Ric Patton

 I have been entertaining the thought of having 50,000 plus subscribers. We started on Periscope not long ago,  we started at zero, and now we're celebrating over 11,000 subscribers. It gives me hope of having more. I get flashes in my mind of having a hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, or five hundred thousand Blues fans, or 1 million Blues lovers, And the feeling that goes along with that. I can imagine the connection with the music and the  responsibility it would be. It seems like something that I would love to do. Can it be done? Can I do it ? Why would I do it? Questions dancing around in my psychic. With a record deal they would do it for me , but as an indie it's truly my option. 

   I can remember when I first had the idea of building a fan club. I was at a Blues Festival in Clarksdale Mississippi back around  2000. I saw all those people out on the grounds enjoying good blues music and I wondered to myself if they each put in $5 a month the promoters could promote a festival every month instead of once a year.  It could make a huge difference in the Blues industry if each one of them were to subscribe.  

  Since that time technology has made it even more possible that it can happen. It feels good to hold  the excitement of building something in life, especially at my age. I'm excited for everyone involved in the #BluesVIP Club.  I look forward to you all having a bright future. And I'm rising to the occasion fifty thousand subscribers. Can it be done ? Can we do it ?

Band Rehearsal has been cancelled temporarily. I don't like canceling our rehearsals but lately it's just not convenient. Lots of rain and bad weather. The yard is so muddy till it's hard to get the vehicles in to unload.  

 This old building doesn't have good heat and good air conditioning. Lurch, needs to drive close to the house so he can get out he has a bad leg. Mac and Freeze like to pull up into the front yard. The front yard is full of water. 

Water standing everywhere out there. It's muddy and I don't need anyone stuck trying to get in and out.  

Mack asked us to play for his brother's birthday, which might be coming the weekend. It would be something to do to keep our chops together. The winter time weather makes it hard to get in and out. I look forward to the weather warming up so we can get back to our regular practice schedule.

 My  birthday on Feb 12th was the best virtual birthday party I've ever had. My fans from all over the world stopped in to wish me a special greeting on the periscope. I've had many birthdays before this one but this is the first time I've had such a warm greetings. Greetings came from all around the world . That made me feel wanted and special.  

Feels like these people are my family and good friends. Not just fans, but friends. Each greeting was felt and each gift I’ll treasure. I got money, cows, a fitbitch, tit cup,  trail mix, good whiskey, super hearts, and most of all their time and attention. Really it was the best birthday party I could have ever had. I want to thank GOD and everyone of you.Thank Periscope and Twit. Hopefully I will have many more birthdays to come, and you too , and we will share them together. Let’s do some Mo !

Just dropped off a young man who needed a ride. I gave him a few dollars and told him to have a great day. He confided in me he’s been out of work and how hard it is for him to hold on to a good paying job. My heart went out to him being a man myself, especially a young black man in the South, can be challenging.  

Some opportunities and jobs that might be good paying,  he might not have the education or the experience to land some of those jobs. He’s left with lower-paying jobs and low skill jobs. 

 But I have a few thoughts I'd like to offer this young man maybe some of my ideas might help any young man.  

  The first thing I suggest is learn some type of skill that you don't mind doing. That way you don't have to bum for money you simply offer your services in exchange for a few dollars. For instance washing windows. Just say.” I’ll wash your windows for you for a few dollars.  Let that become your thing. Window washing. You can wash windows at a home or business or a car. If you continue at this for a while people will know you as the window guy and you will have a steady clientele and steady money in just a few weeks . That way don't have to ask or beg for money. 

   Or wash a car or detail a truck for a few dollars. That can easily turn into a cash business, especially if you enjoy the work and do a really good job. 

 If you do a good job you'll be called back in two or three months to do it again . If you continuously do this you will have a small business for yourself. That way you won't have to bum for money. 

  Or you might consider being a musician or street performing for change if you enjoy that type of activity.  

Or you might consider painting or cleaning or shining shoes , anything you can do to keep from bumming money.   

  That way when you get out of work you can offer your services to help others.  It's a different mentality and the results can be very different from being a bum or begging .

 Lots of excitement going on in the Periscope we are approaching 94 million hearts. That's a lot of hearts. I'm really excited about the activity going on. Last night we had 28 shares which is exciting.  Seems like everyone in the fan club is fired up about hitting 100 million hearts . Some are tapping in over 10000 hearts each night.   

 I'm posting the show comments here for those of you who want to keep track of all the chatter going on in the largest Blues fan club in Periscope history. Thank you all for everything that you do.

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There are thousands of blues bands across the world who would love to be selected to play in the historic King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena Arkansas. The King Biscuit is known for presenting the best in blues music. 

  Not only is playing there rewarding but getting to meet and greet with other blues artists from around the world and networking with them for the 3 days is a blues gold mine. 

  Playing in the King Biscuit is like wearing a badge of honor. To see your name listed on the program is an accomplishment. Something to look forward to in your blues career. This is my fourth year playing with them and it has really been a hallmark in my Blues life. 

   I’d like to thank all the people who enjoy my work, my fans, patrons, VIP’S.  Thanks for the opportunity to be associated with such a fine Southern Blues Festival. Still the Best of the Best Blues Festival in the USA.

  Playing harmonica with Shawn McDonald's at the King Biscuit Festival 2019 was a thrill for me. Sean is a one-of-a-kind new century Blues Man. He is a raw, educated, young, bluesman dipped in modern gospel.

The enthusiasm and force that he uses to express himself is awesome to feel. It leaps off the stage .

  When you play for Sean you can feel his energy vibrating. I look forward to what the future holds for this young man.He also has an extroverted personality and is really good with conversation while he handled himself well. I heard people saying that he was a young man with an old soul .

The promoter had warned  me that Shawn was a little scared. This was one of his first Festival jobs. I was impressed with how he handled himself.  I think he's a great young artist with a lot to look for in the future. 

 Check him out.  I recommend everyone check him out.  Sean McDonald. He is what the future of the Blues music is all about. His dad and friends  were there with him and were super supportive of him. I bet that from now on he have many more friends.   I am thankful that Shawn chose me to play with him. Hopefully he will keep up the good work .

 My fans have always enjoyed my harmonica work. They enjoy it more than me. I've been playing harmonica for a long time but I've never taken it as a serious instrument. It's just always been something to accompany my guitar. I do enjoy playing harmonica and lately have been challenged to do more of it. So I decided to put together this case. It’s necessary to be a next level player.

I had the opportunity to participate in a harmonica Festival. I just never thought of myself as truly a serious harmonica player. Harmonica it's just something that I always had with me.

 Learning harmonica is not hard for me. It comes pretty natural, after all I've been doing it for a long time. Never thought about what I was doing.

 Sometimes people ask me about different harmonica players and I don't know what to say. I know of  their names. Sonny Boy Williams, I've heard the, James Cotton, I've heard the name but it's never studied them or studied their music it's just music that I have heard.

I did have an opportunity to work with a great harmonica player once named Jerry ( Boogie ) McCain. I didn't know at that time that I was actually working with one of the legends in harmonica music. Personally I think Jerry ( Boogie ) McCain was one of the best harmonica players to ever live and under-appreciated. Check out some of his music

I once got a call from a producer in the Muscle Shoals area to play on a record and I was surprised that the producer called me instead of Jerry McCain. I even asked the producer are you sure you want me instead of Jerry McCain and he responded’ “ yeah I need what you do on this record Jerry can't do what you do and you can't do what Jerry does.  That was a liberating moment for me and made me understand the difference. As long as I don't compare myself to anyone, it gives me the freedom to be myself and it'll help me to be able to keep playing music.

 When I listen to myself play harmonica I do have a style that's  different than many harmonica players. I don't know how to explain that difference other than I'm just being myself . Some of it comes from playing alone a lot with myself on guitar. Also have some funk in my background and some jazz in my background. I love both just as much as I do blues. It shows up in my music.  I can hear it in the Harmonica stuff.

 I'm sitting here now dreading adding to this harp collection. I need to add several more harmonicas because some of mine old are ones are going flat or the reeds are going dead. I recently discovered the Seydel brand and it's a great harmonica but they do cost a lot more. Like right now I'm having to spend nearly $600 just to bring this set up to date. I'll go ahead and bonus myself something I've always wanted, a really nice chromatic harmonica.

The reason I'm able to do some of these things now is because of crowdfunding. I've been moving in that direction for a couple of years slowly and beginning to understand the power that it can have. I don't have a record company. My fans chip in together to help me do a little better I really do look forward to giving them more and more. There’s Much More , Much More Blues to come !