The class will focus on a selection of field hollers, African-American work songs and spirituals in oral traditions, call/response, rhythms, melody and harmonies, mainly singing in community.
Students can attend either or both periods of this class.
Instructor Bio
Resa Gibbs, lead vocalist and percussionist for MSG Acoustic Blues Trio (a trio steeped in the Piedmont Blues tradition), is known for her warm, soulful, and heartfelt sound. A sought-after vocal instructor, she feels pleased and honored by the opportunity to instruct vocal workshops at Augusta Heritage Center’s Blues & Swing Week 2019.
In the summer of 2008 and 2009, Resa taught blues singing during Country Blues Week at Centrum in Port Townsend, WA. She has also been an assistant instructor at Augusta’s Blues & Swing Week gospel mini-course. In 2010, she, along with Jackie Merritt, was accepted into the Library of Congress “Americana Women: Roots Musicians – Women’s Tales and Tunes” as part of the MusicBox Project collection, some of which has been catalogued in the American Folklife Center.
Resa has made vocal contributions including backing vocals on several award winning singer / songwriters’ albums. Most notably, she sang background vocals on Gaye Adegbalola’s Bitter Sweet Blues CD, produced by Rory Block and recorded by Alligator Records. On the 2008 CD project by Gaye Adegbalola entitled Gaye Without Shame, Resa sang a featured duet with Gaye and added backing vocals to several tracks. This CD was produced by Blues Music Award winner Bob Margolin. She performed with Gaye, Bob Margolin, Jason Ricci, and other nominated artists at the 2009 BMAs (Blues Music Awards) in Memphis. She also had the pleasure of singing on Roddy Barnes’ ODD album in 2015.
MSG’s 4th CD, The Flood, was released in the spring of 2016 and nominated in the first round for a Grammy Award in the category of Best Traditional Blues Album. It was also selected by the DC Blues Society for submission to the International Blues Challenge in the category of Best Self-Produced Album.
Check Gibbs in action at Augusta in 2017: