There are many remarkable things about Music Maker artist Captain Luke, but the most identifiable – and usually the first you notice – is his deep bass singing voice. It rumbles in tracks like “Old Black Buck” and is memorable even before you meet the Captain and his many other charms. The most exciting part of pairing up with the Center for Documentary Studies, to me, was introducing students to local legends like Captain Luke, who are very much a part of the fabric of the culture in their communities but frequently go unheralded. I watched as each of the students got to know these artists and become fans – and in this instance, collaborators.

A group of graduate students covered MMRF artists based in Winston-Salem, NC. In addition to the larger piece completed by the group, the class required each student to complete a smaller ancillary project; Lorrie cut together a great video of her participation in singing with Captain Luke:

Lorrie Guess is a Master of Art and Design candidate in the College of Design at North Carolina State University. She received a Bachelor of Art in journalism and mass communication from UNC-Chapel Hill.

She is a video editor and motion graphics designer. Her recent credits include MAKERS, a PBS documentary production by Ark Media and Storyville Films.