The Blues Pharmacy Public Benefit Foundation was founded in 1999. Currently this is the only public benefit organization in Hungary dealing specially with the colourful world of blues music. Holding illustrious foreign performers and local musicians together, helping the talents, recruiting the audience, and teaching young people, it makes possible that preserving the musical traditions bearing the roots of modern musical styles and so keeping up the demand for live music remain an integral part of our culture.

During its ten-year existence, the Foundation has been able to enlist emblematic figures of blues life both from among the musicians and the experts (Vas Zoltán, Török Ádám, Hobo, Deák Bill Gyula, Póka Egon, Takáts Tamás, Nemes Nagy Péter, Bakáts Tibor, etc.).

In recent years, our foundation’s work has greatly contributed to the fact that Hungary, as a popular destination, has been put on the international map of the blues. We are particularly proud of the fact that, first in the musical history of Hungary, we managed to organize a 50 hour jam session where the togetherness of local and international musical profession was demonstrated with the participation of 250 musicians on three stages.

Main activities:

• Organizing festivals, tours, concerts
• Founding a lifetime achievement award
• Professional camps, educational lecture series for students
• Media organizing
• Aiding different minor blues festivals and organizing professional forums with the aim of community-forming
• Organizing V4 (Visegrád Four) blues projects, tender writing.

Appearances, self-organized festivals:

• Blues Pharmacy Jamboree since 1999,
• Organization of Sziget (Island) Blues Stage since 2002,
• Baja Idill Jazz-Blues Festival since 2003,
• Gospel tours since 2004,
• First Mississippi Delta Festival, Dunaújváros and Pécs, 2008.

Besides, as co-organizers of numerous local festivals, we arrange for the concerts of local and foreign performers, organizing about 200 concerts annually.

We present authentic and internationally acknowledged performers to the local audience that not only raises the standard of the events but also authenticate local blues life. Beside the high-standard musical programs, exciting co-events make our programs even more colourful: educational lecture series, record-markets, instrument shows, exhibitions, conferences.

Blues Pharmacy Life Achievement Award

Our aim in 2006 was to create a Blues Pharmacy Award for those whose life achievement has served most the blues. By acknowledging their work we would like to contribute to the official acknowledgment of this musical style. The award itself is prepared by Ef Zámbó István for three years, and its adjudication is decided by a six-member independent professional advisory board with the participation of such prestigious personalities as i.e. Gerendai Károly or Hartyándi Jenő.

Professional camps, educational lectures

We have organized our professional camp in four consecutive years where workshops, musical trainings, joint concerts, film projections helped the entrant or more experienced musicians to get acquainted with each other’s activities. The organization of the camp will restart after a year of pause, following a generation shift.

Media organization

The experts standing close to the foundation help our work with their radio and television programs and writings. Being in continuous contact with them, we facilitate the appearance of 100-150 programs, articles in televisions, radios and the written press. We participate in the preparing of promotional materials, involving the appropriate experts (photographers, filmmakers, music writers).