In 1903, on a lonely train platform in Tutwiler, Mississippi, African American composer W.C. Handy encountered a man playing "the weirdest music I had ever heard," an unexpected sound that would soon expand to become the most influential form of American roots music.  And although it reverberates to this day across the globe, both on its own and through the many genres of which it is the foundation -- including jazz, rhythm and blues, rock 'n roll, soul, and hip-hop -- it is still known quite simply, as the blues.

To commemorate this encounter 100 years ago, the U.S. Senate has proclaimed 2003 to be the "Year of the Blues."  The Year will be celebrated through various concerts, a 13-part radio series premiering September 27 on Public Radio International, a seven-film series premiering September 28 on PBS, a traveling "Blues on the Road" project, as well as books, CDs, DVDs, and educational offerings.

Learn more about the Year of the Blues on these pages, or check out www.yearoftheblues.org.