Miz Thang - Artist of the Blues, Folk Art, Outsider, Visionary

Miz Thang, the Artist of the Blues:
History of the Blues Through Art

The songs slaves and field workers sang as they worked on Southern plantations in America in the 19th century and later after the end of slavery in the early 20th century, evolved over the years into what has become the Blues. The earliest Blues were mostly sad songs about hard work, unhappy love affairs and being poor, but songs about happier times eventually came to be included.

At first, Blues were sung and played only by African-Americans, but now Blues music has spread around the world and is performed by all nationalities and races. Blues gave birth to most other kinds of American popular music, including Jazz, Rock & Roll, Zydeco, Rhythm & Blues and others.

Miz Thang chronicles the history of the blues in her art. Over the years, she has created at least 3,500 art depictions of the blues greats, some whom are listed below.

Blind Willie McTell	Ma Rainey	Memphis Minnis	W.C. Handy	Stevie Ray Vaughan
Bessie Smith	Muddy Waters	Billie Holiday	John Lee Hooker	Howlin Wolf
B.B. King	Etta James	Robert Johnson	Sonny Boy Williamson	R.L. Burnside
Otis Taylor	Sippie Wallace	Lucille Bogan	Rev. Pearley Brown	Elvis
Big Mama Thornton	Lightnin Hopkins	Frankie Half Pint Jaxon	Coots Grant	Sox Wilson
Ida Cox	Sara Martin	Victoria Spivey	Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Bertha Chippie Hill
Mamie Smith	Bessie Tucker	Alberta Hunter	Trixie Smith	Clara Smith
Son House	Skip James	Tommy Johnson	Mississippi Fred McDowell	Charlie Patton
Bukka White	Ishman Bracey	Big Bog Crudup	Johnny Shines	Robert Lockwood
Tommy McClennan	Sunnyland Slim	Geechie Temple	Son Terry	Brownine McGhee
Blind Blake	Alabama Shieks	Gus Cannon	Bo Carter	Honeyboy Edwards
Blind Boy Fuller	Mississippi Sheiks	Memphis Slim	Big Joe Williams	Champion Jack Dupree
Kokomo Arnold	Curley Weaver	Jay Bird Coleman	Barbeque Bob	Bumble Bee Slim

Tampa Red	Robert Nighthawk	Harlem Hamfats	Washboard Sam	Jazz Gillum
Lemon Jefferson	Georgia Tom Dorsey	Funnypaper Smith	Ramblin Thomas	Ida May Mack
Slim Harpo	Lazy Lester	James Cotton	Dr. Rosspink Anderson	Buddy Moss
Josh White	Bo Weavil Jackson	and many more......

Each Year, Miz Thang participates in the Alabama Blues Camp, a part of the Alabama Blues Project. Here, she helps youngsters experience and appreciate Blues history and self-expression through art. Miz Thang's Alabama Blues door, a pictorial chronicle of Alabama Blue's musicians, is on display at the Alabama Blues Project headquarters.

Miz Thang has created other significant works of art that chronicle Blues history. For example, a door she created for a North Carolina restaurant chronicles women in the Blues.

Throughout her career Miz Thang has been expressing her love for the Blues through her art and community projects. She is truly the, "Artist of the Blues".

She is available to lead group art experiences to teach children and teens about the Blues through art.
Contact her to schedule classes for your group.