The Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and Christ Church Cathedral have summoned some of St. Louis’ most extraordinary blues musicians to perform at Blues at the Crossroads of Good Friday. Marquise Knox, Leroy Pierson, Jennifer Kelley, Chris McNeal, Eliza Lynn, Ben Schabelski, and more will perform at the event.
Blues at the Crossroads of Good Friday merges faith with the grief of the streets. Dr. Leah Gunning Francis of Eden Theological Seminary will be speaking at the event, delivering a sermon that connects Good Friday to modern-day St. Louis. In the past, Christ Church Cathedral hosted an event called Good Friday Blues, but this year the service is very different.
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“What we’ve done the last two years was more of a concert. This year it’s more of a liturgy,” says Christ Church Cathedral’s Rev. Mike Kinman.
Although Blues at the Crossroads of Good Friday resembles a liturgy more than a concert, music is still the heart and soul of the event. Blues musicians created the event to tell the story of Good Friday. Marquise Knox, one of St. Louis’ most talented up-and-coming blues musicians, has created new music for the event from Jesus’ words on the cross.
For the past two years, the Christ Church Cathedral has partnered with the National Blues Museum to host Good Friday Blues, but this year, Kinman thought it was necessary to partner with the Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church.
“Good Friday Blues attracted a primarily white audience, which was wonderful, but this year I wanted to reach out to a primarily African-American congregation in order to combat the racial divide in our community,” he says. “This year we are looking at what our community has been going through the past several months, while looking at the lament of the blues and trying to reach across the racial divide of St. Louis.”
Blues at the Crossroads of Good Friday happens April 3 at Christ Church Cathedral, 1210 Locust. Dr. Leah Gunning Francis will lead the service while acclaimed local blues musicians perform. A free-will offering will be collected to aid in the Washington Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church’s efforts in preventing youth gun violence. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Rev. Mike Kinman at [email protected].
