XM Radio's Bluesville channel ("exit 74 on the XM highway") has partnered with the Blues Foundation to provide listeners with the opportunity to expand their blues community. By featuring segments on the Blues Foundation's affiliates from around the world, subscribers will get a look at how various blues societies function, not just as a specialized music/fan group, but in their communities as well.

Most blues societies sponsor bands for the International Blues Challenge in Memphis each year, and support their local bands and artists by attending shows and events, but many also have programs supporting the preservation of the blues and the education of the community at large about the music.

Some blues organizations will work with local DJs and record their segments, which will be sent to producer Joe Whitmer of the Blues Foundation. The first segment has been submitted by the Houston Blues Society and Blues Hound of KPFT and will air soon, according to the Blues Foundation website.

By highlighting the activities of each affiliate, blues societies (and fans) around the world should find themselves inspired by a variety of programs each featured affiliate shares with XM listeners. It's grassroots cooperation and promotion at their finest. Growing a blues society isn't easy, even in cities or states with many artists and fans. Using methods proven successful by other groups can only smooth the road for those in need of assistance. Working together, the global blues community becomes stronger and gives everyone a chance to interact, regardless of geography or other factors which often divide people.

Check in with the folks at Bluesville for the first airing of this new feature on XM Radio. And, let this be the perfect catalyst to get involved with your local blues society. What's the worst that could happen — you hear good music and make some new friends? Get the blues, baby. It's good for what ails you.