It started as a drizzle then turned into a full-fledged country downpour, the kind of rain that would send many a weak-kneed music festival promoter scurrying for home.

But not the crew from Word of Mouth Productions. A little rain wasn’t going to dampen their gig. Quick decisions were made. A make-shift stage was placed beneath a dry but drafty King Park pavilion, and the 1998 Columbia Blues Festival rocked on.

And rock it did. Eddie Shaw and the Wolf Gang tore through a pulsating set of high-powered Chicago blues, Shaw’s saxophone screaming through the wind-tossed trees. Bobby Parker and the Blues Night Band delivered the kind of kick-ass R&B soul revue James Brown only dreams about these days.

Couples danced gleefully in the rain, hair soaked and matted to their heads and smiles plastered on their faces. Others watched from just beneath the edge of the pavilion roof, the music right in their faces. It was a surreal, totally enthralling scene, but that’s not the only reason it remains so clear in my memory. That particular night, more than any other in Columbia Blues Festival history, epitomizes to me what Word of Mouth Productions (known affectionately to many as WOMP) is all about.

It’s all about the music, and doing whatever it takes to bring the show to town.

The 2004 Columbia Blues Festival marks the 10^th such event WOMP has staged in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, and while the musical memories from the past decade are vivid and compelling, the real story is the group of individuals who came together 13 years ago with the single-minded goal of bringing cool music to Columbia.

WOMP’s central characters are three music fans named Jay Crouch, Geoffrey Graves and Chris Judge, but the organization’s family of friends and supporters is large and deeply devoted to the cause. Steve Gulley, Michael Wingate, Paul Pittenger, Pete Hein, Anita Gotwals Graves, Bill Thorpe, Bill Giles, Bill Wagner and Charlie Merritt are just some of the folks who’ve contributed to WOMP’s success.

It all started in 1991 when Crouch, Graves and Judge were perched over cold beers in Five Points and lamenting the fact that Columbia was a vast wasteland for fans of acoustic music and the blues. Unlike most folks who whine about Columbia’s lack of live music, however, these dudes did something about it. They formed WOMP and began producing shows at various clubs and theaters.

The first Word of Mouth gig was by solo bluesman Chris Smither, who played in the gone-but-not-forgotten Rockafellas’. The show in the legendary Devine street rock club was the first to have actual chairs on the floor in front of the stage. It was a success, and WOMP, formed as a not-for-profit organization, was off and running.

Shows followed by English folksinger Pete Morton, Irish balladeer Tommy Sands, bayou rockers The Subdudes and Grammy Award-winning blues artist Keb’ Mo’. Gigs were held wherever WOMP could find a stage. Zydeco jam-rockers Donna the Buffalo played at Gallery 701 in Olympia. Sands played at the Mouse Trap in Forest Acres. Two of Ireland’s most-honored traditional musicians, Len Graham and Cathal McConnel, played to a sold-out crowd in an auditorium at the State Museum.

If a local theater was not staging a play on the night WOMP was offered a date, the fellows did whatever it took to win permission to hold their show in the hall. Corey Harris played at Workshop Theater. Jorma Kaukonen, formerly of the Jefferson Airplane, brought his country blues to Town Theater. In 1993, WOMP produced a wonderful show of traditional English Christmas music by The Waterson Family at USC’s Drayton Hall.

By now WOMP had established a solid reputation for bringing high-quality, diverse and eclectic musical acts to town. People trusted WOMP’s musical judgment and knowledge, and even if they weren’t familiar with the artist, folks knew a WOMP show would always be entertaining.

But it was not always easy. Many times WOMP had to scramble to find a room in which to stage their performance. Columbia’s lack of a decent mid-sized venue in the 500-to-1,000 capacity has been a constant thorn in the side, and WOMP has missed several shows because a suitable venue wasn’t available. (I remember almost breaking down in tears when I heard WOMP has passed on English songwriter/guitar-playing superhero Richard Thompson for that very reason.)

But the loosely knit production team persevered. In 1994, WOMP staged “Live on Main,” the biggest show in its short history. Nappy Brown, Griff, The Crude Earles and Duke Robillard delighted a huge crowd with incredible music on a gorgeous night in downtown Columbia. Later that year, WOMP treated the capital city to its first Columbia Blues Festival in Martin Luther King Jr. Park. (This year’s event is the 10^th blues festival because WOMP cancelled its 1996 gig in lieu of the Farm Aid concert at Williams Brice Stadium.)

An amazing array of talent has graced the King Park stage over the years. Hot blues newcomers such as Dave Thompson, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Richard Johnston have played the festival. So have veteran masters such as Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks and Hubert Sumlin. Louisiana slide guitar master Sonny Landreth and north Mississippi trance blues legend R.L. Burnside have entranced Columbians in King Park.

And WOMP has always made sure local blues artists are included on the bill. Elliott and the Untouchables, Drink Small, Jim Hadley, Jeff Liberty Band and Frank Smoak & Buddy Ray have jammed right alongside the big cats.

In a town where live music has often struggled, where venues come and go and other more highly funded festivals meet with mediocre success, WOMP has held steady, although sometimes flying by the seat of its pants. Columbia is richer for it.

The 2004 Columbia Blues Festival sports a stellar lineup that includes the spine-tingling gospel music of The Campbell Brothers, electrifying guitarist Michael Burks and a long-time WOMP favorite, Topanga Canyon reggae bluesman and former Jackson Browne cohort, David Lindley. It promises to be an outstanding day of music.

So if you’re a blues fan, folk-music fan or a Columbian who simply wants more choices in live music, raise a toast of thanks to WOMP and keep hopes high that this rambunctious band of concert promoters will keep bringing great music to town.

     See you in the park.

     Michael Miller
     Local music fan.