Keeping the Blues Alive

The West Michigan Blues Society promotes and preserves the blues through member events like our Cabin and Cottage Fever Blues Jams, bringing national blues acts to West Michigan and sending our local performers to Memphis Tennessee to compete in the International Blues Challenge, the world’s biggest battle of the bands.

The third Sunday of most months we host Cabin Fever or Cottage Fever Blues Jams with a rotating list of member bands that perform and share the stage with area musicians. These events highlight the improvisational quality of the blues and encourage new musicians and new collaborations. These events are free to all.

We regularly bring national blues acts to local clubs for an up close and personal experience with the blues. In the past year we brought Greg Nagy, Billy the Kid and the Regulators, Ghalia Volt and Mathias Lattin, winner of the International Blues Challenge in 2023. All of this is financed with a modest cover charge.

Each year we also host our own Blues Challenge with band and solo / duo winners officially representing the West Michigan Blues Society in Memphis Tennessee. Several of our member bands and performers have made it to the quarter and semi-finals of this competition. The Society provides a small stipend to all performers and a number of fundraising events for the performers to hone their performance and raise travel money.

The society hosts a website with valuable information, a monthly calendar of member band and national acts performing in Michigan as well as a weekly email calendar and email news of important Society events. We also have a FaceBook group where we post timely updates of local blues shows, educational materials and blues history. We have had a roster of over forty member bands over the years.

Along with the Capital Area Blues Society as well as the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association, we formed MIBlues to improve service to our members and community.

Your board is focusing on more educational and member events and improving our events through collaboration with member venues.

Throughout the WMBS have been exceptional stewards of our membership fees, our major source of income. Most of our events pay for themselves, with low cover charges for major acts. Since our blues jams are meant to encourage participation, we do not charge cover.