August 28, 2007

Black Cultural Center presents an evening of classic blues songs

Cherita Armstrong
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The Juneteenth Legacy Theatre will perform the "Juneteenth Cotton Club Revue," written and directed by the group's founder, Lorna Littleway. The production, which is free and open to the public, pays tribute to blues greats such as Billie Holiday, Ethel Waters and Lena Horne.

"The performance is a real crowd-pleaser, from seniors to youth," said BCC director Renee Thomas. "Guests will hear familiar tunes including 'Summertime,' 'God Bless the Child,' 'St. Louis Blues' and many others. The performance is part of the BCC Cultural Arts Series, 'The Myths and Mores that Make Up the Blues Tradition.'"

Founded in 1999, the Juneteenth Legacy Theatre is a development company of original and new works about the African-American experience and its legacy. The group derives its name from the traditional African-American holiday, which is a celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States.

The company has received the Pyramid Award for Excellence in Diversity from the Center for Non-Profit Excellence, the Sallie Bingham Award for Social Change from the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Arts and Humanities Award at the Zora Neale Hurston Festival.

For information, contact the BCC at (765) 494-3092 or visit its Web site at http://www.purdue.edu/bcc

Writer: Maggie Morris, (765) 494-2432, maggiemorris@purdue.edu

Source: Renee Thomas, (765) 494-3091, rathomas@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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