CEDAR FALLS - After decades of singing the blues, a musician can get a bit reflective. And perhaps pensive.

Recently, Cedar Valley blues legend Bob Dorr has been mulling over years spent as a singer, disk jockey and producer.

Twenty-five years at the helm of the Blue Band. Thirty-plus years as a KUNI-FM radio personality. Founder of Hot Fudge Music, dedicated to promoting Iowa artists. Familiar face on IPTV.

On Saturday, Dorr will be added to the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in Des Moines. He will be one of four inducted into the Iowa blues class of 2005.

The Chicago-born, Iowa-reared musician is both overjoyed and humbled by the accolade.

"It really tickles me, actually," said Dorr, a longtime Cedar Falls resident.

"I don't know why at this point in the game I need a reaffirmation of my career from my peers but it came at the right time," he added.

This most recent nod to Dorr's musical career and longevity as a band leader isn't the first. In 2000, Dorr's name was added to the Iowa Rock 'N' Roll Music Association Hall of Fame for work at KUNI.

Dorr's tastes are eclectic. When he rounded up the Blue Band in 1981, the group struggled to claim just one style. Members perform original and cover blues, soul, rockabilly and R & B at venues, festivals and private shows across the country.

"We try to become more of a Midwest sounding Chicago blues/Texas blues and West Coast swing," Dorr said. "We try."

But to fans and aficionados across the state, Dorr has a reputation for contributing to blues-based music, said Don Erickson, co-chair of the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame committee. Inducting Dorr into the hall of fame, started in 1999, was a slam-dunk decision, Erickson said.

But committee members had to wait until Dorr was eligible. One hall of fame rule requires at least 30 years to have passed since a potential nominee landed their first paid gig.

"I can't think of anybody that has done more to support the blues, spread the blues and play the blues then he has," Erickson said. "Just his work with KUNI all these years alone, even if he wasn't a musician … would have been enough."

Dorr started his relationship with the university's public radio station as a college student. More than 30 years later, and he's still there on programs like 'Night Music' and 'Down on the Corner.'

The renaissance man exposed KUNI listeners to new musical talent that wasn't being played by other radio stations, said Jeff Petersen, a founder and current member of the Blue Band.

"He's been a real advocate in the area for (blues) and obviously he's been at it a long time," Petersen said.

Many know Dorr's emotional, gravely voice and his mean harmonica from club performances and outdoor fun like Sturgis Falls and the Iowa State Fair.

The band has played up to 125 dates a year and travels within 300 miles of Eastern Iowa. It's not uncommon for Dorr to spend half a week at KUNI and the other half on the road.

" … (Dorr) has his hand on the pulse of popular blues music and knows what people around the state of Iowa and the Midwest are interested in supporting," said Tom Barry, a UNI music professor who played with the Blue Band as a sub in the '70s.

Through Hot Fudge Music, Dorr promotes not only the Blue Band but also regional talent.

"He's gone out of his way to do these blues recording from a whole lot of different Iowa bands," Petersen said. "That was all him. Nobody else would have done that."

That the Blue Band is still active is a credit to Dorr's musical, business and people skills, band members said.

" … They've managed to make it work for so long," Barry said. "You can't keep doing that if your product isn't good," he added.

This summer, Blue Band fans can take a walk down memory lane with Dorr. IPTV will be releasing a Blue Band 25th Anniversary DVD of their performances through the years.

"The essence of what I do is entertain," Dorr said.

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.