Support the HART Fund Today!!
Blues Therapy and Blues Therapy Volume Two are about the blues and mental illness. They discuss the healing effects of the blues, and both volumes contain fascinating interviews with blues musicians who have dealt with mental disorders and/or addictions. These incredibly talented artists are taking steps to help eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and mental health treatment. And the money from the sale of these books helps to support The Hart Fund, which reimburses blues musicians for medical expenses (including expenses for mental health treatment) that they cannot afford to pay.
Anita Schlank, Ph.D.
Anita Schlank, Ph.D. is a clinical and forensic psychologist who has assessed and treated criminal offenders for over thirty years. She also serves as a clinician for Backline, which offers free or low-cost therapy to those in the music industry. Anita was the editor of the book series entitled 'The Sexual Predator' and partnered with Tab Benoit for Volume One of Blues Therapy. She is a passionate fan of the blues, is on the Board of Directors for the River City Blues Society in Richmond, VA, and does her best to help promote blues artists.
Mike Zito
Mike Zito began playing guitar at the age of five, and by his teens he was a fixture in the local St. Louis Music scene. His song, Pearl River, won Song of the Year at the Blues Music Awards, and was only the first of many awards he would win. From 2010 until 2014, Mike played an integral part in the supergroup Royal Southern Brotherhood. He is the author of the blog, “A Blues Man in Recovery”, and has been instrumental in helping others on their path to recovery from substance abuse issues. Mike partnered with Guy Hale to form the Gulf Coast Records label, which is now home to many award-winning artists. In 2022, Zito join with his label mate, Albert Castiglia, to form the Blood Brothers duo. Their album won Blues Rock Album of the year award at the Blues Music Awards in 2024, and that year Mike was named Blues Rock Artist of the year. Most recently, the Blood Brothers have been touring with Bill Murray.
Volume Two Synopsis
Blues Therapy: Volume Two continues the message of Volume One, including a list of organizations that help musicians obtain needed mental health treatment and offers a clarification of the different types of mental health providers available. It also offers a special focus on grief. Artists interviewed include Kevin Burt, Mike Farris, Amanda Fish, Mattew Johnson, Ilana Katz Katz, Doug MacLeod, Steve Marriner, Chris O’Leary, Scottie Miller, Sugaray Rayford, Jason Ricci, Dylan James “Boogie Boy” Shaw, Jack Sullivan, Paul Thorn and Teeny Tucker. All profits from sales of this book also go to the HART Fund.
Blues Therapy: Volume One
Coauthored By:
Anita Schlank & Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit is a guitarist, singer, drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He also is an airplane pilot, mechanic, former restaurant owner, artist, and conservationist. Tab is from Houma, Louisiana and was inducted into the Louisiana music Hall of Fame. He was nominated for a Grammy and has won three Blues Music Awards which include the BB King Entertainer of the Year Award. Tab also won the Governor's Award for Conservationist of the Year for his work with the Voice of the Wetlands Foundation, which advocates for preservation of the wetlands.
Volume ONE Synopsis
Blues Therapy is about the blues and mental illness It has three sections. In the first section ("The Psychologist's Perspective"), Anita Schlank tries to dispel myths about mental illness and mental health treatment, discuss the therapeutic effects of music (particularly the blues and the blues community), and discusses aspects of a musician's lifestyle that can exacerbate mental health problems. In the second section ("The Musician's Perspective") Tab Benoit discusses these same issues from the perspective of a musician. In the final section ("The Interviews"), 14 amazing blues musicians (Annika Chambers, Ronnie Earl, Mark Earley, Amanda Fish, Eric Gales, Beth Hart, Janiva Magness, Nick Moss, Anders Osborne, Phil Pemberton, Billy Price, Dawn Tyler Watson, "Monster" Mike Welch, and the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz) share their compelling personal experiences with mental health problems and/or addictions, including the ways in which the blues has been healing for them. Mike Zito also wrote the foreword for the book. These incredibly talented musicians are taking steps to help eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness and mental health treatment. All proceeds from the sale of this book benefit the HART Fund, which pays for medical and mental health as well as substance abuse treatment for blues musicians in financial need.
Buy the bookS today
Each book copy is priced at $20 and an additional $7 for shipping and handling of the first book. Each additional book will be $3 extra for shipping! All profits are donated to the HART Fund!
**Please contact us directly for International Order Pricing and do not use the below button!**
Please select which volume(s) of the book you wish to receive when purchasing!