Keb’ Mo’

I made this photograph in 2010 while documenting a concert performance in Cleveland, Mississippi organized by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Keb’ Mo’ wasn’t promoted as a performer. He was a last-minute addition and the happy surprise to all in attendance that night. This was actually the second time I’d photographed Kevin Moore (that’s his birth name). The first time I heard Keb’ was the first time I photographed him. I was in a different Cleveland - this time Ohio - and I barely knew what I was doing.

I moved back to my small hometown in January of 1998. I barely knew how to operate a camera, but I decided to open my own business and charge for my services. I was incredibly naive but didn’t yet know what i didn’t yet know. I just figured if I worked hard enough i could figure it out. I dove into photography and read every book and magazine I could find. The internet was still quite young at this point, so I couldn’t just “google” solutions. I had to sort them out through trial and error.

Through a series of fortunate events I met a man named Bob Santelli. At the time he was the Director of Education at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Museum. He was preparing a week-long event to celebrate Robert Johnson at the museum. It was part of their American Masters series, and part of his preparation involved traveling to the Mississippi Delta for research. On one of those trips I met him, and through conversation revealed that I was an aspiring photographer. I asked Bob if I could photograph the Robert Johnson event, and I’ll never forget his reply: “If you can get to Ohio I’ll make sure you get what you need.”

I went to Ohio, and Bob was true to his word. He has an all-access pass waiting for me, and I spent that week documenting lectures and shows by the Allman Brothers, Bob Weir, Billy Branch, Cassandra Wilson, Chris Whitley, Jimmy Vaughn, Government Mule, G. Love, John Hammond, Taj Mahal, and, of course, Keb’ Mo’. The entire week was filled with amazing music. I must have documented fifteen shows that week featuring almost thirty amazing musicians. The conversations were rich and authentic. The performances were loose and fun. But what I remember most are two things - the joy of Kevin Moore and the rush I got from witnessing all of the magic in the minds and hearts of those artists.

I went into that trip unsure if I should be a photographer. I returned certain of it. I came home and went back to work and did the best I could to figure things out. Bob Santelli’s kindness played a huge role in providing me the shot int he arm i needed to get going. I never forgot that.

Almost twenty years later I was lucky to run into Bob again. By that time he’d become the executive director of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. A second museum opened in my hometown, with the GRAMMy organization wanting to pay homage to the blues artists from the region. When it officially opened in 2016 I was hired to document the events, and spent a lot of time with Mr. Santelli during that weekend. I had the chance to tell him about his impact on me, which unsurprisingly he didn’t remember or realize had occurred.

I don’t know if our paths will ever cross again. Life takes us all on winding journeys. This photo of Keb’ Mo’ reminds me of that each time I view it.