Founded in 2010, American Blues Scene is an independent roots music content site consisting of music news, artist interviews, album/concert/book reviews, op-eds, videos, and other industry insights.
JD Nash is the nom de plume of Rev. Andrew Mader. A music lover for as long as he can remember, his first exposure to the magical sounds of the 60s came from his older siblings’ records when he was a small boy.
During his high school years, his music listening began to develop into something more eclectic. JD stopped listening to the favored pop stations, and began tuning into one of the first free-form FM stations in the nation, KDKB radio. Depending on who was jock at the time, KDKB would play a mix of rock, soul, jazz, blues, country, and even comedy 24 hours a day. It would also be the first radio station to employ JD as an apprentice in the promotions department, and later as commercial voice talent.
JD is a man of many parts. He’s worked at most everything from the cotton fields of Arizona to Naval communications all over the world. He’s been a DJ for more than 30 years, working on both radio and in nightclubs nationwide. He’s an ordained minister, a social activist, published poet, and a Native-E Award winning songwriter. While hosting the weekly program ‘Blues Influence’ on WREN Internet Radio JD first met the editors and publisher of American Blues Scene.
He began working part-time for ABS researching and publishing a weekly article entitled ‘This Week in Blues Past.’ It wasn’t long before he was asked to research “list articles” for the publication. He then began doing record reviews, artist interviews, and more for American Blues Scene. Although still working as a full time club DJ in Topeka, JD has finally found a position with ABS that fuels his true musical passion.
At American Blues Scene, we approach roots music as a living continuum, guided by the belief that it deserves coverage as layered and complex as the art itself. Through in-depth interviews, historical features, and on-the-ground concert coverage by professional photographers, we bring context and insight to the music that moves us.
My relationship with music began early. While other kids traded toys and playdates, I studied liner notes, memorized lyrics, and tried to make sense of the world through song. That instinct—to connect life back to music—never left me.
ABS has grown into a trusted platform for artists, fans, and industry professionals around the world. Driven by a deep commitment to roots music in all its forms, we highlight both the artists who laid the foundation and those shaping its future—through conversations with legacy performers, spotlights on emerging voices, and explorations of the cultural and historical threads that bind this music together.
Our goal is to capture not just what the music sounds like, but why it matters—telling stories that last longer than a news cycle. We connect the dots between a note, a lyric, and the lives they touch, keeping one ear on the roots and the other on the road ahead.
