29
Jun
2004
Editor's note: In 1995, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Todd McGreevy traced the history of the event and the organization that plans and runs it. On the occasion of the 20th festival, the Reader is reprinting this condensed version.
It all began, 10 years ago, with a small group of blues fans who were dissatisfied with the live blues music scene in the Quad Cities. The founders of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society (MVBS) gave true definition to the concept "do it yourself." Core member Doris Pierre explained that back in the early '80s, the blues scene in the QCs was nearly nonexistent. The low point, according to Pierre, happened when Jerry Luden and Dan Carmody, previous owners of RIBCO, had to cease hosting live-music performances because of a sluggish economy. Pierre and then-husband Ross Haecker, along with Gene and Nancy Morgan, Becky Whitaker, John Lillequist, and Joan and Mark Hahn, began caravanning throughout Iowa and Illinois to see live blues shows. This group of friends saw a need to promote and heighten blues-music awareness in the Quad Cities area. The initial plan was to book four live blues acts a year in the Quad Cities. The first show was held on St. Patrick's Day 1984 at the Skylight Room. The Skylight Room was the second-floor hall of the old Times/Democrat building on Brady Street in downtown Davenport. The band that performed was the Rhythm Rockers.
Prior to the show, there was no official blues club or society. I asked Doris how the Mississippi Valley Blues Society was officially formed. She responded, "A few days before the Skylight gig, Ross went to the paper to generate some publicity for the event. When he came back, he told me, 'We have a club called the Mississippi Valley Blues Club.' I said, 'Oh yeah? How many members do we have, Ross?' He answered, 'Seventy, and you're the president.'" It was a classic example of Haecker's "engage fantasy now, accomplish later" way of getting things done.
In order to establish members of the newly "formed" blues club, a sign-up sheet was posted at the Rhythm Rockers show. According to Haecker, he lost $200 on that gig. But 15 people did sign up as charter members. They set up a board of directors, by-laws, not-for-profit status - all without prior experience in any of these matters. The Mississippi Valley Blues Society ("club" had to be changed to "society" for not-for-profit reasons) held weekly meetings at RIBCO, established Sunday-night blues jams at the Sportspage in Davenport, formed a committee for a Blues News newsletter, and booked Koko Taylor and Lonnie Brooks at RIBCO.
That summer, the group was also invited to book the acts for the Hampton, Illinois, Riverboat Days festival. Doris stated that she felt it was a good learning experience for the 1985 Blues Festival. According to Ross, "We were supposed to sell corn on the cob and watermelon, but what really happened was that we hid a couple of kegs in the tent and enjoyed ourselves all weekend." Nevertheless, the club began establishing a treasury from T-shirt sales, proceeds at club shows, and memberships. By the summer of 1985, "We were blissfully ignorant, with about $2,000 in the treasury to set up our first fest at LeClaire Park," says Pierre.
After much debate, the club finally decided on the Fourth of July as the official date for the first fest, "because nothing else was going on that weekend [back then], and it was on a Saturday," Pierre recalled. The group decided the key elements were to (1) make it free; (2) provide great local blues music; (3) serve good food; (4) have lots of beer; and (5) have a great setting. In organizing facilities and supplies at LeClaire Park, the group planned for approximately 1,000 people. To everyone's amazement, an estimated 10,000 people showed up. According to Haecker, "I approached everybody - Mel Foster Real Estate, Iowa/Illinois Gas & Electric, the Quad-City Times - to see if anyone wanted to get involved. They all said it would never fly. So when we made all of our investment back, and then some, with the beer sales, it was like, 'Screw you!' It was strictly a volunteer group, and we learned that we could actually do this without anyone else controlling it." Pierre says she approached all the major food vendors in the area, including Happy Joe's and Hy-Vee, but none wanted to take the risk. The first food vendors were Ganzo's, the Lions Club, and Jim's Rib Haven. "The weather was beautiful, there were fireworks at night, and the people just kept coming and coming. We only had eight port-a-potties, which overflowed and had to be hosed down by the fire department. We constantly ran out of food, ice, beer, and toilet paper. At the end of the night, a mass exodus of people was immobilized when a car got stuck on the tracks and was hit by a train. It was crazy," said Pierre.
"The event bonded people," Pierre said. "Jim Mueller provided security for us. Don Sutton handled lights and sound. Wolfe Beverage saved the day by making numerous trips back to the warehouse for more beer. From the park board to the mayor [Thom Hart], the city was very helpful in setting up and preparing the park for people's needs. We rented the bandshell for $250." When it was all over, the club's treasury had increased to $15,000. The Lions Club sent the MVBS a letter acknowledging a charitable donation in the MVBS's name because of the huge success it enjoyed at the fest.
Evidently there was a need for a blues outlet in the Quad Cities. The entire lineup of blues musicians for the fest was made up of local and regional acts. Pierre says, "You want to hold on to that benevolent feeling - that you did some good. But after the second year, we made a lot of money, and it began to get a little fuzzy."
Two plans were discussed regarding what the blues club should do with their proceeds. Some members wanted to take the proceeds and continue the original intent of the Blues Society - to promote, educate and inform all year long, by bringing blues to the schools and by hosting smaller concerts. Other members wanted to insure the success of the Blues Fest and continue to grow the treasury.
In 1988, Haecker, unbeknownst to the board, announced to the local media that the Blues Society was bringing B.B. King to the Adler Theater. King did come to the Adler, and it was a success. But Haecker's out-of-bounds activities resulted in the society asking him to resign. Out of respect for her then-husband, Doris resigned as well. The Blues Society continued to offer blues in the schools, publish the Blues News, and host live concerts throughout the year. The Blues Fest itself grew every year in stature, with increased numbers of musical arts, a larger fixed overhead, and always-higher attendance. By 1992, the event, run completely by volunteers, had become one of the top three blues fests in the country.
It all began, 10 years ago, with a small group of blues fans who were dissatisfied with the live blues music scene in the Quad Cities. The founders of the Mississippi Valley Blues Society (MVBS) gave true definition to the concept "do it yourself." Core member Doris Pierre explained that back in the early '80s, the blues scene in the QCs was nearly nonexistent. The low point, according to Pierre, happened when Jerry Luden and Dan Carmody, previous owners of RIBCO, had to cease hosting live-music performances because of a sluggish economy. Pierre and then-husband Ross Haecker, along with Gene and Nancy Morgan, Becky Whitaker, John Lillequist, and Joan and Mark Hahn, began caravanning throughout Iowa and Illinois to see live blues shows. This group of friends saw a need to promote and heighten blues-music awareness in the Quad Cities area. The initial plan was to book four live blues acts a year in the Quad Cities. The first show was held on St. Patrick's Day 1984 at the Skylight Room. The Skylight Room was the second-floor hall of the old Times/Democrat building on Brady Street in downtown Davenport. The band that performed was the Rhythm Rockers.
Prior to the show, there was no official blues club or society. I asked Doris how the Mississippi Valley Blues Society was officially formed. She responded, "A few days before the Skylight gig, Ross went to the paper to generate some publicity for the event. When he came back, he told me, 'We have a club called the Mississippi Valley Blues Club.' I said, 'Oh yeah? How many members do we have, Ross?' He answered, 'Seventy, and you're the president.'" It was a classic example of Haecker's "engage fantasy now, accomplish later" way of getting things done.
In order to establish members of the newly "formed" blues club, a sign-up sheet was posted at the Rhythm Rockers show. According to Haecker, he lost $200 on that gig. But 15 people did sign up as charter members. They set up a board of directors, by-laws, not-for-profit status - all without prior experience in any of these matters. The Mississippi Valley Blues Society ("club" had to be changed to "society" for not-for-profit reasons) held weekly meetings at RIBCO, established Sunday-night blues jams at the Sportspage in Davenport, formed a committee for a Blues News newsletter, and booked Koko Taylor and Lonnie Brooks at RIBCO.
That summer, the group was also invited to book the acts for the Hampton, Illinois, Riverboat Days festival. Doris stated that she felt it was a good learning experience for the 1985 Blues Festival. According to Ross, "We were supposed to sell corn on the cob and watermelon, but what really happened was that we hid a couple of kegs in the tent and enjoyed ourselves all weekend." Nevertheless, the club began establishing a treasury from T-shirt sales, proceeds at club shows, and memberships. By the summer of 1985, "We were blissfully ignorant, with about $2,000 in the treasury to set up our first fest at LeClaire Park," says Pierre.
After much debate, the club finally decided on the Fourth of July as the official date for the first fest, "because nothing else was going on that weekend [back then], and it was on a Saturday," Pierre recalled. The group decided the key elements were to (1) make it free; (2) provide great local blues music; (3) serve good food; (4) have lots of beer; and (5) have a great setting. In organizing facilities and supplies at LeClaire Park, the group planned for approximately 1,000 people. To everyone's amazement, an estimated 10,000 people showed up. According to Haecker, "I approached everybody - Mel Foster Real Estate, Iowa/Illinois Gas & Electric, the Quad-City Times - to see if anyone wanted to get involved. They all said it would never fly. So when we made all of our investment back, and then some, with the beer sales, it was like, 'Screw you!' It was strictly a volunteer group, and we learned that we could actually do this without anyone else controlling it." Pierre says she approached all the major food vendors in the area, including Happy Joe's and Hy-Vee, but none wanted to take the risk. The first food vendors were Ganzo's, the Lions Club, and Jim's Rib Haven. "The weather was beautiful, there were fireworks at night, and the people just kept coming and coming. We only had eight port-a-potties, which overflowed and had to be hosed down by the fire department. We constantly ran out of food, ice, beer, and toilet paper. At the end of the night, a mass exodus of people was immobilized when a car got stuck on the tracks and was hit by a train. It was crazy," said Pierre.
"The event bonded people," Pierre said. "Jim Mueller provided security for us. Don Sutton handled lights and sound. Wolfe Beverage saved the day by making numerous trips back to the warehouse for more beer. From the park board to the mayor [Thom Hart], the city was very helpful in setting up and preparing the park for people's needs. We rented the bandshell for $250." When it was all over, the club's treasury had increased to $15,000. The Lions Club sent the MVBS a letter acknowledging a charitable donation in the MVBS's name because of the huge success it enjoyed at the fest.
Evidently there was a need for a blues outlet in the Quad Cities. The entire lineup of blues musicians for the fest was made up of local and regional acts. Pierre says, "You want to hold on to that benevolent feeling - that you did some good. But after the second year, we made a lot of money, and it began to get a little fuzzy."
Two plans were discussed regarding what the blues club should do with their proceeds. Some members wanted to take the proceeds and continue the original intent of the Blues Society - to promote, educate and inform all year long, by bringing blues to the schools and by hosting smaller concerts. Other members wanted to insure the success of the Blues Fest and continue to grow the treasury.
In 1988, Haecker, unbeknownst to the board, announced to the local media that the Blues Society was bringing B.B. King to the Adler Theater. King did come to the Adler, and it was a success. But Haecker's out-of-bounds activities resulted in the society asking him to resign. Out of respect for her then-husband, Doris resigned as well. The Blues Society continued to offer blues in the schools, publish the Blues News, and host live concerts throughout the year. The Blues Fest itself grew every year in stature, with increased numbers of musical arts, a larger fixed overhead, and always-higher attendance. By 1992, the event, run completely by volunteers, had become one of the top three blues fests in the country.
