Teaching the Historical Roots of Blues
Scott Ainslie stepped onto the stage and swept back his long, graying hair. He slung his 1931 National, a guitar he bought 20 years ago in a pawn shop in Georgia, over his arm.
And then he began to play the blues.
Teaching the historical roots of blues music, especially to the younger generation, is an essential part of Ainslie’s work.
– “Passing on the Gift at Common Ground On The Hill,” 7/14/11
Scott Ainslie
Born in Rochester NY in 1952, Scott Ainslie has been playing music on something since he was three years old. A guitarist since 1967 with powerful appreciation for and apprenticeships with elder black and white musicians in different musical traditions, Ainslie carries a portion of them forward in his own traditional blues performances and songwriting.