By Oniska Blevins | The Selma Times-Journal

The Blackbelt Benefit Group will live up to their motto Sunday as they “put the fun in fundraising” while jamming it out with Grammy Award winner Kebbi Williams and the Wolfpack ATL.

The jam session will be from noon until 6 p.m. at the Play Selma Music Hall located at 1122 Water Ave.

Founding member of the Blackbelt Benefit Group, Paul Wilkerson, said he is excited for the group to host an event that is different from what they usually host.

“I’m curious to see the response from folks and see what they think about it,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson said once you enter into the Jubilee there is no additional cost for this event; however, there will be food for sale. He said all proceeds will benefit the Blackbelt Benefit Group and its efforts to give back to the community.

Wilkerson said Jubilee weekend is the perfect time to host this kind of concert.

“We’re based primarily around food and music, and Jubilee weekend is full of both,” he said. “What better place and what better time to do it in the heart of our city.”

Tommy Tisdale, who won the group’s Rock N’ Ribs Benefit fundraiser last year, will be selling ribs and BBQ during the concert.

Kebbi Williams, founder and director of the Wolfpack ATL, said the group started in Atlanta and decided to call themselves the “Wolfpack” because of their communal style of performing.

“It’s a communal thing, it’s not about one soloist or one star,” Williams said. “It’s a pack of us playing together in communal style.”

Williams said the group’s style of music is more of a mixture of different types of music such as jazz, hip-hop and marching band styles.

He said it is more of a “hybrid” style.

Before the show, the group will practice with college and high school band members for a performance later in the show.

Williams said practicing with and highlighting young musicians is important because live music is not as valued as it once was.

“The market and capitalism supports what makes money and it doesn’t support the preservation of live music,” he said.

This weekend’s Jubilee is in commemoration of the historic voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, and Williams said the band is more than excited to perform in Selma this weekend.

“We’re really familiar with the civil rights struggle and we’re really excited to see the leaders that may be there,” Williams said.