This musician will represent CT at Memphis blues festival. Hear him in Norwich Sunday.

NORWICH — The annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee is at the end of the month, and New Haven resident James Limerick Kerr wants to show what Connecticut’s got.

“It’s not the first state that comes to mind in blues history and culture, but I’m happy to represent that there’s a vibrant scene of blues fans and musicians in this part of the country,” he said, of Connecticut.

Kerr will represent the Connecticut Blues Society at the Memphis competition and festival. To help with travel costs, he’ll be playing a show at the Norwich Arts Center on Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. Admission is $10.

Kerr’s set Sunday will be similar to the one he’ll play at the festival, with styling based on traditional blues, like Robert Johnson and Mississippi Fred McDowell, along with slide and electric guitar pieces. Kerr, whose family has New Orleans roots, is also influenced by his prior experience studying jazz and classical guitar, earning a doctorate in the latter.

What is the International Blues Challenge?

The International Blues Challenge is a series of shows, taking place between Jan. 24 and Jan. 28 in Memphis. Hundreds of artists compete in solo, duo, and band categories. Kerr is playing in the solo and the duo competition.

Artists in the competition are spread among 10 different venues around Beale Street. Kerr’s shows are on the Wednesday and Thursday of the week. The Friday is the semifinal round, and Saturday is the finals. Competitors are kept to 25-minute sets.

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“They favor originality, so I’m going to be playing my own songs,” he said.

This is Kerr’s first trip to the event. He’s happy to be there, regardless of the outcome.

“Hopefully I can connect with some new audiences over there,” he said.

Blues on Broadway in Norwich

The Memphis challenge isn’t just an opportunity for Kerr, but also for Norwich Arts Center Treasurer and Blues on Broadway Producer Ron Bates, who is also attending the festival. He’s been there a few times before, and it helps him find talent to bring people to Blues on Broadway.

Kerr’s performance isn’t a one-off for having the blues in Norwich, as Blues on Broadway has run monthly for several years, bringing national and international artists to the city. Bates wants to grow the presence of blues music in Norwich and the surrounding area in 2023.

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While the Connecticut Blues Society has been well-established in the Hartford area, the director of the society, Scott Sebastian, told Bates, also a member of the society, that he wanted to expend the organization into the east and west of the state.

“We’ve been in talks with them working together here,” he said.

Having Kerr play is one of the first steps to achieve this. Along with attracting more artists and concertgoers to the further part of the state, Bates wants to add programs to get youth into blues music.

Even though the blues revival is something synonymous with the baby boomer generation, there are still plenty of people out there who respond to the blues. The key is informing the public about what’s in their own backyard, Kerr said.

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“They can come out and hear good blues in Connecticut,” he said.

Blues is important to American history, from its origins in slavery, to being the father of rock and roll and all genres after it, Bates said.

Eastern Connecticut also has its own music history, with the long gone Shaboo Inn in Mansfield attracting big names from 1971-1982. Bates recalls seeing bluesmen like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker there.

“That was like a second home for many of us in this area,” he said.

It might not be possible to try to recapture the same energy Shaboo had, but plenty of people try to carry that spirit on in their own way, Bates said.

Bates also said artists appreciate the Norwich Arts Center’s Donald L Oat Theater.

“It’s a great venue with great acoustics, that immerses everybody,” he said. “Musicians love it, and it’s a great opportunity for them as well.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich Arts Center to host International Blues Challenge competitor