Madison Blues Society honors women and men, past and present, whose self-expression of poem, phrase tell a story of their own hopes and hurts with unparalleled authentic intensity. Through these pages, we highlight their contributions and how these everyday people move our hearts and enrich our world with their talent, energy and lyrical genius. We strive to share the history and influences of blues music as it evolved prior to the turn of the century to its current incarnation. In a small way we wish to hope to add to the current body of knowledge by reflecting on blues musicians of the past and today.