entertainment Coordinator.
 

                                                    After retiring as a machinist in 1987, Ed was invited to radio station KPFK 90.7 FM by Mary Katherine Aldin to join her as co-host of the
                                                    Blues show, "Preachin' the Blues."  In Octover of that year, he became producer and host.  Over the years he has interviewed many guests:
                                                    Charles Brown, Larry Davis, Keb' Mo', Bobby Rush, Gatemouth Brown, Johnny Shines and many others.  Ed has tried to use the show to bring
                                                    attention to Blues music and the artists, particularly local artists and local clubs, always trying to foster respectability for this genre of music.

                                                    Last year, he became the first President of the California Blues Preservation Society, which is in the infant stage.  He hopes his tenure there will
                                                    help the organization develop a format to preserve and perpetuate Blues music by establishing an education program, a Blues museum, and an
                                                    overall program that draws support both nationally and internationally, as well as from the community.  Ed wants to be able to leave his Blues
                                                    collection of memorabilia and photographs to an organization he is familiar with and trusts.

                                                    His Blues collection includes records, 78's and 45's; LP's, tapes, 8-tracks, cassettes, reel-to-reel, CDs; videos, both music and documentaries;
                                                    books, magazines and numerous written articles; and a collection of photographs.
 
 

LAMW Partners ArtsCorpLA L.A. Opera Gene Autry Museum Bernice H. Turner Brand Library and Art  Center of Glendale Hollywood Bowl Museum The Hollywood  Entertainment Museum University of  Southern California View 1998 Proclamation

Artistic Mission Fulfilling the motto, "An Instrument of Unity, " Los Angeles Music Week serves all the residents of the Greater Los Angeles area, including its surrounding basins.  The performances, projects and events impact people of diverse cultures, ages, ethnicities, religions and socio- economic groups.  The scope of events offers Angelenos opportunities to hear musical genres that they have never experienced and invites them to explore venues in various parts of the city.   The educational activities of LAMW are enabled in elementary, middle  and high schools.   LAMW takes an active role in Los Angeles' cultural tourism industry by offering a wide variety of performances that showcase the city's musical heritage.  Due to the drastic cutbacks in music curricula in schools over the past decade, the majority of the city's children know little or nothing about the rich musical heritage of the city they live in and have no scope of the musical genres available to them, from classical to jazz to ethnic musics.  Many children have very few musical skills or lack the resources for acquiring them.  LAMW's program elements, such as field trips, in-school presentations and opportunities to interface with living musical legends, broaden musical understanding and have created musical bridges between the communities over the  past six years.  The  sponsors and partnerships listed on this page dutifully enable LAMW  to accomplish the educational goals and facilitate field trips for the school children in order to link music with other aspects of culture and learning.  The children derive so much pride and motivation from learning how many famous musicians from all aspects of the music business grew up in their own communities.    Face-to-face dialogue with successful living legends gives them the impetus to explore their own God-given talents and capabilities, inspiring them to learn.   The Children's Day field trips open up a world of amazing wonder and possibility.   In the words of Founder/Executive Director Margie Evans describing the 1999 Children's Day event, "Serious joy was had by these wonderful children."  One parent, accompanying her child to the California Science Museum trip, commented, "This is what it's all about, giving children a chance to succeed."  During the 2001 LAMW celebration at the Warner Grand Theatre, selected schools were elated to receive a cash donation of $500 for their music departments, while parents, honorees and children raved about everything from the musical performances, to the unique LAMW  t-shirts provided by Target,  to the superbly tasty sub sandwiches from the Busy Bee in San Pedro.

	L.A. Music Week Margie Evans, Executive Director melamw@earthlink.net P.O. Box 451146 L.A., CA 90045-8511 Ph: 310-670-6898 Fax: 310-670-6908