The President’s Downbeat – A Message from Angela Buffington, President & CEO
The President’s Downbeat
A Message from Angela Buffington, President & CEO
What a year it has been for the Trinity River Blues Society.
This summer—and 2026 as a whole—has taken us through moments of profound sadness, tremendous accomplishment, celebration, and renewed appreciation for the remarkable blues community we are privileged to serve.
We mourned the loss of two very special members of our extended musical family: TRBS founding member Ralph C. Jones and Texas Women in Music founder Carol Dierking. Both made lasting contributions to our music community, and their absence is deeply felt. While we continue to celebrate their lives and legacies, we also move forward with the knowledge that the music and community they cared so much about continue to thrive.
And thrive they did at our 8th Annual Trinity River Blues Society Blues Challenge & Festival!
What a Challenge!
This year’s Challenge was a rousing success and produced the largest turnout in the history of the event. More than 1,000 blues fans, performers, media representatives, music-industry professionals, volunteers, vendors, and supporters came together for an incredible day of music.
From solo performers armed with nothing more than an instrument and a song to the mighty sound of a nine-piece blues band fronted by the incomparable Wanda King, our stages came alive with original music, blues classics, and twelve straight hours showcasing some of the finest talent Texas has to offer.
An event of this size simply doesn’t happen without an extraordinary amount of work behind the scenes. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our volunteers, judges, media team, vendors, sponsors, production crews, and the TRBS Board of Directors. So many people contributed their time, talent, resources, and energy to making this year’s event something truly special.
Another undisputed star of the show was our host facility, Platinum Music Complex in North Richland Hills. Duane Tyree and his staff were gracious, capable, enthusiastic hosts from beginning to end. A great deal of this year’s success belongs to them, and we are tremendously grateful for their hospitality and support.
And, of course, there were the performers.
They brought the talent, passion, preparation, and determination that made the entire day worthwhile. They left it all on those stages—and our audience responded.
When the final note had been played and the glow from the tubes in the amplifiers began to fade, three new TRBS champions had been crowned.
Memphis Bound!
I want to personally congratulate our 2026 Blues Challenge winners:
Band — The Drive
Solo/Duo — Andrea Dawson
Youth — Trenton Page & The Helm of Awe
These talented artists will represent the Trinity River Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 2027.
Getting to Memphis is an honor, but it is also a significant financial undertaking. Watch for special performances and fundraising opportunities featuring our winners throughout the remainder of 2026. Proceeds from these events will help offset their travel and competition expenses as they carry the TRBS banner to Memphis.
I hope you’ll come out, hear some outstanding music, and help us send our champions to the IBC with the full support of North Texas behind them.
Next Up: The Best Self-Produced CD
With the live-performance portion of our Blues Challenge behind us, we now turn our attention to another exciting part of the International Blues Challenge: the Best Self-Produced CD competition.
This is another opportunity for the Trinity River Blues Society to show the international blues community what we already know: the Texas blues scene is alive, thriving, diverse, and overflowing with talent.
Each official Blues Foundation affiliate may submit one unique CD for consideration. Eligible albums must have an official release date between November 1, 2025, and October 31, 2026. Compilation albums are not eligible, and performing artists who have previously received a Blues Music Award nomination are not eligible to compete.
Whether you’re an independent artist releasing your first record or an established regional performer, this is an opportunity to put your music before industry professionals and blues fans from around the world.
We’ll be publishing additional TRBS submission information, deadlines, and guidelines soon, so stay tuned.
The Challenge Is Over. The Music Isn’t.
Finishing the Blues Challenge & Festival doesn’t mean TRBS is slowing down. Far from it.
We continue working to promote local artists, support our venues, welcome nationally touring performers to North Texas, and—most importantly—help connect people who love blues music with the musicians who make it.
One of the easiest ways to keep up with everything happening at TRBS is through our monthly newsletter. If you’re not already receiving it, you’re missing performances, special events, artist news, TRBS announcements, and opportunities to get involved.
Send me an email at angela@trinityriverblues.org, and I will personally make sure you’re added to the list!
Put Your Gig on the TRBS Calendar—FREE!
Musicians, here’s another resource I especially want you to take advantage of: the Trinity River Blues Society Event Calendar.
If you competed in our Blues Challenge—or if you’re simply out there performing blues in North Texas—keep that momentum going by adding your upcoming performances to the calendar.
It’s completely free.
The TRBS Calendar is designed to showcase North Texas blues and make it easier for fans to answer one very important question:
“Where can I hear some blues tonight?”
Whether you’re a longtime local favorite, an emerging artist building an audience, or a touring act passing through North Texas, the calendar gives you another way to put your performances in front of people actively looking for live music.
Listings can include clickable links to your website or social media, venue information with maps and directions, searchable artist and event information, and recurring events such as blues jams, open mics, podcasts, and radio broadcasts.
If you’re playing blues in North Texas, your next audience may already be looking for you.
List your events. Grow your audience. Help us grow the blues.
Visit TrinityRiverBlues.org/events, scroll to the bottom of the calendar, and click Add Event. The TRBS Live Events Team will receive your information and get your event added. You can even update your listing after it has been published.
And please share the TRBS Calendar with your fans, friends, venues, and fellow musicians. The more people who contribute to it and use it, the more valuable it becomes for our entire blues community.
Come Hear Some Music With Me!
One of my favorite parts of leading the Trinity River Blues Society is getting out to our local venues and watching our musicians leave it all on the stage.
I get to witness new blues acts finding their voice, established performers continuing to grow, musicians sitting in with one another, friendships being formed, and audiences discovering artists they’ve never heard before. Those moments remind me why the work we do at TRBS matters.
Here are a few upcoming events I’m looking forward to:
Memorial Benefit for Carol Dierking — August 20 at 2:00 PM
The Cottage Dallas
A $10 entry donation will benefit Carol’s family. Leo Hull, Sugarbush, Aquarius All Stars, and other performers are scheduled to appear as the music community comes together to celebrate Carol’s life and legacy.
Texas Women in Music Jam — August 9 | 3:00–7:00 PM
Plano Sports Tavern
Hosted by Aquarius All Star Band
Beats & Eats – August 169 | 3:00–6:00 PM
Sambuca 360
Details at breastcancercanstickit.org/beats-and-eats/
Texas Women in Music Jam — August 23 | 2:00–6:00 PM
Poop Deck Fort Worth
Hosted by Fender Benders
These jams welcome all musical genres and both women and men—solo performers, duos, full bands, singer/songwriters, originals, and covers. They’re also wonderful opportunities to network and meet some of the nicest and most talented musicians in the DFW area.
Mark your calendar and come join me as we pack these venues and support local music!
And One More Thing…
When I’m not working on TRBS business or sitting somewhere listening to live blues, you might find me behind a microphone.
Be sure to check out my Back History Podcast on YouTube. Each episode features an engaging conversation with artists and personalities from our music community, exploring not only their music but the stories and experiences behind it.
I’m working on new content now, but there’s plenty to catch up on while you wait for the next episode. You can find previous episodes on the Back History Podcast YouTube channel.
There’s still plenty of 2026 ahead of us, and I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next for the Trinity River Blues Society.
Thank you to everyone who performs, volunteers, attends our events, supports our artists, patronizes our venues, shares our posts, reads our newsletter, and simply tells someone else about a great blues band they heard.
That’s how we keep the blues alive—not just by remembering its history, but by showing up and helping write its next chapter.
I’ll see you out there.
Angela Buffington
President & CEO
Trinity River Blues Society
