Recent News
Built for the Blues - Groundbreaking
Music Maker musician Ron Hunter sings about his appreciation with banjo player Bruce Burgess, while bulldozers begin work on the house in the background.
Captain Luke Thanks you!
News Archive
Jessie Mae Hemphill Headstone Dedication Ceremony
On July 30 a headstone will be dedicated at the grave of blues and gospel artist Jessie Mae Hemphill, who died on July 22, 2006, and was buried a week later on July 30.
Hemphill, who was born October 18, 1923, was best known as a blues guitarist, songwriter and vocalist, and in this capacity toured widely in Europe and won several W.C. Handy Awards for her recordings. For many years she also performed as drummer in fife and drum bands, a long-established musical tradition in her native north Mississippi. Her grandfather was Sid Hemphill, a multi-instrumentalist who was recorded by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress.The dedication ceremony will take place beginning at 4:45 pm at the Senatobia Memorial Cemetery, which is located on Highway 51 South in Senatobia. Reverend John Wilkins, the son of early blues and gospel recording artist Robert Wilkins, will lead a prayer service, after which attendees are invited to join in a group performance of Hemphill?s "Lord Help the Poor and Needy."
The tombstone was donated in part by the Rodgers Funeral Home in Coldwater, Mississippi, with additional expenses provided by funds raised for funeral expenses following Hemphill?s death."By erecting this tombstone we wanted to publicly memorialize the important contributions to north Mississippi blues traditions made by Jessie Mae,? says Olga Wilhelmine Mathus, who founded the Jessie Mae Hemphill Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of north Mississippi music. ?Her music was timeless, and we wanted to ensure that people can discover and learn about her music and the musical traditions of her family for generations to come."
Adolphus Bell and Pura Fe's trip to Argentia was a great sucess! See where they traveled below:
Jimmy Williams Photography: Music Makers Series
Jimmy Williams, one of the nation's foremost commercial and fine art photographers, is actively working on a portrait series to visually capture the sounds and souls of Music Makers who perform and preserve Southern musical traditions.
Williams, who lives and works in Raleigh, NC, is thrilled to partner with the Music Maker Relief Foundation to help promote the artists in their commercial endeavors. He appreciates "the talented performers as pioneers and heroes - they are the real people who pursue their passions and never look back. They should be remembered and supported for their contributions."
Visit his website5th Annual Taj Mahal Fishin' Blues Tournament Results
Congratulations to the winners of the 5th Annual Taj Mahal Fishin' Blues Tournament! MMRF hosted 22 anglers at The Zancudo Lodge in Playa Zancudo, Costa Rica. There were 88 sailfish caught and released in 3 days of superb fishing that also featured catches of dorado, rooster fish, and yellow fin tuna. The big winners were:
Biggest Fish - Steve Sweitzer of Columbia, MO with the largest sailfish of the week
Most Sailfish - David White of Houston, TX who pulled in 14 sailfish
The Sportsmanship Award went to Charlie Adams of Greenville, NC for his unbridled enthusiasm for the tournament and for hauling in 11 Sailfish and a very tasty dorado.
A special Lifetime Achievement Award was given to fisherman Willy Suter of Manassas, VA to honor his 5 years of competition in the Tournament.
Our deepest appreciation to the competitors in the 5th Annual Taj Mahal Fishin' Blues Tournament!
A special thank you to David and Charlie for their generous donations to MMRF.
Hats off to Taj Mahal for bringing us together once again! We would also like to thank MMRF board members Mudcat, Henry Slyker, Blane Wright, and Bill Puckett and fisherman Alan Mayfield for their hard work and support of the event. Mike Narduli of Patchogue, NY had to join us late and caught 5 sailfish and a 220 lb. black Marlin the day after the competition!
The concert on the 8th featured Mudcat, Adolphus Bell, Tres Amigos, and the Taj Mahal Trio was attended by over 900 enthusiastic fans!
Many thanks to hosts Greg Mufson and Mike Gibson and their staff (especially Eber & Estoban) for taking such good care of us and to all the residents of Playa Zancudo for sharing their slice of paradise with Music Maker!
Click here to see photos
We are already making plans for the 6th Annual Taj Mahal Fishin' Blues Tournament February 10th -16th, 2008! Contact fishin@musicmaker.org for more info.
Buddy, can you spare a guitar?
Here's an opportunity to help the Music Maker Relief Foundation, gain some space in the closet and even earn a tax credit, all at the same time. Music Maker Relief Foundation is teaming up with Auction Now an Ebay drop off store in Durham, to create what we hope is a successful fundraiser that doesn't ask for money.
Do you have some musical instruments you'd be willing to contribute? If so, contact Auction Now! at (919) 416-1400
Or maybe you want to keep your old guitar, but have Aunt Mildred's doll collection you'd like to serve a good purpose. Or old toys, old tools, old coins, electronics, or anything else that might sell well on Ebay, which is almost everything. Auction Now! will accept your donation on our behalf, auction the item, deliver a check to Music Maker, and the paper work for the tax benefit to you. We're delighted by this opportunity and hope you will participate!
Call Auction Now! (919) 416-1400 or email them - auctionnow@verizon.net
Alabama Slim Tour
Alabama Slim is touring France, and people are loving him! Make sure check out his new release with Little Freddie King, The Mighty Flood
Etta Baker Passes On
Etta Baker, legendary Piedmont blues woman and an inspiration to generations of guitar players, passed away Saturday at the age of 93. Funeral arrangements for Baker will be held at COMMA (City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium) in Morganton, NC at 3pm on Sunday October 1st. All flowers should be delivered to Kirksey Funeral Home, 406 Lenoir Rd, Morganton, 28655. Music Maker can accept all donations people would like to make to Etta's family. Checks can be made to Etta Baker, and mailed to our offices (4052 Summer Lane, Hillsborough, NC 27278) and we will send them on to the family.
Etta has 3 CDs out on the Music Maker Label, Railroad Bill, Etta Baker with Cora Phillips, a recording with her sister, entitled Carolina Breakdown and Etta Baker with Taj Mahal. Read More on this amazing woman.
Music Maker in Rolling Stone Latino America
We are very excited about our upcoming tour in Argentina with Captain Luke and Beverly "Guitar" Watkins. Rolling Stones Latino America has featured them in a recent edition.
Guitar donated by Adam Hunt of Berkeley, CA
We wish to thank Adam Hunt of Berkeley, CA for donating a beautiful Gibson Les Paul guitar to MMRF. John Dee Holeman used to have one many years ago and was thrilled to have such a great instrument again. He sat and played it for nearly two hours and exclaimed that, "I have not played that much guitar since our show in July at the Warehouse Blues!" It is a great thing to help artists such as John Dee get excited about their music with a wonderful instrument.
Carolina Chocolate Drops added to the Artist Roster
On October 1st they will be throwing a CD release party at the Pour House in Raleigh, NC. Find more info here.
Silent Strings - Elder James Goins and Jesse Mae Hemphill
Elder James Goins
We are saddened to say Elder James Goins has passed on. He was an incredible singer, and would often perform with his wife of over 60 years, Mother Pauline. His services will be held August 1, at 4pm at Gibson Funeral Home, 325 S Garden St, Winnsboro, 29180.
Jesse Mae Hemphill
It is with a heavy heart we pass on that Jesse Mae Hemphill has passed on. She will always be remembered as a great blues singer, guitarist and songwriter who released numerous albums and traveled the world.
Putumayo World Music release Blues Around the World
Many thanks to Putumayo World Music for their new release of Blues around the World. From Buenos Aires to Barcelona, Mississippi to Mauritania, this CD demonstrates the influence of the blues on musicians from every corner of the earth. A portion of Putumayo's proceeds from the sale of this CD will be donated to Music Maker Relief Foundation, in support of their efforts to help the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern musical traditions.
Cartoon Show
download the postcard
There's a great Art Show featuring the art of Gary Dumm going on at the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, 1834 East 123rd Street Cleveland, Ohio (216)721-9020. Gary supplies Music Maker with the great cartoons featured on our quarterly printed newsletter. The opening reception (open to the public) Sept. 8, 2006 from 5 - 9 pm and the show runs from 9/8/06 - 10/6/06 regular gallery hours: Wed thru Fri. 10am - 4pm Sat. 12 - 4pm. Macavine Hayes and Cora Mae Bryant's comics will be showcased along with his other art. Be sure to check this out!
Music Maker on MySpace
Visit the Music Maker Myspace account and see exclusive video clips of Etta Baker and Captain Luke playing with Cool John, as well as additional photos. Add us as your friend if you have an existing myspace account.
Win a fishin trip with Taj Mahal
Now is your chance to be one in 120 people entered to win 2 tickets to this year's Taj Mahal Fishin' Blues Tournament. Click Here to learn more about this annual event, now in its 5th year!
Give to Music Maker - One Search at a Time
Check out www.goodsearch.com a new search engine powered by Yahoo! that donates about 1 cent per internet search to the charity of your choice. Simply select Music Maker as your charity and each time you search the web you'll be making a donation to MMRF! As GoodSearch says, "The pennies add up quickly ... A charity with 1000 supporters searching the internet just twice a day can earn more than $7000 each year."
Blues Autour du Zinc
Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Albert White, Eddie Tigner, Adolphus Bell, Macavine Hayes, Pura Fe, Ardie Dean, Sol and Tim Duffy traveled to Beauvais France to play the Blues sur le zinc Festival. This was an incredible night! We wish to thank the festival organizers Macimbe Laurent, David Isaac For the hospitality. Adolphus Bell, Macavine Hayes and Little Freddie King performed at the Teatro Académico Gil Vicente in Coimbra, Portugal.
Adolphus Bell, Macavine Hayes and the Little Freddie King Band performed at the Teatro Académico Gil Vicente festival in Coimbra, Portugal days before the event. We wish to thank Paulo and Teresa for their wonderful hospitality. The theatre was incredible and the stage lighting was amazing! The audience was on their feet for all the performers.
High praises go to Dixie Frog Records. This CD has been heralded as a huge event in France and has garnished press in this countries top magazines and newspapers. While we were there we performed live on the top radio stations of France and Europe. We we thrilled to be joined by Poppa Chubby our old friend on one of these shows.
This was the first trip for Macavine Hayes to Europe and he had a great time and looks forward to his trip to Australia in April and back to France in May and July.
From the Gallery
Featured Album
Various Artists: Drink House Blues, Vol. 1
- John Dee Holeman
John Henry - Captain Luke
Careless Love