Raleigh students raise $900 for roots musicians

Music Maker Studios welcomed a number of distinguished guests last month during our second recording session: Albert White, Fred Thomas, Jimbo Mathus, Freeman Vines – and three young roots music enthusiasts from Raleigh Charter High School (RCHS).

Sarah Z., Mia D., and Faith O. visited our new studio in Fountain, NC on behalf of Sustaining Roots Music Project (SOOTS), a student group at RCHS that works to preserve North Carolina’s musical heritage. Inspired by the Music Maker model, history teacher Charles Montague and 15 RCHS students founded SOOTS in 2006 as a school citizenship project. Tim Duffy and bluesman John Dee Holeman played for one of the group’s early benefit concerts in 2007 – and nearly 20 years later, SOOTS continues to raise money and awareness for Music Maker!

This academic year, the students of SOOTS raised a whopping $900 for Music Maker through their annual Cake Bake, Fat Tuesday Film & Music Festival, and other fundraisers. We were honored to welcome them to our new recording studio so they could meet the artists they’ve worked hard to support.

Soon after their visit, we received a heartwarming letter sharing the highlights of their trip to Fountain. We’ll let them tell their story in their own words.

Dear Tim and Denise Duffy,

On behalf of all of us with Sustaining Roots Music, we would like to say thank you. The generosity you both demonstrated through opening your doors today to a couple of curious high school students was tremendous. All three of us were smiling ear to ear listening to the live recording session by that talented group of background singers and the producing team. You both were so accommodating and kind to us, a group of strangers, which says so much about your personalities and righteous work.

While we were driving back from Fountain to our school near downtown Raleigh, Mr. Montague asked the three of us to say a little bit about our favorite parts of the trip. Naturally, the recording session was gushed over for a few good minutes. It was simply a spectacular sight to see these singers bring new life into those songs which had such a beautiful classic roots rhythm. But we were also recalling the smaller things, like the moment shared in the kitchen at the back. We asked questions and y’all truly delivered. That moment felt sacred in many ways; it was honest and open, powerful yet lighthearted. We remembered seeing Freeman Vines’ hand carved guitars hung up in the entrance to the recording studio in awe of the jaw-dropping resonance and numerous guitars in his collection. We also recalled enjoying the short period of time we saw Freeman Vines’ studio next door. Jimbo Mathus said that Freeman’s clutter represented an artist at work and his authentic personality, and we think so too.

Another thing we did to try and hold on to our memories of those two short hours was write down things we learned in our notes. We learned about Freeman Vines as a contemporary artist and philosopher, about his honorable tradition of carving wood to create guitars from scratch in his own creative process in the lifelong search for one singular dream-like sound. We learned about his ancestors and their longtime roots in the area, passing down their cultural music through generations. There were also teachings of authentic history in the town’s remembrance of the lynching that occurred in 1930. Thank you both for starting the conversation in Fountain on that difficult subject matter. We had the privilege to meet several roots musicians like Fred Thomas, Jimbo Mathus, and Albert White. We were also taught about legends like James Brown and Lonnie Holley. With all these new names and faces, we look forward to all the listening we’ll be doing his summer!

SOOTS hopes to keep in touch with you both as our longtime friends. We thank you again for your righteous work in this community and your willingness to share it with us.

Sincerely,

Sarah, Mia, & Faith

For 30 years, Music Maker has worked hard to keep American musical traditions alive so that future generations – young music lovers and budding folklorists like Sarah, Mia, and Faith – can continue to enjoy our shared heritage. We’re so proud of these students for putting their passion for roots music into action.

Thank you, SOOTS, for supporting our artists! We can’t wait to welcome you back to Music Maker Studios.

To learn more about SOOTS and support their 2024-25 fundraising projects, visit www.sootsblues.org.