SLO Blues Society Board Members

BOARD PRESIDENT AND BOOKING AGENT

"Burning" James is a retired educator and works as musician in San Luis Obispo County.

He is a member of three bands (MarciJean and the Fever; The Burning James Band; Burning, Bad and Cool) and also performs solo and in a duo.

James is dedicated to the style of the originators of Blues: Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, et al. He has been a SLO Blues board member since February of 2023.

VICE PRESIDENT

Self-employed and living on the Central Coast since 2001, I’ve enjoyed volunteering with the SLO Blues Society since 2012, and joined the Board of Directors in 2023. I have been fortunate to work (and continue to work) with exceptional clients and outstanding team members since I started my accounting career while in college.

In my free time, my favorite things include morning beach walks, our incredible local musical talent, sharing adventures with friends, natural spaces, and being around animals.

Living on the Central Coast is magical!

RECORDING SECRETARY

I was born on the East Coast and came to California in 1983, for work (the Reagan Recession, you know). I spent my entire career in the trucking industry after graduating from Antioch College with a degree in Earth Sciences. I moved from the Bay Area to SLO County in 2002, given the opportunity to promote to a position in San Luis Obispo - I like to say "I got promoted and moved to Heaven". I have been a member of the Blues Society since 2005, and the Recording Secretary since 2010. I particularly enjoy the musicians of the 50's and 60's, my teens and twenties years, having seen some of the masters, John Lee Hooker, B. B. King, Yank Rachell, and Howlin' Wolf at the Newport Folk Festival in 1963.

GRAPHIC DESIGN, WEBSITE, EMAIL MARKETING / SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS

Multiple decades of ad agency and corporate marketing experience (putting out marketing fires and conquering design challenges across a wide variety of business sectors) have uniquely qualified Sue to volunteer her skills to help the SLO Blues Society with their website, email marketing, posters and related business collateral. Sue loves live music and dancing around the county having fun.

STAGE MANAGER

Kris has been a supporter of the SLO Blues Society for over a decade. Prior to that he played in blues bands in Oregon and Arizona for 30 years. His duo was a semi-finalist in the AZ Blues Showdown. His favorite gigs were the Heritage Music Festival where he played and taught harmonica for several years.

Chris is our newly appointed Stage Manager.

PROPERTY MANAGER

Doug is the owner of American Morse, operating his CNC Machine Shop and working on new designs for Amateur Radio. Doug got his General ticket after a bit, then scrambled and got the Extra ticket before the 20 wpm requirement was removed. Meanwhile, he made enclosures for the NorCal 38 Special, Rainbow Tuner, Small Wonder Labs SW series, NorCal 20, Red Hot Radio 40. He also came out with the Straight Key and then the Porta Paddle. Doug is a vital member of the SLO Blues Society.