“More than anything else, I would like to see a revival of country blues by more young people … more people going to concerts, learning to play the music,” Cephas once said. “That’s why I stay in the field of traditional music. I don’t want it to die.”I met John Cephas in the early 90’s at Oliver’s Pub in Hagerstown. A genuinely friendly man, he spoke of how much he enjoyed playing in Hagerstown.
From his agent, Piedmont Talent’s Steve Hecht
A descendent of slaves, Cephas was born in Washington, D.C. in 1930, and acquired his “Bowling Green” moniker from his childhood days in Bowling Green, Virginia. Cephas discovered gospel as a child, but soon learned the blues from a guitar-playing aunt while his grandfather taught him about eastern Virginia folklore.I have put together a little playlist of John Cephas clips on YouTube. The clips show him solo and as part of Cephas & Wiggins with long time partner Phil Wiggins on harmonica. The clips show him doing what he did best, playing and teaching. Spend a few minutes and check them out. Or if you are too busy just minimize this window and enjoy the music of John Cephas for a few minutes.
Fellow Hagerstownian Grudnik captured a nice shot of John Cephas at the Western Maryland Blues Fest in 2005. See it on his Flickr photostream.
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