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LUBBOCK, Texas – The Lubbock Roots Historical Arts Council hosted its annual Caprock Jazz Festival, featuring performances by Tom Braxton, Toni Redd and Joy Harris. Among those in attendance were Dr. Ben Alexander and his wife, Dr. Cicely Alexander, who shared that their family’s connection to the festival began years ago after the late Eric Strong invited them to attend.
“Our daughter competed in the scholarship competition and won first place by playing a classical piece on the piano,” Dr. Cicely Alexander said. “She was awarded a scholarship when she was only about 12 years old.”
A life that lifted others: Eric Strong a pillar of Black history in Lubbock
Eric Strong founded the annual Caprock Jazz Festival, which has brought nationally recognized contemporary jazz performers to the South Plains for many years.
Alexander said this year’s festival included a special tribute to Eric Strong, as well as a scholarship established in his honor. She also shared that Strong inspired her to pursue graduate school more than two decades ago. “Mr. Eric and Mrs. Maria Strong have been so encouraging to my family over the years, along with the Historical Roots organization, in supporting and encouraging our children,” Alexander said.
Alexander added that her late Aunt Betty Jenkins was a self-taught African American folk artist whose work has been featured by the Historical Roots organization during previous Caprock Jazz festivals. “The Caprock Jazz Festival has been a blessing to our family more than they will ever know,” Alexander said.
To learn more about the Caprock Jazz Festival or the Lubbock Roots Historical Arts Council and its mission to preserve and celebrate Lubbock’s history and arts, click here.
