Back in 1983 someone did music lovers in Michiana a big favor. Harvey Stauffer was asked to sit in--for one week--on a music program on WVPE. "The next thing I knew, I was hosting it," Stauffer recalls.
After more than 40 years as the producer and host for The Blues Revue, Stauffer admits he hasn't always been a blues fan. Born in Chicago, Illinois on May 15, 1952, he claims he used to be a "rock-and-roller." But one day, at 15, he walked into an Elkhart record store, saw the BB King "Live at the Cook County Jail," bought it, and has been "hooked on Blues ever since."
Part of Stauffer's popularity is his easy-going manner, his deep, ambling voice, and his willingness to share with his audience. He believes deeply in his show's motto: Testify to the Blues. "The blues are the facts of life, the blues are a feeling," Stauffer explains. "It gives me and my listeners a place to testify from the heart."
"Ole' Harv," as he is better known to his blues brothers and sisters, was the front man for an area favorite, the Elwood Splinters Blues Band from 1996-2017.
Ole' Harv in 2012 received a 'Keeping the Blues Alive' award (KBA) from the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. The Blues Foundation presents the KBA award to individuals and organizations that make significant contributions to blues music worldwide. Ole' Harv was nominated by Bruce Iglauer, President of Alligator Records, a leading blues label based in Chicago.
By 2024, Harvey Stauffer's legacy was solidified with his induction into both the Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations Hall of Fame and the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame.
To all those Blues Bands out there.....if you would like your band's schedule listed on Ole Harv's Blues Calender please send them to OleHarv at oleharve@comcast.net
Remember - Contact the venue or band to confirm dates and show times. Things do change.