Giving it up for the Gulf from Boulder and beyond: global blues jam aims to raises funds to combat oil spill impact.

• Author: Cote, Mike
• Position: MUSIC - Brief article

How blue can you get? B.B. King once asked that question in a song. This year, the birthplace of the blues discovered it was wider and deeper than anyone could have imagined.

The millions of gallons of oil that have dumped into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP spill have wreaked havoc on the coast and destroyed the economic livelihood of thousands of people, some still recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina just five years ago. The Deepwater Horizon spill will cost the U.S. Gulf Coast region 17,000 jobs and about $1.2 billion in lost economic growth by the end of the year, according to a July study by Moody's Analytics.

Honey Sepeda and her friends want to help by hosting a global blues jam. On Sunday, Sept. 26, blues venues and blues musicians, including the Boulder Outlook Hotel, will be hosting jams and events to raise money and awareness. Blues for the Gulf (www.bluesforthegulf.org) also will include a benefit CD.

Sepeda, who books music acts at the Boulder Outlook's Blues & Greens club, has organized other fundraising jams over the years, but this one by far aims to be the biggest...