Adolphus Bell’s hero was Martin Luther King Jr.; during the Civil Rights movement in Birmingham, Adolphus and his young friends put their lives on the line for Freedom. When Adolphus began working with Music Maker we put him on tour with our Blues Revue. During his debut European tour, he got up on stage in Germany and told the audience, “I’m Adolphus Bell and I am from Birmingham, Alabama. When I grew up as a kid, the police set the dogs on me and hosed me down with a firehose! My hometown was full of hate. Birmingham has changed and is now a city of love. We are moving on; there is so much hate in the world, but Love is the answer. If my small hometown can change, the world can change –  you got to believe in the Dream!”

As I sat on the side of the stage, I was stunned and moved. I fell in love with Adolphus Bell and music lovers around the world quickly did as well. When I recorded his first record, I was expecting his fun-filled blues that I had heard him play live. During the recording session, after we had finished all the songs we had planned, Adolphus asked if he could do one more. He recorded “Black Man’s Dream” in one take.

— Tim