Ellington

From a distance, Chris Blevins cuts an imposing figure. Up close, he is expansive in word and action. His eyes are warm with an easy friendliness that matches his exuberant smile. He is quick to laugh.

His studio in Brandon is decked out with guitars and a drum set. A musician since he was 16, Blevins sang and played guitar for The Outsiders, a former local rock band, but has temporarily retired from the music business to pursue a degree in kinesiology at Mississippi College full-time. He also runs Junebugg Studios, a photography business, with his wife, Mandy.

After family friend Tommy Pitts passed away from diabetes-related complications in February, Blevins, 40, decided to turn his May 15 birthday party into a benefit for the Diabetes Foundation 
of Mississippi.

"I got to thinking about it ... it just struck a nerve for me to do something for somebody else instead of myself," he says.

The benefit drew 250 people to Hal & Mal's to see FuseX, Dixieattle and Yankee Station perform. "I always wanted to be a promoter and do shows," he says.

The benefit ignited a spark to do even more. Blevins is already planning his next birthday benefit and hoping for an even better turnout next year.

Blevins is familiar with the toll diabetes exacts, having been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes two years ago. He is an advocate for the Mississippi Diabetes Foundation. The foundation conducts research and teaches people how to live with the disease.

"Their cause is to educate people to live better lives, especially kids and parents with kids who have it," Blevins says, adding that he hopes the funds he raised will put more focus on preventing the disease. "A lot of Type II, it can be prevented. I want people to know that."

Blevins is no stranger to altruism. His grandparents founded the Gateway Rescue Mission in Jackson, and he proudly displays a framed black-and-white portrait of his grandfather. "Maybe it's in my blood to give," he says.

The former rock 'n' roller eventually wants to teach school and coach football. Family is also an important aspect of Blevins' life. His 1-year-old daughter, Skylar June, smiles widely as she perches on her daddy's lap, her long-lashed eyes brimming with excited curiosity.

The proud father says she is already showing signs of being musically inclined. She loves listening to her Dad play drums, and he often finds his guitar pedals have been tampered with. "She has her own little drum set, so hopefully we'll have a little drummer," he says.

"It's great," he adds about fatherhood. "It's really not hard. She does everything with me." --