Page 21 - BiTS_05_MAY_2020

necessities such as rent or mortgage payments, utilities, phone bills, car payments, and the like. We,
as a community, should be quite proud of our quick response to the crisis.

LL: What are you looking forward to as you finish out your year at The Blues Foundation and
coming up as you begin your retirement?

BN: You know, I made this decision ahead of the pandemic, and then we found ourselves with
everything turned a bit sideways in response. So, I am sad that we won’t all be together as we
celebrate the blues this May. But I am excited about the virtual show we are planning for broadcast
rd
on May 3 via Facebook and YouTube. Of course, it will continue to be work as usual for me until
st
October 1 , and I have a few projects that I hope to tie some bows around before I depart. Mostly,
though, I plan on spending the summer preparing to pass the baton to the next leader. When I
arrived at The Blues Foundation, it was my job to stand on the shoulders of those who came before
me and work to move the needle forward on behalf of the genre. I have full confidence that our
Board of Directors will do the necessary work to find a stellar leader to continue our forward
trajectory. I want to provide that new leader with all the tools and information necessary for their
success, and I look forward to doing everything in my power to make this a smooth transition for
the organization and for our community.

I’m not sure what retirement will fully look like, but I am excited about slowing down my pace and
pursuing some personal interests that I have had to put on the back burner while in my current
position. I’d like to have more time to travel unencumbered by work (once we can travel again), and
I want to enjoy more time with my family, who have been so generous in giving me the space to
make The Blues Foundation such a priority in my life. Leading The Blues Foundation has been the
highpoint of my professional career and has brought me more joy than I can fully express with
words. I never knew work could be such fun and at the same time so fulfilling. I have been inspired
by the music, the people who make the music, and by the fans. I might be retiring, but I won’t be
going far and have every intention of attending Blues Foundation events well into the future, and I
look forward to seeing all my blues friends along the music highway for years to come.

~ Lawrence Lebo

Lawrence Lebo is an award winning, critically acclaimed Blues recording artist living in Los Angeles,
CA, USA. She can be found on the web at www.lawrencelebo.com