Students of Mr. Johnnie and Dr. Mike
To play the White House

On Wednesday, May 10, the students of Mr. Johnnie (Johnnie Billington) and Dr. Mike (Michael James) have been selected to perform at the White House for the reception of the USDOT Conference "Delta Visions, Delta Voices, Mississippi Delta Beyond 2000: A National Conference."

The presentation of the students and their teachers is a concerted effort of the Delta Blues Education Fund and the Delta Blues Museum, of Clarksdale and Lambert, Mississippi.

Students Quotasse Williams (drums), Jarvis Cole (bass, vocals), Artrelle Earl (bass), Venessia Young (guitar, keys, vocals) and Fazenda Young (bass, drums) will join their teachers Mr. Johnnie and Dr. Mike for a performance at the reception of the conference, which is organized by Rodney E. Slater, U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Jarvis Cole at Sunflower River Blues Fest

The conference is a result of the Mississippi Delta Regional Initiative, which focuses on the future of the Mississippi Delta, and will lay the foundation for new collaborations, and provide greater economic opportunity for its inhabitants.

Mr. Johnnie and Dr. Mike provide year-long apprenticeships on the Delta Blues for the children of the Mississippi Delta. Their teaching involves dress code and citizenship, as well as musical instruction.

For more information contact DBEF Director John Ruskey at (662) 627-4070, or DBM Chairman Bill Gresham at (662) 624-5408. For more information on the apprenticeship program, please visit website www.bluesed.org. For more information on the Delta Blues Museum, please see website www.deltabluesmuseum.org.