After almost 50 years under the management of Archie Edwards and then the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation, the building which houses the Barbershop is going up for sale, according to the property manager.

The building has been held under the trusteeship of Wachovia Bank and the decision was made to liquidate the holdings.

We, the Foundation, are in the process of exploring options on our response.

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MusiCares for Music People

MusiCares provides Emergency Financial Assistance, Addiction Recovery Services and other needed referrals for Music Industry People in Medical, Financial or Personal Crisis. Our services are free and confidential. Call Toll-Free in the Northeast: 1-877-303-6962.

Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern musical traditions gain recognition and meet their day to day needs. Today, many such musicians are living in extreme poverty and need food, shelter, medical care, and other assistance. Music Maker's aid and service programs improve the quality of recipients' lives. Our work affirms to these artists that we value the gifts of music and inspiration they have delivered to the world.Our mission is to give back to the roots of American music. Our criterion for recipients is they be rooted in a Southern musical tradition, be 55 years or older and have an annual income less than $18,000. Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. is a tax exempt, public charity under IRS code 501(c)3.

PROGRAMS:
Musician Sustenance—grants to meet basic life needs and emergency relief. Musical Development - grants and services for recipient artist professional development and career advancement. Cultural Access—supports the preservation and proliferation of American musical traditions.

One of the best kept secrets in D.C. is the HR-57 Center for Preservation of Jazz and Blues, a nonprofit "sister" organization to the D.C. Blues Society, given its similarity in mission and the close relationship between jazz and blues. The Center takes its name from a House Resolution passed in Congress in 1987, designating jazz as a "rare and valuable national treasure". The Center has a warm, friendly, and casual atmosphere with comfortable sofas, numerous candlelit tables in the music area, and a wealth of jazz and blues photos and prints decorating its brick walls. The Center will house a jazz and blues archive accessible to the public; currently provides a meeting place for lectures, workshops, seminars, and group discussions on jazz or blues; and will provide group and individual rehearsal space, recording facilities and practice booths. In addition, the Center hosts an open jazz jam every Wednesday and Friday from approximately 8:30 PM-midnight. On Saturdays, the Center hosts a jazz performance highlighting a vocalist. Various levels of membership offer a variety of benefits. Nonmembers pay $6 for the jazz jams and $10 for performances. Food and nonalcoholic beverages are available for a donation on the premises. You may bring your own alcoholic beverages. The D.C. Blues Society teams with the Center to host periodic blues events. Be sure to stop by and check out this excellent venue for jazz and blues. HR-57 is located at 1610 14th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20009. Phone: 202-667-3700. E-mail: hr57@att.net . (revised 11/19/01)

One of the greatest losses in the region's blues community was the passing of Baltimore Blues Society's President, Marcia Selko, last year. Marcia loved the arts, was devoted to cultural harmony, and wanted to use the arts to help kids. With this in mind, Marcia's Kids Endowment Fund has been set up to help send Baltimore area underprivileged, gifted children, and teens to Common Ground on the Hill's week-long multicultural summer camps held during the summer at Western Maryland College in Westminster. Common Ground focuses on the traditional arts and seeks to find common ground between the races. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to Common Ground on the Hill for Marcia's Kids and mailed to: Common Ground on the Hill, Western Maryland College, Westminster, MD 21157. Visit the Web site at: http://www.commongroundonthehill.com or call 410-857-2771. (posted 8/29/2000)