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est local musicians and allow new players
to be heard. Because of the mix of young
musicians and older, established groups,
the club attracts people of all ages. Thanks
to the determination and dedication of one
young couple, their friends and staff, and a
lot of people who love Darwin’s, the place
looks set to continue keeping the blues
alive in Metro Atlanta for many years to
come! H
Alan Govenar
Alan Govenar is an
award-winning writer,
folklorist, photographer,
and filmmaker.
He is a Guggenheim
Fellow and is president
of Documentary
Arts, a nonprofit organization
he founded
in 1985 to present
new perspectives on historical issues
and diverse cultures. Govenar received
a B.A. from Ohio State University, an M.A.
from the University of Texas at Austin, and
a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at
Dallas. He is the author of twenty-seven
books, including Texas Blues: The Rise of
a Contemporary Sound (ARSC Award for
Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound
Research), Deep Ellum: The Other Side of
Dallas (co-authored with Jay Brakefield),
Stompin’ at the Savoy, The Early Years
of Rhythm and Blues, Lightnin’ Hopkins:
His Life and Blues (ARSC Award for Best
History in Music), and Osceola: Memories
of a Sharecropper’s Daughter (First Place,
New York Book Festival for Children’s Non-
Fiction). Govenar’s feature-length documentaries,
The Beat Hotel, Master Qi and the
Monkey King, and You Don’t Need Feet to
Dance, are distributed by First Run Features.
The off-Broadway premiere of Govenar’s
new musical Texas in Paris garnered rave
reviews in the New York Times and the
Huffington Post, and was nominated for a
Lortel award and four Audelco awards. H
KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE 89