J. Montgomery to headline blues benefit for film about 1960s WBCN-radio

November 11, 2013 [Boston, MA]  —  Boston music legends led by bluesman James Montgomery will perform an evening of rare, unplugged acoustic blues at Boston’s West End Johnnie’s on November 20.The event will benefit the documentary film “The American Revolution,” which tells the story of the early days of WBCN-FM, as well as a recently established archives at UMass Amherst that is preserving and organizing the more than 100,000 archival items from the era shared for the film.

“In its early days, WBCN was the hub of enormous musical, social and political activity in Boston much of which had a national impact,” says Montgomery.  “The blues were at the heart of it, and we’ll celebrate the roots of blues in this special evening of music.”

The benefit is at West End Johnnie’s, 138 Portland St. Boston, MA (phone: 617-227-1588) the cornerstone of Boston’s renewed West End that features an expansive collection of sports and music memorabilia.

Tickets are available online at KickstartWBCN.com for a suggested tax-deductible donation of $25.  Donations to the non-profit production can also be made at the website.

“The American Revolution” tells the story of WBCN and Boston’s underground music, political and media scene during the late-1960s and early-1970s.  WBCN began broadcasting as a free-form station in Boston on March 15, 1968 and soon became a powerful and groundbreaking media platform for a young generation driven to challenge social, cultural and political norms.

“WBCN broke the mold among radio stations playing the recordings of great blues artists like B.B. King, Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf,” says film producer Bill Lichtenstein, who worked at WBCN starting while in junior high school in 1970 when he was just 14 years old.  “Their music influenced emerging bands that were heavily blues-oriented, such as Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck and Led Zeppelin.  This evening of music is a celebration of this important musical history.”

The benefit is also supporting the newly-launched “The American Revolution Documentary Archive Collection,” a collaborative project between the film’s producer, Lichtenstein Creative Media, and UMass Amherst Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives.

 The archive makes accessible to the public and scholars hundreds of hours of rare audio and video recordings and films; tens of thousands of photographs; letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral histories; posters; memorabilia; artwork; and other materials gathered from the public and then digitized and cataloged by the film’s Peabody Award-winning producer Lichtenstein Creative Media with UMass Amherst for use in the film.“The value of the American Revolution archives lies in the fact that WBCN was more than just a radio station; it was a voice for a community of young people dedicated to changing the world,” says Rob Cox, head of UMass Special Collections and University Archives.  “It is difficult to imagine a more creative array of writers, artists, musicians, and photographers than those who worked for, and were connected by, the radio station. Their contributions will make a important addition to our collections on social change.”

For more information on the benefit contact: Bill Lichtenstein, Lichtenstein Creative Media, cell: 917-635-2538, Bill@LCMedia.com

–Anita Harris