*At Music Maker, our hearts and thoughts are with all those affected by the tragedy in Boston yesterday. We think this poem from artist Ironing Board Sam is particularly appropriate right now. I went to pick up Ironing Board Sam this last Saturday morning for a photo shoot. He was in a great mood […]

Listen: What Can A Man Do But Sing the Blues “Here was the deep, common core of humanity singing of its suffering and stoicism,” read a Sydney Morning Herald article about Dr. Burt’s recent performance with the Music Maker Blues Revue. Although I have yet to see Dr. Burt grace the stage in person, I […]

[nggallery id=2] Dr. Burt flew up north this past weekend to perform with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and give a lecture at Dartmouth College. What Dom Flemons had to say in the program’s notes: “Since the Chocolate Drops play a lot of music that is historical, mentorship has always been a way of being able […]

Read about how you can help artists through our $80,000 matching grant! At MMRF, some artists we partner with have never had a career in music, and have only played for their home communities. For others, their music was their livelihood, derailed by a disaster like Katrina. We received this note, printed below, from Major […]

It seemed to me that everyone in the neighborhood would come by Ezelle’s drink house in Winston-Salem, when I was living nearby in the early ‘90s. You would see white tobacco growers from Stokes County looking for workers, preachers and their staff, and parents leaving their kids in the car to have a quick cocktail. […]