Words and photos by Ken Billett January 28, 2023—On a wet Saturday night, John Nemeth and his band, The Blue Dreamers, opened their set to…
Read More Blues With a Feeling: the 2023 International Blues Challenge goes onAuthor: Ken Billett
Family Ties III: Winnie Ille Pooh
Words and photos by Ken Billett At the bottom of a plastic bowl, Winnie the Pooh smiles up at Tigger who has bounded atop the…
Read More Family Ties III: Winnie Ille PoohFamily Ties II: Our Roots Run Deep
Words and photos by Ken Billett Television coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade quietly played in the background. While the morning coffee brewed, I…
Read More Family Ties II: Our Roots Run DeepFamily Ties: The Last Supper
July 17, 2022—Drawn together by ritual, almost by instinct, we gathered around our kitchen table, perhaps one last time, for a family lunch. Zach, our…
Read More Family Ties: The Last SupperHuntsville, Alabama: Let’s Rocket
Words and Photos by Ken Billett Along a tree-lined brick sidewalk, a stylized Darth Vader loomed over R2-D2, both metal sculptures securely bolted to an…
Read More Huntsville, Alabama: Let’s RocketJust Another Day
August 30, 2022, around 8:45 a.m.— “So, that’s a good question…in fact, that’s a great question.” My oncologist looked down at his notes and then…
Read More Just Another DayCats! (Not the musical, but the real thing)
Tawny stretched, yawned, and then mewed out her version of Good Morning. She’s lying on top of an old garden bench inside our carport, comfortably…
Read More Cats! (Not the musical, but the real thing)What’s Old is New, Again
This article originally appeared in Volume I, Issue II of StoryBoard Memphis Quarterly in March 2022. I headed straight to the magazine rack adjacent to Novel’s check-out…
Read More What’s Old is New, AgainDowntown Memphis: All Grown Up
Chris Johnson serenaded us with a smooth distinct voice that, at one time, captured the hearts of American Idol fans around the country. Chris wasn’t…
Read More Downtown Memphis: All Grown UpExit 56 Blues Fest: Real, Genuine, and Authentic
Words and photos by Ken Billett I navigated my way through a good-sized crowd that occupied lawn chairs, camping chairs, and a couple of wooden…
Read More Exit 56 Blues Fest: Real, Genuine, and Authentic