Photographer: Shirley Mae Owens

Biography:
 If Koko Taylor is the “Queen of Blues” then Shirley Mae Owens is the “Queen of Blues Photography.” Involved in nearly every facet of the blues music scene, it is amazing she has time to keep camera in hand. Owens is the Marketing Director, Senior Editor, and a contributing writer and photographer for Big City Rhythm & Blues Magazine. Among her thousands of photographs are shots of legends B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and new talents Jonny Lang and Joss Stone. Since the inception of the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise in 2002, Owens, with the help of her husband, Robert Jr. Whitall, has hosted numerous blues summits and workshops as well as organized a large nonprofit fundraiser “Sailin’ On The High Seas” Silent Auction that has greatly benefited The Blues Foundation. Before moving to Detroit, MI, in 1999, Owens hosted two blues radio shows a week in Kansas City, MO, for ten years. Besides her role at Big City Rhythm & Blues Magazine, Shirley Mae Owens networks for blues festivals around the country, is the director of multiple blues-related foundations, and also hosts her own blues camp every year on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Genres Photographed: Blues, Country, Rock, R&B

Years Active: 1988 to present

Favorite Bands: Koko Taylor, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin

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