Albert White (R) performing with Eddie Tigner (L) at Fatt Matt’s Rib Shack in Atlanta, GA.

The Blues was born in the South and dispersed wherever people would congregate. Shot houses, railroad depots, local bars, VFW halls and other community gathering places served as the melting pots in which our greatest cultural export was forged. These regular gigs provided daily bread for the artists who played them and are a critical part of the working musician’s ability to sustain themselves. Nowadays this sustenance comes from millions of tourists that journey to America’s great music cities expecting to dance the night away and get a taste of our rich musical culture.

There are probably no better representatives of the working musician than Music Maker Partner Artists Ernie Vincent and Albert White. Ernie (New Orleans, LA) and Albert (Atlanta, GA) have been performing weekly at bars and clubs in their hometowns since the early 1960s. For these two, a 50 year run of steady gigs has suddenly ended in this pandemic, with no end in sight.

Thanks to the support of our donors, Music Maker has stepped in to provide critical support for both Albert and Ernie during these trying times.

“Everything just stopped in the pandemic. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate Music Maker for helping me.”

– Ernie Vincent