Gerard Ruff

Gerard Ruff is a native of the Hampton/Newport News area of Virginia was influenced by his mother, grandmother and several of his aunts as he often heard them singing in church and around the house. He attributes his diverse appreciation for music to the exposure he received as his Dad would play albums which included, great Gospel, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Classical, R&B and many other genres of music. As a song writer and singer this album showcases the ability and skill that Ruff has developed over the years. This album seems to be written with praise and worship in mind.

Personal favorite: Track 2 – Keep Standing

Gerard Ruff
gandkruff@aol.com

Album can be previewed at:
http://www.digstation.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?albumID=ALB000039196

Jacki Blu

Tucson celebrated the life of Martin Luther King Jr. with a number of events and activities over the MLK holiday weekend.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom March & Festival Celebration, was held on Monday. The march started at 8:30 a.m. on the University of Arizona Mall, east of Old Main, and proceed to the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center in Reid Park, South Country Club Road and East 22nd Street. The festival ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The park was filled with people visiting information and vendor booths throughout the day while being entertained by the local talent appearing on stage.

The final act of the afternoon was Jack Anderson, AKA “Jacki Blu,” a musician and singer here in Tucson.

Born in 1951 with music roots from east Texas, Anderson has been playing the guitar, piano, writing songs and performing since the age of 10.  Early influences were Chuck Berry, Elvis, and James Brown. In later years, influences included Curtis Mayfield, Temptations and Earth Wind and Fire.

Anderson was given the street name “Jacki Blu” because of the song “We People Who Are Darker Than Blue” by Curtis Mayfield in the early`70s.  Anderson is also known as “The Cosmic Man with The Cosmic Touch” and the original “Dusty Funkateer” with the new Desert Soul sound called “Dusty Funk.”

Anderson performed three songs from of his debut album. These included Sugar Hill, Just Luv and the title track Chiken Wang. The song Sugar Hill was written and dedicated to the neighborhood where Anderson grew up in Tucson. Sugar Hill is the area that was formally the “Black neighborhood” and is located at 4^th Avenue and Seneca.

Anderson continues to create and perform in the style that he is passionate about but with a freshness that today’s young people can enjoy as well.

Jacki Blu can be contacted at:
Cosmic Touch Entertainment
2234 N. Camino Castlile, Suite 1005
Tucson, AZ 85705
(903) 343-3010
Email: cosmictouch@hotmail.com
Website: www.myspace.com/cosmictouch

The scholarship dance concert will be held Friday, January 29, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Flowing Wells High School.

Ralph C. Romero Jr.

The Ralph C. Romero Jr. Scholarship Foundation was established to honor the life of a young man who loved his family, adored his friends, cherished each day, and lived to dance. The scholarship is awarded each year at the Flowing Wells High School as part of the Spring Dance Concert.

Ralph C. Romero Jr. – a University of Arizona fine-arts student with an intense passion for dance lost his life June 14, 2007 just two days before his 20th birthday.

Dance truly was Ralph’s passion and he found joy in every aspect of the art. He wanted to know everything he possibly could and he took pride in his knowledge.

Ralph didn’t begin dance classes until his junior year at Flowing Wells High School but his incredible work ethic and eagerness to learn allowed him to stand out.

“Ralph excelled in every avenue of dance. He was a beautiful technician, a gifted choreographer, and an outstanding performer” said Sasha Naasz, Dance Director for Flowing Wells High School.

The scholarship was created to help wonderfully talented and deserving dancers become more than they could on their own and so that they too, like Ralph, can pursue their dreams.

The benefit dance concert will be held Friday, January 29, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. in the auditorium of Flowing Wells High School at 3725 N. Flowing Wells Road, Tucson, Arizona 85705. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the FWHS Dance Office, M-F  from 9am-3pm.

Donations can be made to The Ralph C Romero Jr. Scholarship Foundation and sent to the high school at:

Flowing Wells High School
Attn: Amber Duke
3725 N Flowing Wells Road
Tucson, AZ 85705

For more information contact Amber Duke at (520) 696-8071.