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“Barrelhouse Bonni” McKeown, based in West Virginia and Chicago, is a singer-songwriter whose style goes back to the old upright pianos in the juke joints and barrelhouses of the South, and the Bessie Smith era of vintage 1930s blues. She studied blues under Saffire, the Uppity Blueswomen at Augusta Heritage Blues Week in Elkins, WV. On the West Side of Chicago, she taught preteens basic blues patterns, and co-produced singer/drummer Larry Taylor’s album They Were in This House. Her own Barbershop Blues CD features three noted Washington, DC acoustic bluesmen as guests: Jay Summerour, Mike Baytop and NJ Warren. Teaming with West Virginia’s blues and R&B queen, Lady D, Bonni teaches folks of all ages how to sing and play their own blues tunes. She plays at festivals, clubs and parties in Charleston, often with fine horn players such as Dugan Carter, Bob Redd and Marshall Petty. In Chicago, she has led a Ladies Blues Brunch series at Junior’s Lounge, co-sponsored by the Maxwell Street Foundation. Barrelhouse Bonni aims to recognize the contributions of African-American blues musicians, and she sees blues, the root of American popular music, as a bridge between ethnic groups and generations. Her motto is: Pray for Peace, Work for Justice and Boogie for Survival!

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