The Inland Empire Blues Society (IEBS) is a nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 dedicated to supporting, preserving and promoting the blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 through social events, such as concerts, festivals, and a newsletter. IEBS is a member of the Blues Foundation

Blues Foundation

The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 Blues organizations from various parts of the world....

. Although based in Spokane Washington, IEBS represents a broader area generally known as the Inland Empire of the Pacific Northwest

Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest)

thumb|The Inland Empire regionThe Inland Northwest, or Inland Empire, is a region in the Pacific Northwest centered on Spokane, Washington, including the surrounding Columbia River basin and all of North Idaho....

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The signature event of the IEBS is their annual Empire Awards that recognize individuals for contributions made supporting the Blues in the Inland Empire region.