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| Janiva Magness' Journey From Foster Care To The National Stage Janiva Magness, a product of the foster care system and a 2009 Blues Music Awards winner, is the spokesperson for National Foster Care Month, celebrated in May. She won Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, the latter as presented by King and Bonnie Raitt in an emotional moment. Back when she was declared winner of the 2006 Best Contemporary Female Artist Award at the Blues Music Awards, singer Janiva Magness went into what she calls a "brownout." "It's not quite a blackout, " she explains. "[But] I was so rattled my legs were shaking." For Magness, the win marked a remarkable new stage in her journey. Growing up outside of Detroit, she struggled with molestation; her parents battled alcoholism and both were lost to suicide. By the time she was in her teens, she was passing through a series of institutions, combating substance abuse, suicide attempts of her own, and pregnancy. But a foster parent came through for her and, around the same time, she experienced a revelation at a concert by famed bluesman Otis Rush. "For the first time in along time, I did not feel alone, " she says of the concert, continuing, "[Blues] was what just spoke to my heart and made sense to me. It began a process of healing." So, as someone for whom hope has not come easily, the BMA win had special meaning for her. She reflects, "I have a life today that I could never have imagined. You know, your fate does not have to be your destiny." Magness declares, "The truth is that these young people need our help all year long. I urge blues fans to ask everyone they know to call the number or check out the website. No matter how much time you have to give, you can do something positive that will change a lifetime for a young person in foster care." write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Jazz News :: home page |