2026 TBS Blues Challenge to Compete in 2027 International Blues Challenge The Triangle Blues Society’s annual Triangle Blues Challenge is a regional competition to select acts that will represent TBS in the Blues Foundation’s 42nd International Blues Challenge (IBC) in Memphis, Tennessee January 19 - 23, 2027. More than 250 acts from around the world converge on Beale Street to perform before the music industry searching for new talent, with the chance to win recognition and

Our newest Members Spotlight is on Dennis Beckwith. Dennis originally moved to the Durham area in 1997, now resides in Raleigh. Dennis has been a TBS member since 2018. He met his wife at the Blue Note Grill and was married there by owner Bill Whittington! Dennis was the music coordinator for the TBS and Blue Note Grill blues jams for 2 years, 2018 and 2019 and was in the process of passing the baton over to Lo Taylor before the pandemic hit! Dennis is an accomplished guit

Members Spotlight – Anne Shrago This month’s spotlight is on Anne Shrago, a member since 2012. Anne joined the TBS for the community of other like-minded musicians, who love the blues! She loves being in the company of some great local blues musicians! She recalls going to a Blue Note Grill blues jam one night, with her SG guitar in tow, only to fall in love with the bass! Anne found the love of music as a teenager playing flute and banjo. She stopped playing music when l

This month’s member spotlight is on Anne Shrago, a member since 2012. Anne joined the TBS for the community of other like-minded musicians, who love the blues and loves being in the company of some great local blues musicians! She recalls going to a blues jam one night The Blue Note Grill, with her SG guitar in tow, only to fall in love with the bass! Anne found the love of music as a teenager playing flute and banjo. She stopped playing music when life’s demands prevailed.

Theres a whole lot of Blues happeneing this weekend inthe Triangle! Click the link and Check out the Blues Calendar today to plan the shows you're going to see.

The Triangle Blues Society needs YOU to get the Blues! Tell us about upcoming Blues events and shows!Get out and support local artists & venuesJoin us in growing the Triangle Blues Scene Bring yourself, your ideas and your passion and help us shape the future of the blues in our hometown by becoming a Triangle Blues Leader! Tell us what you can bring to the table, or ask us how you can help by clicking here

Join us Sunday, April 19th, 4-7pm for our 3rd Sunday jam, with host band The Five Cent Kings! See https://www.instagram.com/stories/triangle_blues_society/ for more information!  

Armand and Bluesology will serve as host band for the Triangle Blues Society's Third Sunday Blues Jam on May 18, 2025 – and they have special plans. The jam, held from 4-7 p.m. at the Speakeasy in Carrboro, will feature a set inspired by the late Piedmont bluesman Walter "Lightnin' Bug" Rhodes. The Hamlet, North Carolina, bluesman died in 1990 just as his dormant career was in the midst of a long-hoped-for comeback. "Walter was gonna be big," argues Chapel Hill's Armand Len

International Blues Challenge finalists Lynnette Barber and Will Ellis will join us for a special performance at the Triangle Blues Society's 2025 Member Appreciation Party, held from 4-7 p.m. May 4 at the Blue Note Grill in Durham. Stop by to renew your membership and mingle with fellow blues music enthusiasts. Prior to the event, Lynnette and Will shared the story of their amazing experiences in Memphis: TRIANGLE BLUES PRIDE AMPLIFIED: THE STORY OF LYNNETTE BARBER AND WILL

The legacy of the blues is often set in Delta juke joints or on the urban streets of Chicago’s Southside. But faraway Durham, N.C., plays its own important role. At the turn of the 20th century, the city was an epicenter for Black arts culture and entrepreneurial ambition. That drew blues musicians to Durham’s downtown, as warehouses buzzed with tobacco-related activity, and to the historic Hayti neighborhood. Farmers both white and black brought in their harvests. Newly f