Officers

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We call Dick Mr. Congeniality.  

You can see his positive presence at every CBS Blues Sunday, and our Taste of Charlotte Beer/Wine Tent would not happen without his devoted energy every year. 

 We cherish and salute our CBS Bluesman, who has more "get up and do it" than those 1/2 his age. 

Betsy has the distinguished record of being the one member of CBS who has attended more IBC than any other member, and  also the longest running member at the IBC every year, with 16 years under her belt.  

Always wearing a smile, a great attitude and the life of the party, Betsy is a valuable At Large member we absolutely love.

I dare you to say "no" when Betsy brings the raffle tickets around. 

She is found at many outside events volunteering to work our merch & membership table.  

For the past 5 years, Flynn has handled the organizing and staffing of one of our biggest fundraising efforts: the Taste of Charlotte Beer/Wine tent.   It is no easy task and he has managed to keep all the balls in the air, with the help of two of our pros Dick & Betsy, and the fabulous volunteers of our membership.
He is also pivotal in ensuring our out-of-town talent is taken care of.
Flynn is found at shows enjoying the music and volunteering for the CBS Merch area...and if we need an autograph, Flynn will hang out next to the bus all night to make it happen.

As 2021 came to an end, Blues lover Gregg Saur contacted us and said he had some time to devote to CBS.

We gladly said "YES!"  and Gregg joined us in late 2021 to help with the silent auction, and volunteered to become our volunteer coordinator for events.  

We have a lot planned, and appreciate having someone take on that responsibility, plus he is learning new skills as he helps to create event postings on social media.  Welcome aboard.

Floyd came to us by way of recommendation from our friend Atiba, president of Piedmont Blues Preservation Society.  
Floyd was involved with a blues workshop in 2021 in Raleigh/Durham area and Atiba knew we were looking for some good people.  Floyd more than fits that bill, as he has brought his skills with teaching to our board and we have tasked him with social media, and Blues in The Schools.  Plus he will be actively pursuing bringing a Youth Blues camp to Charlotte within the next year.  

Now based out of Charlotte NC, Marty Gunther is one of our new members to CBS in 2018.  He is NOT new to the area, or to the Blues.  Marty  has lived a blessed life as far as the blues goes. A Rhode Island native, his first exposure to the music came at Newport in 1960 with Muddy Waters on stage. He was fortunate to see many of the first generation stars in subsequent years. And his life changed forever in'66 when he was seated eight rows away from Howlin' Wolf, who was crawling across stage singing Moaning At Midnight. For the better part of two decades, he lived as a member of the Chicago blues community, surrounded by many top musicians who were close friends. A Chicago trained harmonica player, he's co-founder of the Nucklebusters, one of the hardest working and longest lasting bands in South Florida. 

Marty contributes to our board with his vast experience as a musician and  knowledge of the genre.  He contributes to our monthly newsletter with great articles and blues album reviews.
He has been a contributor for years to Blues Blast Magazine, and you often find their cover artist is his interview subject.  Always a great informative read.
Marty is also heading the SPAH Convention in Charlotte in 2021 for Charlotte Blues Society

We are lucky to have several really strong past presidents who are still actively involved in CBS.
Rick Ballew is one of those.
After having served for many years in various capacities, then as Vice President, and then finally President, Rick has continued to be at nearly every single meeting since leaving the office in 2017.  
You can find him at most of  our events as the supreme Emcee. Host of the "Smokin' Bluz" radio show for decades on WRFX-FM in Charlotte, , he now can be heard on 98.5 WYTX FM Sunday nights from 8-10pm 

 We are grateful to have his guidance and  wisdom as we continue forward.  

He is also on the committee to help implement our "Blues in the Schools" program. 

Jeri Thompson is a past President of CBS.   An effective leader, Jeri helped to coordinate many of the fundraising activities for the organization, as well as overseeing the fundraiser for blues artist Robin Rogers.

Jeri has the ability to pull together resources and manpower to make an event successful.  

Her busy schedule the past year has not enabled her to be as involved as she would like to be, however Jeri is always accessible and a phone call away, and we are grateful for her past and future contributions.

Beth was instrumental in the formation of Charlotte Blues Society in 1993.  

A talented blues vocalist, it was a privilege to hear her at any of the many jam sessions at the end of a Blues night.  

Rumor has it the idea for a Blues Society came about after a weekend in the mountains where a lot of moonshine and jamming occurred.   Beth, Bill Buck and Bill Arnold then met with Double Door Inn owner Nick Karres, and the rest is history.

We will always be grateful for the leadership she has shown, and are never afraid to call and ask her for advice.  

Musician and music lover, Ray joined our board in 2017.  He was our Membership AND Merchandise Chairman, no small task, and one he embraced with gusto.   His photos from music events are found  throughout this site as he was never without a camera and he always found a way to capture the moment.  HAs a guitarist himself, his enthusiasm and knowledge of the instrument made him one of the most interesting people to sit down and have a conversation with.  
Ray was a generous spirit, with a great sense of humor, an intelligent wit, and a team player.    He wrote some great music reviews, they are sprinkled throughout our newsletters over the past two years.  If you were looking for a good show to attend, all you had to do was ask Ray what he had tickets for.  You were guaranteed to hear outstanding guitarists in every genre.  

. We lost Ray to pancreatic cancer in April 2019 and we continue to miss his presence.  

Ray's generosity extended to donating our 2019 raffle guitar.  The Candy Apple Red Fender Squier Strat is a beauty, and it was from his personal collection.  Feel free to purchase a raffle ticket from our online store: you could win it for yourself.  It is collecting autographs from blues artists all year long, and some of the names now include Robert Cray, Samantha Fish, Ana Popovic, CoCo Montoya and Tinsley Ellis, to name a few.  

One of the longest running members on the Board, Nick  Polyzos has been with us since our early days.  

When he wasn't enjoying music, he was traveling, with many adventures with family, or you would find him on the lake with one of his best friends fishing, rafting or boating. 

He was dedicated to Charlotte Blues Society and as a Board Member at Large, we  called him "The Keeper of the Big Bang"  Nick made sure our Drum & Cymbals are available for every Blues Sunday event, helped to work the door on our Blues Sundays, and was one of the first to volunteer for outside events, whether it was Taste of Charlotte, or our merch/membership table at Blues shows around town.  He was also our official time-keeper for our Blues Challenge every year. 

His smiling face was always visible and Nick lived with gusto and was doing what he loved up until the last.  

We will miss him.

Robin Rogers was not just a gifted blues singer, songwriter and  harp player, she was passionate about spreading the word about Charlotte Blues Society and the Blues Foundation.
Her love of the music and outgoing personality on and off stage was legendary.  Her passion was kinetic and it carried over into her involvement with Women in The Blues and many charities.

She won the first Best Self-Produced CD during the IBC in 2002, was signed to Blind Pig Records, where her last album "Back in the Fire" debuted on the Billboard Blues album Charts in the Top 3.
Robin lost her battle with cancer in 2010, only days after she was told she was nominated for Best Female Contemporary Blues Artist award.  Her husband and band partner Tony  Rogers fulfilled his promise to go to Memphis the following May for the Awards ceremony.  
Tony was accompanied by a  huge contingency from CBS for moral support.  The CBS loyalty to Robin never waivered.  At the ceremony, the room erupted in cheers when the envelope was opened and her name was read.   Robin was not just a favorite with fans, she was loved by her peers and had  gained their respect over the years.

A recipient of multiple Blues Blast Music Awards,  Robin was an ambassador of the blues to the end.
Her legacy continues to inspire performers young and old.

Her absence on the stage and within the blues community is distinctly felt.

Robin was one of a kind, a precious light in the music world who continues to glow in all who knew or heard her.

An 8"x 8" brick in front of the Blues Hall of Fame in Memphis TN has her name on it, donated by members of Charlotte Blues Society. 

We love you Robin Rogers,  Unconditionally.  

A more enthusiastic audience member and CBS Member could not have been found anywhere.

Marie Rink was at every event, and laughter followed her onto the dance floor, where she spread smiles throughout the room. 

Marie's spirit was infectious.  She loved to see everyone enjoying themselves, and when one music event was over, it was not uncommon for her to grab a few people and encourage them to join her at another performance just down the road.

Marie was the epitome of the phrase "young at heart" , exuding boundless energy that was fully charged by music.
We were blessed by her presence in our group.  We strongly believe those who dance, laugh and make the most of each moment, may have been lucky enough to stand or dance with  Marie at least once and a bit of her vibrant personality rubbed off.

We lost Marie in 2016, but her spirit lives on.