Making Change
Caring for our community
Memphis Gold
Local blues gets a boost
Memphis Gold” performs at a concert in Washington, D.C.
MainStreet Bank Board Member Russell Echlov has been a blues and jazz lover for as long as he can remember. So when he started thinking about where to dedicate his Miracles on MainStreet contribution, giving it to a musician was his first thought.
But where to start? For guidance, he turned to the Jazz Foundation of America, which helps musicians in need.
The foundation led him to two Washington, D.C., area musicians: blues guitarist Chester Chandler and blues harmonica player Charlie Sayles — friends who frequently perform together. Their stories of tumult and triumph moved him to split the donation between them.
Chandler’s stage name is Memphis Gold in a tribute to his hometown and flashy, metallic smile. He has traveled the world as a musician, even performing on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage – but has also known major setbacks.
Discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1985 after more than a decade of service, he experienced PTSD and homelessness. In 2008 he broke his back in three places and wasn’t sure he would walk again. But through hard work and rehabilitation he’s back on his feet and back to delighting audiences around the DC area.
Top: Chester Chandler performs at the 2010 Arts on Foot Festival. (Photos: Flickr user 83261600@N00, “Squinting”,“Hearty Laugh”) Bottom: Charlie Sayles performs on a spring day in 2011 in Northwest D.C. (Photos: Elvert Barnes, Street Musicians / Buskers 2011 Series)
Charlie Sayles, meanwhile, is an U.S. Army Vietnam combat veteran who wears an eye patch because he lost an eye and several teeth when he was attacked on the street in Philadelphia. As one interview noted, “He has played Carnegie Hall and subway stops. He has been in jail and been to the White House.”
Russell credits Jazz Foundation of America with helping musicians find work and keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables. He’s glad his Making Change contribution can help with that mission: supporting the music he loves by supporting the artists who make it.
To learn more about Memphis Gold visit memphisgoldblues.com