National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to Host Freedom 55: Blues Concert with Marquise Knox, plus Ben Levin

Contact: Will Jones
Marketing and Communications Manager
(513) 333-7558
(513) 802-7355
wjones@nurfc.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to Host
Freedom 55: Blues Concert with Marquise Knox, plus Ben Levin
 Concert is the first of Freedom 55 programming series musical performances

CINCINNATI, OH. (March 14, 2019) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will host Freedom 55: Blues Concert with Marquise Knox, plus Ben Levin on Friday, April 19. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. followed by a performance at 7:00 p.m. and features international blues recording artist Marquise Knox, plus Cincinnati – native, Ben Levin. The concert is a continuation of the Freedom 55 programming series that includes screenings, book signings, lectures and musical performances throughout 2019 commemorating the 55th anniversary of Freedom Summer. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Freedom 55: Blues Concert with Marquise Knox, plus Ben Levin features 28 year – old Marquise Knox from St. Louis, MO. Knox hails from a musical family deeply rooted in the blues and has performed with notable performers such as blues legends B.B. King, Pinetop Perkins, David “Honeyboy” Edwards (the latter two also N.E.A. Heritage Fellows), along with Billy Gibbons. Knox has toured and performed throughout the United States, Canada, South America and Europe. Cincinnati, OH. native and blues pianist/vocalist Ben Levin will also perform as the opening act. At only 19 years – old, Levin has played in events around the world such as the Cincy Blues Fest, the LaRoquebrou (France) International Boogie and Blues Festival, the UK Boogie Fest, and the Beauforthuis festival in the Netherlands.

“Music played a critical role in the Civil Rights Movement and is a story within itself that should be shared with everyone,” says Jacqueline Dace, deputy director at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “By inviting guests to experience this concert with these talented artists, we hope it challenges your thinking on how the blues was used as a form of musical expression for freedom.”

“Marquise Knox and Ben Levin both deliver a sound that resonates with their audiences whether they’re new to blues or long time listeners of the genre,” says Dion Brown, president and COO at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “This is going to be a night filled with joy, music and dancing. It will show how the blues is an elixir of ills and a unifier for all.”

Freedom 55: Blues Concert with Marquise Knox, plus Ben Levin is a series of musical performances commemorating the 55th anniversary of Freedom Summer, a 1964 voter registration drive, also known as the Mississippi Summer project. The goal was to end the prevailing discriminatory and segregated voting system through increased voter registration of African Americans. In preparation, hundreds of student volunteers gathered for two, one – week orientation sessions from June 14 to June 27, 1964 at Western College for Women (present day Miami University) in Oxford, OH.

Freedom 55: Blues Concert with Marquise Knox, plus Ben Levin is Friday, April 19 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. Tickets are $15 general admission and may be purchased at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, or click here to buy now. For more information, visit freedomcenter.org.

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