2/1/07

Blues professor to entertain and educate in program at library
By Eric Goold

Submitted Photo
“The Blues Professor,” aka Walter Liniger will perform an evning of stories and music at the Harvin Clarendon County Library at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 1.

The Blues Professor is coming to town.

In a program co-sponsored by the South Carolina Humanities Council, Walter ‘Wale’ Liniger will perform an evening of stories and music at the Harvin Clarendon County Library on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m.

The program is free and open to the public.

Liniger is a distinguished lecturer in the University of South Carolina’s Institute for Southern Studies. Before moving to South Carolina, he worked on an oral history project at the Blues Archives of the University of Mississippi.

In 1989, Liniger received the W.C. Handy Blues Award for his musical partnership with legendary Mississippi bluesman James Son Thomas.

“We’re really excited because he’s referred to us by the South Carolina Humanities Council,” said Reference Librarian Carrie James, who helped bring the show to the county library. “He’s been working with blues greats down there in Mississippi and we know this is going to be a wonderful program.

“We’re looking forward to having him here,” she said. “We encourage everyone to come out and see him.”

Liniger’s classroom presentations are a collage of music, Southern literature and stories. His music reflects the teachings of his mentors, James Son Thomas and Etta Baker. His stories are about struggles with cultural migration.

“He talks about the history of blues and where it came from,” said Library Director Marilyn Tsirigotis. “He’ll also be playing his guitar. It will be a mixture of lecture and music. We haven’t really had music here before.”

A native of Switzerland, Liniger continues to perform for American and European audiences. He explores the challenges of cultural and linguistic exile through music and creative writing. He is the recipient of the 2006 Swiss Blues Award.

“We wanted something uplifting and fun,” said Tsirigotis. “We’re hoping for big crowds. We’d love to have people come out. We’ll make room for them! The library has never had a musical performance before.”

Reached at USC via email, Liniger said that he’s never been to Manning before.

“I am looking forward to the visit,” said Liniger. “One of the attractive aspects of playing music is the fact that it carries the presenter to places he might never have been. And, as audience and place are new, there is the challenge to bridge this sense of being foreign.”

Liniger said his presentation will be about music and stories related to the traditional musicians he’s had the privilege to know, and there will be stories and music from his home country, Switzerland.

One might think that musicians prefer large venues and big crowds, but Liniger said not so in his case.

“I actually prefer the small settings,” he said. “The traditional blues is an intimate music due to the personal reflections in music and story. For me this musical voice still belongs to the oral traditions and the oral narrative.”

The library should be a perfect venue for Liniger’s unique presentation.

“We encourage everyone to come out and listen and have a good time,” said Tsirigotis.