By Gabi Mendick

Until the pandemic of 2020, field trips, road trips and tours have always been an essential part of the framework of Music Maker. Our partner artists are musical treasures, but they aren’t always the most Googleable. And so, if you want to discover their music, you have to go to them. In the ’90s, in the tradition of ethnomusicological fieldwork and having a good time, Music Maker founders Tim and Denise Duffy began visiting small towns and big cities, following the music up and down and across the country. The Music Maker family that spans from Eastern North Carolina to South Dakota was built in person and on the road.

But over the past year and a half, we haven’t been able to grow our extended family of artists, and we’ve had to keep in touch with the family we have through phone calls and postcards. That was, until mid-May, when at long last Tim and I were fully vaccinated and we hit the road. Having only started working at Music Maker this past January, I was excited to meet some artists whom I’ve read about, spoken to on the phone, and whose music I love. We eagerly ditched our desktops and went off to see old friends of Music Maker and meet a few new ones. And we somehow crammed what felt like a year’s worth of activity, excitement, and music discovery into three long days.

Tuesday, May 11

5:30 a.m.

Wondering what I got myself into, Tim and I pulled out of Music Maker headquarters in Hillsborough, North Carolina, long before sunrise and headed south. We had a very loose itinerary in mind — no hotels booked or appointments made — but drove toward Georgia with plans to end up in Birmingham, Alabama.

8:30 a.m.

Just as I was getting antsy in the shotgun seat, Montgomery-based bluesman Lee Gee, aka Little Lee, rang us up and chatted our ears off, entertaining us for over an hour sharing his story, from his days in Chicago when you could get a whole chicken for 69 cents to his “retirement” in Montgomery in the late ’90s when he put an ad in the paper to form a blues band. We made plans to meet him at his house the next morning.

10:30 a.m.

Fred Thomas of Grovetown, Georgia, spent three decades as James Brown’s bass player.

Just past Augusta, Georgia, we reached Grovetown to meet Fred Thomas, best known as James Brown’s bass player for over 30 years. Tim describes his first impression of Fred: “He’s skinny as a rail but his eyes are like 500-watt light bulbs.” There’s no question that Fred is talented (did I mention he played with James Brown for over 30 years?), but sitting and chatting, we learned that Fred is also so sweet. He shared stories of being on the road and flying in private jets with James Brown, and didn’t hold back on telling the good or the bad.

3 p.m.

Music Maker’s Tim Duffy and Robert Lee Coleman

In the afternoon, we arrived at another one of James Brown’s band member’s homes in Macon, Georgia. Robert Lee Coleman played guitar in Brown’s band for about seven years, starting in 1970. Robert and Fred shared time in Brown’s band, so we swapped their phone numbers so that the two could reconnect and reminisce. When we met up with Robert to say a quick hello, he was just as Fred had remembered him hours earlier, “always chewing on a cigarette.” Meeting two James Brown sidemen in one day: just another ordinary day in the life of Music Maker! I can’t wait to see the two reunited on stage at the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival this September. 

Ironing Board Sam and Music Maker’s Gabi Mendick

6 p.m.

We made it to Montgomery, Alabama, and drove straight to see the dynamic performer and longtime Music Maker partner artist Ironing Board Sam, stopping by unannounced. While we visited, Tim Facetimed all of Sam’s old pals from when he lived in Hillsborough. Every one of them picked up and was equally excited: Ironing Board Sam is widely loved. I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say that Sam’s smile and laugh made our day. He shared so much wisdom about growing old, but even I, at 25, can learn a lot from the way that Sam makes the most of every moment. 

Wednesday, May 12

9 a.m.

We started the morning at the Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. The Equal Justice Initiative to honor the 4,400 African Americans who were lynched in the U.S. between 1877 and 1950 created the memorial in 2018. The sculptures and the setting are striking. They capture the scale of these horrific injustices, while honoring each individual by name. Walking through the memorial, we found the column representing Edgecomb County, North Carolina, with the name of Oliver Moore engraved on it. That event inspired Freeman Vines’ “Hanging Tree Guitars” project and the ensuing book and exhibition. 

Gabi at the Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, in a tintype photograph by Tim Duffy

10 a.m.

Little Lee and Gabi Mendick

Sitting in Little Lee’s living room, we listened to his CD and watched a DVD of him performing. He is a true bluesman. When Tim asked if he could take Little Lee’s picture, Lee said, “I already have a picture.” But Tim convinced him that another wouldn’t hurt, and took a few shots of Little Lee, who as always was clad in a cowboy hat. 

11:30 a.m.

From Little Lee’s, we headed off for Birmingham to meet a slew of unfamiliar artists. We knew nothing but their monikers: Earl “Guitar” Williams and Sugar Harp. I had no expectations whatsoever —  the best way to head into a new experience. 

2 p.m.

When we pulled up to a brick building with a sign that read “Music Makers Recording Studio,” I wondered if the past two days had been a dream. But no, it was just a very happy coincidence that adjacent to his beauty salon, musician and hair stylist Earl Williams has a professional recording studio called Music Makers. But it was into the salon we headed, not the studio, to set up and record a few songs. We were set for an exciting afternoon, with drummer Ardie Dean set to do the recording, and Roger Stephenson, the journalist, photographer, and booker who brought together this stellar crew.  

Earle Williams with his guitar, in his beauty salon

Earl said that the salon is his “cash cow,” but he’s an impressive musician, a one-man band, whose instrument choices include a cigar-box guitar. When harmonica player Charles Burroughs — aka Sugar Harp — began to play, it added a whole ’nother dimension to the music. And Sugar Harp’s own “down in the gutter, back alley, storytelling blues” kept me on my toes and kept me laughing.  

A little later singer Aretta Woodruff came by to join in on a few songs. She gave us a taste of her emceeing and a beautiful rendition of “At Last.” At 53, Aretta was the young’un of the group, and she spoke graciously about her mentors and those in the Birmingham music community who have guided and supported her, including Music Maker partner artist Elnora Spencer. 

7:30 p.m.

Sugar Harp

Speaking of Elnora, when we arrived at Francesca Mereu and Sergey Vasilyev’s house for dinner that evening, I was immediately drawn to a colorful painting on the wall, an Elnora original. Originally from Italy and Russia, respectively, Francesca and Sergey ended up in Birmingham for work and have become enmeshed in the blues scene. They host house concerts featuring local acts and Francesca writes for Il Blues, an Italian blues magazine. We were treated to a lovely meal, and afterward to a few more of Sugar Harp’s songs and stories, backed up by Tim on guitar and Ardie on drums. 

Thursday, May 13

9 a.m.

We headed out, eager to get back on the road and discover whether the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline would prevent us from making our way home. But we planned to make one last quick stop to meet visual artist Joe Minter and see his work. I would have loved to spend a week exploring Joe’s “studio,” but what I saw in just a couple of hours gave me plenty to absorb and reflect on. The space where Joe creates encompasses a huge lot of land next to his house and spills over into the yards of two other homes on the street that Joe owns. When first entering his expansive space you might think it is simply a collection of found objects, 30 years in the making. That itself would be a sight to see, but every brush stroke and every item carries a message. 

A Joe Minter artwork commemorating the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham in 1963

10:30 p.m.

When we arrived back in Hillsborough, I had lost track of time and all of my energy. Though I initially dreaded waking up and heading out at 5:30 a.m., I’m grateful we left so early because every very moment meeting artists, hearing music and stories, was endlessly inspiring. I can’t wait to get back to the towns we visited and to see all of these folks again.

For now, I have the photos, videos, and memories to look back on, but I also have future relationships with these artists to look forward to. Fred Thomas, Robert Lee Coleman, Sugar Harp, and Ardie Dean will be joining us for the Music Maker Revue at the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival in just a few months, we have plans to continue collaborating with Earl Williams at his studio in Birmingham, and I’m working on redesigning a CD for Little Lee. 

After being cooped up since March 2020, it is so clear that these road trips are at the very heart of what Music Maker does. They provide the fuel for the stories we tell and the music we share, and they keep our loving and talented family growing.