T. J. Wheeler

T. J. Wheeler is a blues and jazz guitarist, vocalist, educator, and overall musical activist. As a soloist or with his band, T.J. takes his audience from Delta Blues to New Orleans second line jazz to his contemporary blues and jazz original compositions. His workshop/concert tour Hope, Heroes and the Blues has been performed for over 150,000 students throughout the country and won accolades from such diverse sources as the The Memphis Blues Foundation, Face Magazine and the Boston Globe. T.J. has performed at major jazz, folk, and blues festivals throughout the U.S., Europe and Canada. He is a 1993 recipient of the WC Handy "Keeping the Blues Alive Award" in education and received a 1996 Artist Fellowship from the State Arts Council. TJ was the resident blues scholar on the Magic Bus seen on C Span in the fall of 1997. In January, 2000, he won the music in the school award from the National Music Foundation.

Specialty:

• blues/jazz ensemble

Programs Offered:

• performances
• lecture-demonstrations
• workshops
• master classes
• residencies
• summer camp programs
• teacher conferences on integrating the arts into curriculum
• collaborations with other artists

Populations Served:

• all, including people in institutions and youth at-risk

Availability:

• all areas
• year round