12-Bar Talk: A Blues Podcast

Chelsea June Adams
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Monthly

Welcome to 12-Bar Talk, a blues music and dance podcast that covers blues history, current artists and trends, dances done to blues music, and more. Join Dr. Chelsea Adams as she interviews musicians, dancers, scholars, and delves into the myriad of topics that deal with this uniquely black American art form.

  1. Sep 5

    Episode 34: Teaching Beginners, a Conversation with Robert Jones

    What makes beginner classes, or teaching the first class a person will ever take, different than other types of teaching? There are many different philosophies on it, and Dr. Adams sits down with long-time local instructor Robert Jones to discuss a philosophy of teaching based in giving beginners a joyful first experience.    Guest: Robert Jones Robert Jones began dancing at age 16, when Penn State dancers gave a demo at an end-of-semester event at his high school. Clearly Robert was already hooked from that, since he and a handful of friends would go to any Penn State dance event they could for the next two years. Robert learned his fundamentals through the Penn State Swing Dancing club, and his love of dancing was given a space to blossom. It only took a few late night sets and house parties to open him up to blues, and he was forever taken with that dance. Robert taught and DJed blues and swing at PSU until moving to San Antonio in 2010. There, he helped manage both a swing and a blues organization, while continuing to teach and DJ. Robert then moved to New York in 2018 to take a chance at film, and continued to teach and DJ for blues events. Then the pandemic happened. It took Robert a good half-decade to be ready to go dancing again. Fortunately, he met a fabulous organizer at Pride ‘26 whose enthusiasm reawakened him, and Powerhouse Blues (in Philly) is his new dance home.   Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  2. Jul 24

    Episode 33: On Teaching Blues with Jennifer Delk

    In this episode, Dr. Adams sits down with national blues dance instructor Jennifer Delk to discuss ways to view teaching, what might make a good teacher versus what makes a good social dancer, competitor, or performer, how to get people creating, overcoming the fear of “looking dumb,” and more. If you’re a student, an organizer, or maybe most importantly, someone who’s thought about teaching a dance class, this is a great episode for you. Guest: Jennifer Delk Link to Website: spinsta.net Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  3. May 31

    Episode 32: Celebrating 10 Years of the Utah Blues Festival with Tripp Hopkins

    The Utah Blues Festival is Utah's premier event for the latest and greatest blues musicians to perform in Salt Lake City, and it's celebrating it's 10th anniversary in 2026. Dr. Adams and Tripp Hopkins, the founder and organizer of the Utah Blues Festival and co-founder of the Utah Blues Society, sit down to talk about what it takes to run a blues festival successfully and how to help it continue happening in this and other communities.    Guest: Tripp Hopkins Link to Website: https://www.utahbluesfest.org/ Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  4. Apr 24

    Episode 31: Listen to Everything, a Conversation with Derrick Dove

    Dr. Adams sits down with the 2026 Winner of the International Blues Challenge & 2026 Best Guitarist of International Blues Challenge, Derrick Dove. They discuss his time at the IBC; his love of music and how he creates his style; and his band, Derrick Dove and the Peacekeepers. Make sure to stay tuned to the end for a special "post-interview" conversation, inclusive of our regular podcast episode quality-checker, Boomer the Cat.  Guest: Derrick Dove Link to Website: https://derrickdove.com/ Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  5. Apr 10

    Episode 30: Delta Blues with Devin C Williams

    Dr. Adams sits down with Devin C. Williams, runner up for the 2026 Solo/Duo Division at the International Blues Challenge (IBC). They talk about the Delta Blues, his favorite Delta Blues musicians, the mixing of blues and Christianity, his experience at the IBC, and more.    Guest: Devin C. Williams Link to Website: https://www.dcwblues.com/  Link to Purchase Music: https://devincwilliams.bandcamp.com/  Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  6. Mar 13

    Episode 29: Blues for the Next Generation with Alice Faye Duncan

    The blues has inspired many things, whether new genres of music, dance, or works of art. But as today's guest regularly reminds us, perhaps the most important part of all of it is that the blues inspires people. It helps people learn, grow, and find themselves in their community. In this episode, Dr. Chelsea Adams sits down with award-winning children's book author Alice Faye Duncan to discuss her newest children's book on blues, Blues Boy: The B.B. King Story, as well as her previous book on blues, Yellow Dog Blues.  Guest: Alice Faye Duncan Link to her Website: https://alicefayeduncan.com/ Links to Purchase Books: Blues Boy: The B.B. King Story Yellow Dog Blues Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  7. Feb 27

    Episode 28: The Blues and Mental Health at the Mitten Durch Festival

    To start off 2026, Dr. Chelsea Adams features a blues festival supporting mental health resources in her hometown of Ogden, Utah. In this episode, she features artists Sun Tiger, Carrie Scott, and Tony Holiday along with community members and attendees.    Guests: Sandra Hohmann, Sun Tiger, Carrie Scott, Tony Holiday, and Various Ogden Community Members Link to the Mitten Durch Festival: https://www.facebook.com/MittenDurchfest/ Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

  8. 12/23/2025

    Episode 27: Theology, Protest, and the Blues

    Dr. Justin McLendon, a professor of theology at Grand Canyon University and department chair for the Master of Arts programs for Grand Canyon Theological Seminary, joins Dr. Adams to discuss his chapter in his edited collection Theology and the Blues, part of a series from Lexington Books on Theology, Religion, and Pop Culture. They cover everything from philosophy and Civil Rights to lamentation and Christianity in the blues.    Guest: Dr. Justin McLendon Link to the Edited Collection: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/theology-and-the-blues-9781978714588/ Produced by Dr. Chelsea Adams Post-Production by Jeremy Carberry   12-Bar Talk is brought to you from Ogden, Utah's "Junction City" full of blues and jazz history on Historic 25th Street. You can learn more about Ogden's rich black history at https://www.visitogden.com/blog/celebrating-black-history-month-in-ogden-utah/.

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5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to 12-Bar Talk, a blues music and dance podcast that covers blues history, current artists and trends, dances done to blues music, and more. Join Dr. Chelsea Adams as she interviews musicians, dancers, scholars, and delves into the myriad of topics that deal with this uniquely black American art form.

Information

  • Creator
    Chelsea June Adams
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    12-Bar Talk: A Blues Podcast

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