Simply, For The Fun of It!

From my very first concert in Midland, Texas as a young girl with my parents, seeing the great Ray Charles singing, smiling, and playing the piano, I was hooked on live performance. My mother, a church organist and local piano teacher, with my dad, a lover of the dance, gave me the perfect opportunity to be surrounded by music. We had yearly tickets to the Midland/Odessa Symphony and Chorale and we enjoyed music together. Truly, the happiest family times revolved around live music.

I married my husband, Buddy, who also was a music aficionado and audiophile. Buddy introduced me to The Blues, a true American art form. Our children were raised and performed in the theatre arts, playing instruments, singing, dancing, and working the backstage. The Police (Sting, Stewart, and Andy) reunited and we took our kids to their first rock concert in Dallas, Texas.

Many moons have passed along with many concerts with friends and family. I found myself volunteering for Tall City Blues Fest in Midland, Texas and loving every minute of it. Curiosity fully intact, I went to Memphis, Tennessee to attend my first Blues Music Awards in May. I volunteered for BIG Llou Johnson’s Tribute Jam. The Blues Foundation, The Blues Hall of Fame, Keeping the Blues Alive, and The Hart Fund is an extraordinarily talented group of people from all backgrounds globally caring for the future of all things Blues. Consider becoming a member of The Blues Foundation? I am. We have one thing in common, we love The Blues.

Retiring to New Mexico in 2013, I knew in my heart, I would create a Blues Festival in Santa Fe, New Mexico. With much talk and sleepless nights wondering what was actually possible, that one day came on October 20, 2023. REDS and GREENS True Bluesfest Santa Fe, NM was born! The sheer joy and delight I witnessed in myself and others at the inaugural event in 2023, from the audience to the performers, was palpable and beyond my wildest expectations! I knew THIS was creating a difference in The City Different.

In 2012, I made a choice to abide by this one life principle to the best of my ability. It is this question:

What if the sole/soul purpose of living is “Simply, To Have Fun?”

So here I am, dedicated to creating a communal space in nature for others to “IN JOY” their living through music, song, and dance. For I know as an energetic healer, that happy bodies heal each other whether they are aware of it or not. I firmly believe that’s what truly heals our planet, Earth.

With this contribution to humanity and the environment, I invite others with like minds to join me in this collaboration. It’s never a me thing, it’s a we thing. I have endless gratitude for all the volunteers, sponsors, the City of Santa Fe, and the Great Spirit in the Sky.

You’re wholeheartedly invited to join the joy train called REDS & GREENS True Bluesfest! Bring yourself and 2 friends to year #2?!

Best regards,
Kathy White