Biography

Carl Hodges of Saluda, Virginia was born in 1931 and is among the few Chesapeake Bay blues artists performing today. In true songster tradition he performs old blues, country, and gospel songs sung with his old-time vibrato laden voice. Carl passed away in 2010.

How We Helped:
Music Maker’s Tim and Denise Duffy met Carl in his hometown of Saluda, Virginia, in 1995. For many years, either Carl visited Music Maker in North Carolina, or the Duffys went to visit him in his home. Music Maker helped Carl obtain a passport, provided him with grants for utility bills and prescription medicine, gifted him with guitars, and introduced him to numerous N.C. blues artists. MMRF also recorded Carl’s shows in N.C., and featured him in the book Music Makers: Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America (2004). He traveled to the Blues Estafette in Utrecht, Holland, and performed at various festivals in North Carolina. Carl was stricken with diabetes, making it hard for him to travel, so Music Maker helped him with medication and installed an oil furnace in his home.