Prior warning long read but please do read to the end.
Since around the start of the Blue Immersion Course, the use of the hash tag BBP started emerging within the BLIM Community but also in the wider JGC arena, hence this topic goes out to the whole Community, not just BLIM.
It would seem that some Community members have expressed concerns about our activities, who we are and why the implied secrecy. I do not know the full content of these complaints, neither how many and whether they have come from our relatively small BLIM village or the big city JGC.
Regardless it has been sufficient for one of the JGC Moderators to bring this to our attention. The main theme seems to be an air of exclusivity and this could not be further from the truth.
So it is both sad and necessary that I feel obliged to offer this explanation and address any concerns. Anyone who has known me in my 11+years on this forum, will know that I give it my 100% support and would not wish it harm or disrepute. And as I was the instigator of the BBP long before it got that tag, I feel it is my responsibility to explain.
WHAT IS THE BBP
At the start of the Blues Immersion Course, students were encouraged to form study groups. There were no real guidelines, objectives or even suggested group sizes just a suggestion for folk to get together and support one another through the duration of the course. Many such groups have been set up, ours is but one of them.
Entering into BLIM I was concerned that my playing level did not quite meet to publicized requirements for joining. So the idea of a support group was appealing to me and also that the smaller the group the better. I also wanted to team up with established JGC members who I know relatively well over a number of years (and in one case since day 1 here) so we could hit the ground running and not spend weeks getting to know one another and our playing abilities.
I had in mind a couple of folk that were in a similar position as me and a little nervous about the course and reached out to them first, then a couple of more experienced players who I had known through our JGC Open Mics sprung to mind. The idea being to have spread of experience to draw down on. Another long standing Community member was also discussed and we reached out and got them to join the team. We all felt that 6 was a pretty good and manageable number and that is how it has stayed.
This was all initially carried out using Direct Messages on the forum. Some Study Groups created open topic for everyone on BLIM to see but we continued to use DMs. The main reason was so we did not fill the BLIM pages up with unnecessary clutter ! There was enough of that already. At some stage I coined the phrase “Under The Radar” which my colleagues thought would make a great album title for a study group collaboration at the end of the course. So no clandestine reasons at all for our existence and the fact that the group is small, so yes you could say exclusive but with the Study Group remit.
WHY DOES THE BBP EXIST
Well as you can see it is a support group born of the Blues Immersion course and it has provided countless benefits to its members. We have been in contact daily and discuss course content, practice schedules, difficulties we are having suggestions of how to deal with them but most all a heck of a lot of banter and lots of laughs !
In fact we discovered that each Community DM system has a max of 500 posts. We are close to approaching DM #9 I am sure you can do the math.
Given the intensity of BLIM and the focus required there can be a lot of stress, so a small intimate group of folks who know each other pretty well is the ideal place to let off steam and have a good larf ! And at times another reason for being “Under The Radar”.
So if you are sharing that info with yourself, why not share it with your fellow Blimmers ?
Well guess what folks ? We have, since day one. Every member of #BBP has been actively involved and contributed to virtual all of the BLIM topics over the last 4 months, yes I include Unit 0. We have passed on our knowledge, ideas and given support to others on the course, while maintaining a presence in the wider JGC. So as I said at the start exclusive we certainly are not.
In fact one of the first things I started doing when the Prep Unit 0 started, was encouraging the Blimmers to visit and get engaged in the wider JGC and its great to see that quite a few have and now extoll its virtues. I would hope others would follow suit.
A quote from my fellow BBPer.
I hope that is know clear.
WHO IS THE BBP
Well if you’d been paying attention you will likely have realised it was me and these fellow reprobates and long time JGC members,
@mathsjunky
@Malz
@Majik
@twistor59
@Socio
We’ve been openly tagging ourselves and as much as I like Triads, we are not and have never been a secret society… just a study group.
And finally
WHAT DOES BBP STAND FOR
Well for starters best repeating what James said !
As for #BBP ? Well you know we have been teasing you for a while now and folks have been guessing away but still haven’t got there but when you see it, well it was all there to see.
In fact we have mentioned it several times in error @twistor59 let it slip in a post but only Blimmers would have seen that. I actually referenced it and called it out at my last OM performance. So its hardly been a secret.
In fact we have said several times that if you can’t guess, we would do a BIG REVEAL at the end of the course. But all this has taken the fun out of it and along with, what really is an unnecessary explanation for our existence so we’ve agreed to do that 3 months ahead of time.
If you want to keep having fun don’t click below 
What Does #BBP Mean
The British Blues Posse
There, wasn’t hard after all.
So I guess that’s it, I hope all the complainants now see we are just as inclusive and supportive as we have ever been and I for one will continue to be.
I would also add that at the start of BLIM I published a line in the sand episode of “The Blues Chapters” as part of my Madman Diaries saga. Today I planned to start recording for a mid course update “BLIM - The Story So Far”. However my passion and enthusiasm for doing that now has evaporated and all my practice time has been taking up, justifying what needed no justification.
But what’s done is done.
And the real finally.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO
James
Keith
Mal
Paul
Phil
My fellow #BBPers
We have made great progress in these few short months and I owe you a debt of gratitude for helping me get this far.
#nomorebbptags
@JustinGuitar @Richard_close2u @LievenDV @DavidP
In case any of our activities have breached Community etiquette, on behalf of our small team I humbly apologise,
…at least from me …so 
