A love of the blues brought them together. Now, Kirby and LesliRambin hope to bring historic locales and people of the music to everyone in a Louisiana Blues Trail.
"We were at a wedding reception in late May, and Kirby's grandfather, Bill Rambin, said you guys spend so much time in Mississippi, why don't you create a Louisiana blues trail," said Lesli.
At their table, they started writing names and places onto cocktail napkins. The paper trail continued during the drive home. A few piles of paper and napkins were sorted through and the project was underway.
Kirby says research trips have sparked community interest in sharing stories of heralded blues musicians and the places they've performed. "Somebody knows somebody, and they point us in the right direction. On a recent trip, we ended up with about a dozen names from just one community," he said.
Yet, the Rambins are judicious in selecting the most notables across the state. "We're at about 105 sites in over 60 towns across 29 parishes," says Kirby.
Donations to a social media page are helping fund the initiative. The couple hopes to pursue some grants to support the project in coming months.
