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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2018)
April 18, 2018 Page 19 edition CAREERS special Concert with a Cause C ontinued froM P age 13 tric. So through Isaac Scott I learned four songs and my dad bought me that electric guitar and I’ve been playing ever since,” Syl- vester said. Throughout the years, Syl- vester has shared the stage with such well known acts as BB King, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Koko Taylor, Peter Frampton and Mavis Staples, all while working for a trucking company on Swan Island and doing music on the side. When his employer went belly up, Sylvester decided to finally do music full time in 1990. He’s since won several music awards, including Cascades Blues Asso- ciation Best R&B Band for 2015 and 2017, as well as being induct- ed into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2011. He played his first Waterfront Blues Festival in Port- land in 1987 and has been to al- most all of them since. But Sylvester’s job at the truck- ing company left him with injured hips and his own medical hard- KOIN-TV Channel 6 Anchor Ken Boddie will join Portland poet and author S. Renee Mitchell once again for MC duties at Saturday’s annual Healing the Healthcare Blues concert benefitting Health Care for All Oregon, an organization advocating for universal healthcare. ships. A series of corrective sur- geries in the 2000s saddled him with medical bills larger than his teamster pension or music income could feasibly cover. “I still have a $35,000 debt hanging over my head on those surgeries to this day,” he said. Sylvester started an older ver- sion of the Inner City Blues Fes- tival back in 1988 as a fundraiser for Jesse Jackson’s 1988 presiden- tial campaign. The concert ran for 12 years and then after a few years off festival committee members approached him about revamp- ing the festival, this time with the aim of raising awareness and do- nations for the cause of universal healthcare. Having witnessed firsthand the financial toll and stress health- care costs can have on families, Sylvester volunteered to do the booking and play at the festival each year ever since. His wife also volunteers. The concert supports Health Care of All Oregon, a non-profit political organization working to pass a measure that formally rec- ognizes healthcare coverage as a human right in Oregon by the year 2020. A bill that would do just that, called the Hope Amend- ment, recently passed the Oregon House, but died on the Senate floor in February. Last year’s festival brought 700 attendees, and this year, an impressive list of musicians are sure to draw folks back, includ- ing country blues musician Steve Chesenborough, the King Lou- ie Pain Quartet and La Rhonda Steele, delta blues musicians Te- vis Hodge Jr. and Bill Rhoades, and many others. The festival’s community spon- sors include the Portland Observ- er, Cascade Blues Association, Pink Martini, and KBOO Radio, which will be simulcasting the event, live on 90.7 FM. Other concert highlights in- clude barbecue by Theotis Cason of Cason’s Fine Meats, as well as other entrees and desserts, two bars, a silent auction, raffle priz- es, and community information tables. Tickets can be purchased for $20 in advanced from Music Mil- lennium, Geneva’s Shear Perfec- tion, and other locations, or from tickettomato.com. Admission is $25 at the door. For more information, visit Facebook.com/healingthehealth- careblues. Together, we do good things. TM This page is sponsored by Oregon Lottery R April 2018 C alendar SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY 15 16 17 18 19 Income Tax Day Artist/Inventor Leonardo Da Vinci born, 1452 Garth Williams born, 1912 Aviator Wilbur Wright born, 1867 Richard the Li- on-Hearted returned to England (1194) 22 23 24 Earth Day, established 1970 Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day 29 Zipper Day (pat- ented by Gideon Sundback in 1913) Home Run Day William Shake- speare born, 1564 30 National Honesty Day Anniversary Lou- isiana Purchase completed (1803) Library of Congress established (1800) Pigs-in-a-Blanket Day Paul Revere’s Fa- mous Ride (1775) Pet Owner’s Day Humorous Day Revolutionary War began (1775) 25 26 Admin. Profession- als/ Secretaries Day Hubble Telescope launched, 1990 World Penguin Day Take your Daughter to Work Day Hug a Friend Day National Pretzel Day FRIDAY SATURDAY 20 21 Scientists Marie & Pierre Curie isolate radium (1902) Kindergarten Day Barbara Park born, 1947 27 28 Arbor Day Tell a Story Day James Monroe born, 1758 (5th President)