This Fundrazr page has been created to help raise the funds necessary to create and install a mural of local bluesman Lamont Gillispie on the side of Check's Cafe and at the site of the annual Germantown Schnitzelburg Blues Festival. It was Lamont's dream to have a blues festival in his neighborhood and in 2010, Lamont and Gary Sampson co-founded the Germantown Schnitzelburg Blues Festival.
About the Man
The early years of Joseph Lamont Gillispie's life sound more like a Dwight Yokum song than that of a bluesman. Lamont's father, James, escaped the coal mines of Pike County to work in a cold storage facility in Louisville, KY in the late 1940's. He did not want to suffer the same fate as Lamont's grandfather who died working in the mines. It was in Louisville that Lamont's father met and married his mother, Flo, from Hopkinsville, KY. Lamont was born February 20, 1953. His mother liked the name Joseph and the name Lamont came from one of his father's coworkers.
For the first 10 years of his life, Lamont split time between Louisville and his father's hometown of Greasy Creek. Lamont's early musical upbringing included the Baptist church and his parents' favorites were Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and the Stanley Brothers. It was his older brother, Jimmy, who would have the most profound influence on his life by exposing him to WLAC radio broadcasting from Nashville. The 50,000 watt powerhouse transmitted rhythm and blues, gospel and blues music throughout the Midwest, south to the Gulf and as far north as Canada. Lamont drank in the music of performers Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Aretha Franklin, and his favorite singer, Johnny Taylor. By 1970, Lamont had started playing the harp and singing with local bands.
He became a big fan of harmonica player Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz with the J. Geils Band and even got to meet his idol at a concert when security mistakenly thought Lamont was a member of the band. But, wanting to increase his knowledge and understanding of the blues, Lamont made a decision that made a lasting impact on his life – in the mid-70s, he moved to Chicago. He quickly met and became friends with legendary blues performers including Lefty Dizz, Hound Dog Taylor and Sammy Longhorn. For the 18 months he lived in Chicago, he frequently played at both the Checkerboard Lounge and the Queen Bee's Lounge. He even lived for a month in the notorious Cabrini-Green housing projects with Burt “Top Hat” Robinson. The friendships he developed in Chicago would result in some of the best blues artist of the day making their first trips to Louisville, courtesy of Lamont Gillispie.
After returning to his hometown, he met Ricky Mason, Bruce Lively and Dickie Durlauf, who along with Jimmy Brown, would become the Stray Cat Blues Band. The band made Woody's Tavern their home base and quickly built a following both in Louisville and throughout the Midwest. After spending some time with his family and Durlauf in New Orleans, Lamont moved back to Louisville and started the Homewreckers with guitarist Ricky Mason. The band played at regional blues festivals, local venues including the Cherokee Blues Pub and the Churchill Blues Bar & Grill and became the first band to play at Stevie Ray's Blues Bar in downtown Louisville when it opened in 1994. In 1998 the Kentuckiana Blues Society awarded him the Sylvester Weaver award, named in honor of the Louisville blues pioneer. Lamont was also one of the initial inductees into the Stevie Ray's Hall of Fame. In the late 1990s, Lamont would form the band that continued until the end of his life – Lamont Gillispie & 100 Proof Blues. Both Lamont and his bandmate Byron Davies passed away in the spring of 2015 from cancer.
Goal: $1,500
Funds will be used to pay the artists for their work and to install and light the mural. Any funds raised over the amount needed to pay for the mural will be used in support of the Germantown Schnitzelburg Blues Festival and this years charity, the Germantown Schnitzelburg Business Association in it's goal to start a Farmers Market in the Germantown Schnitzelburg neighborhood. All contributions will be made to the Kentuckiana Blues Society, a 501(c)3 organization, and are tax-deductible.
About the Artists
Carol McLeod
Carol McLeod is a "student of the world", having lived in Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Hawaii and various US cities. She has studied and painted with several acclaimed artists in the course of her worldwide travels and her art draws on these diverse influences.
Carol’s studio is located in the Tim Faulkner Gallery, where her work is often displayed in the main gallery. She is a member of the Highlands Art Committee which sponsors art competitions with the support of the Highlands Commerce Guild. Carol believes that Louisville has the potential to be an art capital and has participated in its art scene since moving here in 2005.
Her work includes the Hunter S. Thompson mural, a project which she conceived and directed, which was voted “best public mural” in the 2011 LEO Reader’s Choice Awards. She was one of ten women to win a Kentucky state wide Equally Yours art competition. Her painting, “Nude with Parkinson’s”, was chosen for a special Creativity with Parkinson’s Exhibit at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Washington DC under the direction of Dr. Oliver Sachs. She was the first recipient of the John Lest Domino award for her website design on behalf of the Parkinson’s community.
Carol has been painting and showing her art for over forty years. She views art as “shared experience”, which people respond to through a deeply emotional connection to her paintings. You can contact Carol by email at pwnkle@yahoo.com.
Andy Cook
Andy Cook is an artist, musician, poet/writer, publisher and welder who resides with his wife Kelly Cook in Louisville Kentucky. Andy was born with a talent for the arts and has been producing artwork for the past 38 years attaining international exposure for his visual art, music, and poetry.
In the beginning of his visual art career Andy focused on Photorealism because he can draw and paint whatever he sees, later on he began to introduce elements of Abstract Expressionism and Impressionism into his work. His work has been displayed in numerous art galleries across the country and he has also curated many art and music events. A welder by trade, Andy uses metal in his artwork from sculptures, to frames, to functional art. Andy is the co-founder of Cook Creative and Reclaimed Elemental Designs.
Andy is a percussionist and has performed internationally with a number of musical groups and poets. He has recorded over twenty five records and continues to record music with his band, Psycho Hawk. He was President of the Louisville Poets’ Guild for two years and is the author of "State of The Universe Address" and is one of the authors of "Reflections Upon the 50th anniversary of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road" and "Myth of Myself." You can contact Andy by email at cookcreativeworks@gmail.com.
Festival Sponsor
Kentuckiana Blues Society
The Kentuckiana Blues Society, founded in 1988 and based in Louisville, KY, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the preservation, promotion and perpetuation of the blues tradition in all of its forms. The KBS is an affiliate member of the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Memphis, TN and affiliated with over 175 blues organizations around the world. The foundation works to preserve blues music history, present awards annually to the best blues musicians working today and support musicians though the Handy Artist Relief Trust (HART). Locally the KBS works to preserve the history of the blues in the Kentuckiana area, promote local blues acts in festivals and shows and sponsor local musicians in national competitions.
Check's Cafe
This family owned and operated neighborhood hangout has been a Louisville landmark since 1942. Whether you are looking for a "famous" bowl of chili or one of the newer plate dinners, Check's is a great place for lunch or dinner any day of the week. This well-known Germantown pub is also noted for its nightly entertainment. With trivia, karaoke, and live music, there is something going on nearly every night of the week. Stop by for some good food, good beer and good fun and continue an almost 70 year old tradition.
