TRBS Volunteer Spotlight: Ken Evans
TRBS Volunteer Spotlight: Ken Evans
An army may march on its stomach, but the Trinity River Blues Society runs on its volunteers.
Visitors to TRBS-sponsored events see our merchandise table, our banners, and plenty of people in bright TRBS shirts. What they may not see is the small but effective army working behind the scenes; the people who really make things happen.
With that in mind, the Trinity River Blues Society is launching a series highlighting the volunteers who often work outside the limelight but are instrumental (no pun intended) to the success of our events and our mission.
This month’s Volunteer Spotlight shines on Ken Evans.
Hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Ken has been a familiar presence in the DFW music scene for decades. He arrived in Dallas in 1974 and began playing drums at his church services, during which word of his guitar, keyboard, and vocal talents started spreading. Ken has maintained an active presence in at least one band ever since.
A talented composer and songwriter, vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist, and drummer, Ken is equally at home fronting a band with lead vocals and guitar or keyboard solos as he is holding down a steady rhythm in the background. Either way, his presence onstage rarely goes unnoticed.
Over the years, Ken has shared stages and venues with local and national blues greats, and his original song “All Over Down” was recognized as one of The Bone’s Texas’ Top 20 blues tunes in 2003. Look at the artists in the CD image and you’ll see that Ken was in very good company.
Ken’s musical roots also run deeper than many casual listeners might realize. When people hear songs such as The Sky Is Crying, Whole Lotta Love, and Hard to Handle, they may immediately think of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Led Zeppelin, and the Black Crowes. Ken thinks Elmore James, Willie Dixon, and Otis Redding. His musical vocabulary was built on the artists and traditions that helped create the music that generations of performers have carried forward.
Currently performing with multiple working bands, including Court of Souls, Frozen Concoctions, Whiskey DeVille, and Code Blue, Ken is an octogenarian who somehow still manages to find the time and energy to volunteer with the Trinity River Blues Society. Ken’s most recent volunteer efforts were manning the TRBS booth at the 28th annual Denton Blues Festival. His decades of musical experience and insight, paired with his cheerful and engaging demeanor, bring both credibility and levity to our organization and at our events. Most importantly, Ken shares TRBS’ commitment to promoting, supporting, and preserving blues music throughout the Trinity River region.
You’ll find Ken volunteering alongside the TRBS staff at our sponsored events, and you’ll frequently find him onstage with his bands and at open jams throughout the area. When you see him, thank him for what he does, introduce yourself, and strike up a conversation. You’ll be talking with an old-school blues man who doesn’t just talk the talk. He’s walked the walk.
