A big Thank You! to Louise Foster at KPFK Radio for the interviews and live broadcast before and during the Jamaica Jam!

Also, a special Thank You to our most loyal Jamaica Jam fans: Duane and Terri of Vancouver, Washington. We appreciate your support!

The Jamaica Rock 'n' Blues Jam just gets better and better every year! This year, we had some great artists from the north Texas area, plus jammers from around the country. That's what this event is all about; bringing in host artists and musicians from around the globe to play together & spread the "word".

Monday started out with Blind Dog Cooley, Ed Rogers, Roy Robbins, Bob Luke and Jerry Clark in the dining room. That afternoon, they played at a private party in the disco for the Jamaican Waterslide Team. During the disco performance, they were joined by jammer Eric on guitar. If you don't know Eric, he's the official "Hedo Bluesman", and has even written a song about the resort! In addition to Eric, two of the Entertainment Coordinators sat in on drums and vocals.

The Tuesday performances were hosted by Jerry Clark, Steve Springer and Roy Robbins. In the afternoon, they were joined by Eric on guitar, CR on bass, and Bob Luke & Destiny who sang "Tutti Fruitti". The resort never saw a performance such as this!

The Tuesday evening performance highlighted Tasleem Dawud (California), who read poetry set to the blues. She was joined by Eric, Jerry, Roy and Steve for a stunning performance.

Tuesday night, we headed over to the Piano Bar to belt out a few tunes. After singing along with the piano player, Bob Luke took over to strut his stuff on the keyboards. Singing along with him were Blind Dog, Ed Rogers and Roy Robbins. Ebony even sat in with a rousing rendition of "Amazing Grace".

Wednesday brought us back to the Main Stage in the dining room. The Jamaican Waterslide Team musicians were in the house: Glenn (Arizona) on drums, Nancy (Florida) on tambourine, and Eric on guitar. They were joined by CR on bass, Brian (Texas) on harmonica, and John (New York) on harmonica. Brian had never performed live, so this was a real treat for us all. Jerry (Alaska) and Destiny also sat in to sing a few tunes.

That evening, we again met in the dining room for the nightly performance. Hosted by Blind Dog, Ed, Roy and Bob, we heard some great toe-tapping numbers for the next hour. They were eventually joined by Lee (Atlanta) on guitar and CR on bass.

Thursday brought another afternoon performance in the dining room during lunch. This show was hosted by Jerry, Steve and Roy. Jammers were Bob (vocals), Eric (guitar), and John (harmonica). They were joined onstage by Spike and Sweetness (Entertainment Coordinators), who danced on the stage while wearing togas.

Thursday evening was the repeat guest party. It was held on the upper level of the Scotch Bonnet restaurant. The resort provided all kinds of food: fresh fruit, raw veggies, shrimp, beef and more. The performance given by Jerry, Steve and Roy was probably the best during the entire week! Whether it was the setting or the music, it was difficult to tell. Guests danced, people sang along, and everyone clapped loud and long.

The Talent Show and Toga Parade is on Thursday nights after dinner. Our host musicians hadn't played enough during the week, so they signed up for the show. Blind Dog played a couple of numbers with CR, while Roy played bass for Eric the Bluesman. Can you guess what tune Eric and Roy played?

Friday - the nude beach. As the musicians will tell you "I've never seen the ocean so blue!". When you're nervous before an audience, you're usually told to imagine your audience naked. So what do you do when everyone before you IS naked? Look over their heads at the ocean!

As usual, the nude side was a lot of fun. Blind Dog, Ed, Roy and Bob - dressed in very little - played for the guests swimming and sunning on the nude side. Jammers were Destiny and Ebony (Entertainment Coordinators), and Jerry (Alaska) on vocals. Jerry had to actually put on clothes to sing. At the end of the performance, Blind Dog, Ed and Roy all stripped and jumped in the pool. A great way to cool off after playing the blues!

Saturday night was the final performance of the week. The evening meal is held on the pool deck, and the resort goes all out for this event. There is no possible way to go hungry at the Saturday night gala! The band performed on the fountain, which had been covered with a platform to make a stage. Jerry, Roy and Steve were the hosts, and were joined by Ed and Bob. Steve rounded out the night by singing a few tunes. Not bad for a drummer!

So what else did we do during the Jam?

• Went kayaking and snorkeling
• Ate some great Japanese and Italian cuisine at the specialty restaurants
• Learned how to Scuba dive
• Met some really great people from around the world
• Spent late nights acting like dancin' fools in the disco
• Went down the waterslide too many times to count
• Participated in the rum drinking games
• Participated in the lunch time activities
• Got too little sleep!

The 2003 Jamaica Rock 'n' Blues Jam was a great success, and we're really looking forward to 2004! If you're a musician, come on down and join in! If you're a fan, you'll definitely find these to be some of the best artists around.

See you next year!