African-American Musicians in Kansas 1860-1920
Schedule
Tue, 26 May, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-05:00Location
201 W Washington St, Tonganoxie, KS, United States, Kansas 66086 | Tonganoxie, KS
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Everyone is invited to our free Tonganoxie Community Historical Society 4th Tuesday Program on May 26, at the historical site at 7 pm. The TCHS welcomes Lem Sheppard an internationally known Blues guitarist, vocalist, and historian based in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Lem’s program will explore African-American Musicians in Kansas 1860-1920. During this time many African-American musicians performed in mandolin quartets, cornet bands, orchestras, and string bands at civic events, weddings, fairs, barn dances, and in private homes.
Lem was playing guitar by the age of nine with sons of some of the Kansas City Blues veterans. He was nominated in 1999 by a congressional committee to represent Kansas in a solo performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He composed and performed the soundtrack to the PBS documentary Black, White, and Brown. He has been honored by the Kansas Folklore Society and the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame. Lem will include some musical samples in his presentation.
The meeting begins at 7 with a brief business meeting followed by the historical program.
Refreshments will be served after the program.
This program is sponsored by Humanities Kansas.
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Where is it happening?
201 W Washington St, Tonganoxie, KS, United States, Kansas 66086Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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