Though Congress has officially proclaimed 2003 the Year of the Blues, the effects have taken a long time to filter down to Penn State.

Tonight in the HUB-Robeson Center's Heritage Hall, though, three blues artists will showcase the primal beauty of their art form, the granddad of rock and roll.

This three-act concert, scheduled to start at 7 p.m., is the brainchild of two English professors, Bernard Bell and Keith Gilyard. Both are heavily involved with the African American Voices Series, an English department program that brings African-American culture to the forefront.

"The blues doesn't get enough national respect here," Bell said. "These artists are keeping the blues alive."

Though the three artists all fall under the watershed title of "blues," they represent totally different sects of this long-standing musical genre. Billy Branch brings the Chicago deep-dish style of blues via his mouth-harp (harmonica). Branch has collaborated with such musical mainstays as Junior Wells and James Cotton. Along with his ongoing artistic endeavors, he is currently involved in bequeathing his musical passion to Chicago-area students with the "Blues in the Schools" program.

For those relatively "green" blues enthusiasts, the contemporary sound of Chris Bell & 100% Blues should strike a chord, as it will present a modern inroad to the "crossroads".

Bell is no stranger to the State College music scene, having played at last year's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. He describes his style as an amalgamation of all things blues, from Chicago and delta to Texas and modern.

"We will be as cooking as ever," Chris Bell said. "We thrive live."

Robert Lockwood Jr.'s delta blues stylings will provide the audience with a real link back to the teething days of the blues. Mentored by the mythic bluesman Robert Johnson, Lockwood has been a key player in the blues realm for decades. In 2001, the city of Pittsburgh honored his contribution by naming Aug. 18 "Robert Lockwood Jr. Day."

Bernard Bell said Lockwood is extremely dedicated to the preservation of the blues.

"He came here with a limited budget, because he is committed to the blues as a cultural form of expression," he said.

In addition to the concert, there will be a blues discussion panel at 2 p.m. today in the Foster Auditorium of Pattee Library. The three musicians will be present, along with blues poet Sterling Plumpp and Penn State associate professor Jerry Zolten.

Plumpp has published 14 books and received the Carl Sandburg Literary Award for his blues-based poetry. Jerry Zolten, a professor at Penn State Altoona, is an avid collector of blues memorabilia; a portion of his extensive collection is currently on display in the Pattee Library.

He was integrally involved with a Charley Patton box set, which won three Grammy Awards this year.

"It would be great if people armed themselves with information and questions," Zolten said. "This could be a lively afternoon."

Bernard Bell said the panel will field questions pertaining to the "authority, authenticity, and agency of the blues."