Freedom, Slavery and the Roots of American Music

On Monday November 17th, 2008 the Chippewa River District Library will present Freedom, Slavery and the Roots of American Music starting at 2pm in the Chippewa River District Library Annex Meeting Room at Veterans Memorial Library in Mt. Pleasant. Freedom, Slavery and the Roots of American Music is a free program and is open to the public.

During the program, Ray Kamalay will trace the development of early American music from its links to slavery up to the early jazz age. Mr. Kamalay will discuss freedom, ancient and modern slavery, liberty, spirituals, blues, minstrel shows, ragtime and jazz. Being a longtime professional musician, Mr. Kamalay will include performances of the various genres.

Ray Kamalay is a Detroit native, with a degree in philosophy from the University of Detroit. He has made a living as a musician since 1974 and has performed at such prestigious venues as, Edinburgh, Interlochen and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. In 1998, his work with Howard Armstrong, a National Heritage Fellow, was nominated for the W. C. Handy Award.