Born in Detroit in 1938, Frank Robinson started playing the piano at a very young age. His natural talent playing the blues was immense, winning him a local talent show at the age of three. In [...]
Christmas With Cootie by Cootie Stark Music Maker has done a couple holiday oriented albums over the years but none capture the genuine holiday party spirit quite like Christmas with Cootie. This [...]
Ironing Board Sam’s sudden stroke in October of 2015 pulled him away from the stage just as his career was taking a turn towards stardom. But even if things have gotten a bit quiet in his life [...]
My Name Is Precious by Precious Bryant During the holidays Music Maker always remembers our partner artists that are no longer with us, many whom our staff was very close with. Music [...]
One More Mile by Robert Lee Coleman Somebody loves Robert Lee Coleman, but he just doesn’t know who it is. Is it you? This track from Coleman’s 2012 album “One More Mile” [...]
On Monday WRAL’s Scott Mason aired a piece about the Glorifying Vines Sisters, their home church and their trip to Switzerland in August. Watch the piece – HERE!
Born in Pontotoc, MS, Lee Gates is guitarist who stands among giants like Albert Collins, the Kings and Jimi Hendrix. For proof of this claim, one need look no farther than the three records he [...]
If there are a matriarch and patriarch of Music Maker, they must be Algia Mae Hinton and Eddie Tigner. Algia Mae Hinton is a Piedmont blues guitarist and buckdancer who, at 87, is as legendary [...]
Prison Blues by Neal Pattman Neal Pattman grew up one of fourteen children on a farm in Washington County, GA. He lost his right arm in an accident with a wagon wheel when he was seven. From an [...]
Guitar Lightnin’ Lee looks about as mean as a junkyard dog and appropriately, his god given name is Leroy. But the gruff attitude that Guitar Lee projects from his rugged exterior has nothing to [...]
Live and Let Live by Sweet Betty This Thanksgiving, Sweet Betty reminds us that if it’s good, pass it on down. We’re feeling her lessons learned in the kitchen–not just recipes, [...]
Clickin’ King of Hip Poppin’ by Whistlin’ Britches Whistlin’ Britches passed away from throat cancer shortly after I started working at Music Maker in 2011. I did get to spend [...]
At Home in the New Orleans Musicians’ Village by Little Freddie King Last week MMRFs Executive Director traveled down to New Orleans to visit with Little Freddie King who had recently been [...]
The good news just keeps on coming for Music Maker partner artist Robert Finley. Last week Robert announced that he would be embarking on a 20-date cross country tour with Dan Auerbach & the [...]
King Dracula by Homesick James “Tired of people, sucking my blood,” that’s a line from Homesick’s title song for his recent released – King Dracula. His analogy of [...]
Songs From the Roots of America, Vol. 1 by Music Maker Recordings
The Music Maker Revue Live! In Europe by Dr. Burt I wish I could have seen Dr. Burt perform live… I’ve heard just his presence alone could silence a crowd, leaving an audience completely [...]
King Dracula by Homesick James Slide master Homesick James’ credentials were legend, starting from his Chicago sides in the 50’s with cousin Elmore James to recording LPs in the early [...]
Right from the slinky intro you know you’re in for one of those rare musical treats. The lead single from Robert Finley’s upcoming album, GOIN’ PLATINUM!, produced by Dan [...]
Both TIME Lightbox and the NY Times LENS blog have covered Our Living Past, a photography exhibition by Timothy Duffy and the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which features portraits of Music [...]
Check out the Facebook event – HERE
They Call Me Dr. Burt by Dr. G.B. Burt There are few people that could exude positivity and peace like Dr. Burt did. He was a true Freedom Fighter in his youth and later got to spread his good [...]
Late last year we posted a story about Folk music legend Patrick Sky and his need for being on Music Maker’s Sustenance Program due to his poor health. When we called to check in on Pat a couple [...]
We are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of longtime friend and partner Norman Hewitt. In 1991, Norman took a chance booking an unknown bluesman named Guitar Gabriel for the Blues to Bop [...]
Turn Off the Fear by Carl Rutherford The first days of autumn can put one in a kind of melancholy contemplation, and it’s usually around this time of year that mountain gospel sounds best [...]
Dan Auerbach’s 63 Year-Old Protégé Robert Finley Shares Soulful Video ‘Medicine Woman’: Interview
0 0
From Billboard.com — 10/4/2017 by Allison Stubblebine Louisiana-based singer Robert Finley is a prime example that talent only improves with age. The 63 year-old has teamed up with Dan [...]
In August, Music Maker booked a show for the Glorifying Vines Sisters in Lugano, Switzerland at the Blues to Bop Festival. Music Maker first played this festival in 1995 with founding artist [...]
Hallelujah Boogaloo by Drink Small Drink Small’s bass voice is sweet and savory, his storytelling is wry and real. But on “Widow Woman” it’s the way he plays that sparse, [...]
Music Maker partner artists Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, the Como Mamas, Little Freddie King and Robert Finley will all be playing at the 12th annual Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, [...]
Outlaw by Harvey Dalton Arnold Harvey Dalton Arnold is a bona fide rocker. He’s performed for stadiums full of fans as a member of the Southern rock outfit the Outlaws. The crazy thing is [...]
When Michael Goodmon, the Vice-President of Real Estate for the Capital Broadcasting Company, drove past a billboard near downtown Durham promoting Music Maker’s 20th anniversary no one ever [...]
Buffalo Junction by Boo Hanks and Dom Flemons Boo Hanks had an impact on anyone that ever met him: the staff at MMRF, the audiences that were lucky enough to witness his performances, and [...]
Tuesday night was incredible–Robert Finley played at the eTown Hall in Boulder, CO to a sold out audience and absolutely killed it! He performed alongside country rock music legend Delbert [...]
Join the Bullpen’s Mailing List & You’ll Be Entered to Win 4 Tickets to Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Carolina Theatre!
0 0
Sign up below for your chance to win 4 tickets to the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band on September 26th Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name
Sign Up for the Bullpen Mailing List & You Could Win 2 Tickets to Taj Mahal at DPAC on OCTOBER 4th!
0 0
Subscribe to our mailing list * indicates required Email Address * First Name Last Name
This Stuff Just Kills Me by Jerry “Boogie” McCain I tried to dig on a single Jerry McCain song, but I just couldn’t do it — this record is just that good. No one can play [...]
Robert Finley, Little Freddie King, Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, & the Como Mamas to Perform at Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival!
0 0
Music Maker is thrilled to announce that four Music Maker partner artists will be performing at the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival on October 15th! The festival is FREE to the public and [...]
By: Christina Cooke Back when she dealt blackjack and performed the blues in Atlantic City, a music promoter named Peachy Lee assigned Pat Cohen the nickname “Mother Blues” in the advertising one [...]
I recently had the immense honor of traveling to Lugano Switzerland to the Blues to Bop festival with the Glorifying Vines Sisters. The trip was life changing for everyone involved, particularly [...]
The Musician Sustenance Program was the first program established by MMRF in 1994 and is designed to help musicians in crisis and to ease the chronic poverty endured by many of America’s senior [...]
Blues Came to Georgia by Rufus McKenzie Rufus McKenzie brings you straight to the truth. His songs weave together vivid life experiences that use melody as the ultimate teacher. His wisdom stems [...]
Partner artists Sam Frazier, Jr. and Ardie Dean will be inducted into the 2017 Alabama Blues Hall of Fame on September 23rd. The annual event will be hosted by Jim Newport at the Drish House [...]
At Home in the New Orleans Musicians’ Village by Little Freddie King Each song on “At Home in the New Orleans Musicians’ Village” feels like slowly, blissfully, sinking [...]
Gospel Train by Bishop Dready Manning It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of two longtime partner artists. Clyde Langford and Bishop Dready Manning were both unique and loving [...]
Gingerbreadd Mindd by Paul Clayton Imagine this… It’s 1966 and a group of American musicians have traveled across time and space to form an impromptu band. They’re hometown music-makers, no [...]
Clickin’ King of Hip Poppin’ by Whistlin’ Britches There are few characters in Music Maker’s history as gregarious as Haskell Thompson, affectionately known as [...]
Music Maker’s Executive Director, Timothy Duffy, will be part of the Mississippi Book Festival on August 19th in Jackson, MS. Last year’s festival had 6,200 attendees and was covered [...]
Nicholas Edwards Long, 69, of Rougemont, NC and Naples, FL, passed away on the morning of Saturday, August 5, 2017, at Pettigrew Rehabilitation Center in Durham, NC. Born in Chicago, Illinois, [...]
z2 Comics graphic novel Murder Ballads is available everywhere today. Murder Ballads features and original soundtrack from Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys) and Music Maker partner artist Robert [...]
My Name Is Precious by Precious Bryant This has to be the best version of this classic song I’ve ever heard. Her guitar playing is chunky and intentional….then her voice kicks in. The [...]
When Tim texted me early on a Sunday morning about taking a trip (the very next day) to Southern, GA, I knew it would be a unique journey. On the way down, Tim explained that he had spoken with [...]
Songs of T-Town by Larry Shores I remember my first day at Music Maker and heading down to the basement/warehouse to make CDs and seeing this album on the shelf. At this point, my Southern [...]
Last week Music Maker partner artist Robert Finley was featured in Rolling Stone & Pitchfork for his upcoming project with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. The project is an original [...]
Turn Off the Fear by Carl Rutherford There is nothing like some classic country. Carl Rutherford’s voice is stands up right next to any of the country greats and paired with Cool John [...]
Gospel Train by Bishop Dready Manning Trains and particularly train sounds are commonplace in the Music Maker office. Our Executive Director has an extensive collection of train sounds on vinyl [...]
Entertainment Weekly previews Robert Finley’s latest project for z2 Comics graphic novel Murder Ballads with Dan Auerbach. Read the article…HERE
Alabama Slim grew up in rural Alabama, and you can hear it in his voice. The slower paced agrarian life he experienced on the farm is reflected in his intentionally slow and smooth groove. Now a [...]
On Thursday, October 19th piedmont blues-woman Etta Baker will be inducted the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis. Etta was an inspiration to American musical greats such as Taj [...]
Sing It Louder by Cary Morin It’s hard to understand how Cary Morin fits all those notes on his guitar, and never breaks the rhythm. It’s hard to understand how he does so much work, and sounds [...]
Get Nung! by The Nee Ningy Band The Triangle area’s own Nee Ningy Band were big on the festival scene in the late 70’s and 80’s. With seemingly every sound and instrument on earth at their [...]
Girls Rock Gets the Blues—And That’s a Good Thing By Allison Hussey Photo by Alex Boerner – Lena Mae Perry Cohen’s Girls Rock NC residency runs through Thursday, but Perry will [...]
270 Haystack Rd. by Benton Flippen With summer in full swing it’s tough not to think about our old friend Benton Flippen from Mt. Airy, North Carolina. Ask anyone that’s into old-time [...]
Bob Stephens is a “road warrior.” Forty-eight years of performing and countless miles on the road are what separates Bob from what he and fellow touring musicians call the rest of us: [...]
In the Pines by Dan Auerbach and Robert Finley / MURDER BALLADSThere are a few songs in the America’s musical lexicon as quintessential as In the Pines. From Leadbelly to Nirvana this tune [...]
Honoring Blues and Roots Musicians in Tintypes By Justin Porter Jun. 8, 2017 Staring into Ironing Board Sam’s smile, beautiful and bright as his fingers dance across a keyboard, one can easily [...]
Last week I had the honor of accompanying the Glorifying Vines Sisters on their errand to the Rocky Mount post office in order to get their passports for their upcoming tour in Europe. We would [...]
Somewhere Between Truth & Sanity by Dave McGrew Dave McGrew has lived a thousand lives and then some. Since the age of 6 he has been picking fruit in the Great Northwest, rambling from town [...]
The Great Unknown by Big Ron Hunter Big Ron Hunter’s opening track “Going For Myself” on The Great Unknown exudes joy and confidence in the wake of finding himself on his own after his mother and [...]
[bandcamp width=700 height=472 album=408860055 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 artwork=small] Dave McGrew, b. 1959 in Cordelain, Idaho, set out to work picking fruit at the age of 6. [...]
By: JUSTIN EPLEY May 22, 2017 On Thursday, one of Morganton’s most legendary musicians will receive a tribute years in the making. A statue of the late Etta Baker, who gained fame later in life [...]
Music Maker is proud to sponsor programming for Moogfest at the Bullpen this year. Thursday, May 18th | 8:30pm | Lonnie Holley Performance Friday, May 19th | 11:00am | The Art & Music Of [...]
Stream the Como Mamas upcoming Daptone release Move Upstairs! http://www.npr.org/2017/05/11/527785072/first-listen-the-como-mamas-move-upstairs Purchase the album here – http://geni.us/Sp0tC0
Listen to In the Pines via Easy Eye Sound:
Last month I received an unusual phone call from a mysterious woman. There was a lot of commotion in the background as she asked if I knew where Ironing Board Sam was and how she could get in [...]
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2978486962 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3371431994] Dom will often reminisce about going into the library in [...]
By CHRISTOPHER MELE and MATT STEVENS MAY 2, 2017 via the NY Times Col. Bruce Hampton at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on Monday. CreditRick Diamond/Getty Images Bruce Hampton, who was known as the [...]
Dan Auerbach And Robert Finley’s Cover Of “In The Pines” A Free Music Download For Free Comic Book Day From Z2 Comics
0 0
Posted by Rich Johnston April 25, 2017 We are familiar now with publishers and comic book stores giving away free comic books on Free Comic Book Day. But this year, on May the 6th, publisher Z2 [...]
[bandcamp width=700 height=120 album=3293757779 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=664935305] Little Pink Anderson just called, he said he had a [...]
ON THE BEAT APRIL 14, 2017 12:00 PM ‘A hard life of bad luck and trouble’ BY DAVID MENCONI MIDDLESEX, N.C. It’s been a while since Algia Mae Hinton was on a stage, but she’s still a dancer. That [...]
As we the cold starts to fade and the plants start to bloom and we head out of a dreary winter our glee is elevated by the best part about the forthcoming warmth – Music Festival [...]
[bandcamp width=700 height=120 album=774377531 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=1833237913] Cootie Stark, Abe Reid, Taj Mahal and Tim Duffy make this [...]
The Glorifying Vines Sisters are a thriving musical institution. Based in Eastern North Carolina, they’ve been tearing up the road for decades and tearing up every church they visit. But they [...]
Music Maker is proud to announce that partner artists, The Como Mamas, will be playing the Chicago Blues Festival on Sunday, June 11th on the Front Porch Stage at 12:00pm. Since partnering with [...]
Savannah Music Festival: Unique music and multimedia presentation explores history of Piedmont Blues
0 0
04 Apr 2017 Written By: Linda Sickler From: Do Savannah The Piedmont blues is music birthed out of suffering. In a music and multimedia presentation co-commissioned by the Savannah Music [...]
[bandcamp width=700 height=120 album=3062621808 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=999898445] In 2013, when Music Maker hired two interns from France, I [...]
Tim Duffy and the Music Maker Relief Foundation work to preserve and support the music and culture of Southern blues artists BY ALEXANDRA KENNON MARCH 23, 2017 Cool John Ferguson and Captain [...]
MARCH 29, 2017 by: JENNIFER ODELL Music Maker Relief Foundation gives $62,000 to Louisiana musicians” data-description=”The Music Maker Relief Foundation has been providing [...]
[bandcamp width=700 height=120 album=1421561895 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=413072801] Algia Mae Hinton is a powerful musician. Not only is [...]
Noted French talent scout and aficionado of American roots music, Guy “L’Americain” Fay, passed away Tuesday, December 22, in Hospital Henri Mondor in Creteil, a southeast [...]
The Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Announces Artist Lineup Featuring Music Maker Relief Foundation Artists Robert Finley & Alabama Slim + Music Maker Advisory Board Members Bonnie Raitt [...]
Continuing the surprisingly rich tradition of musical excellence in Panola County, Mississippi. March 22nd 2017 by Marty Sartini Garner photo by Aaron A. Greenhood Sisters Angela Taylor and Della [...]
Deers R Us by The Deer Clan Singers The Deer Clan Singers are a family of the Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina led by Dave Locklear, Mark Deese, Pura Fe, and Chad Locklear who play [...]
On March 3rd, 2017 Our Living Past, Music Maker’s photography exhibit featuring 25 photos of Southern musicians and scenes, will be on display at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Alexandria, [...]
Following in a line of black country singers that include Charley Pride, Linda Martell, Ray Charles and more recently Darius Rucker, Sam Frazier, Jr. sings the sweet songs that have defined [...]
I had the same conversation over and over again when I was conducting research for my doctoral dissertation on contemporary black gospel music. When I spoke to older churchgoers—dozens of [...]
Many Americans are uncomfortable with the very idea of black people living in the rural South. “Black” plus “rural,” for them, evokes images of slavery and of the “Strange Fruit” hanging from [...]
- 12
