Music Maker Foundation: Celebrating 30 Years

Featuring Taj Mahal, Dom Flemons, and Jackson Browne

Presented by Duke Arts

We kick off big with a concert presented in partnership with Duke Arts. This concert opens with Music Maker next generation stars Faith & Harmony, Gail Ceasar, Lakota John Locklear, Martha Spencer, Dom Flemons. Taj Mahal and Jackson Browne will close the evening with a tribute to the roots of American music.

VIP EXCLUSIVE* ARTIST AFTER PARTY featuring Terry “Harmonica” Bean

Originating on back porches and around kitchen tables, church halls, and barrooms,  roots music comes from the common working folk and reflects the complex and diverse cultural tapestry of the American nation. 

When Music Maker Founder Tim Duffy met Taj Mahal in a recording Studio in Los Angeles in 1995, Taj had already been seeking out the best in American roots music for 30 years. Mahal jumped on board immediately and they became fast friends. Soon after, Taj began visiting Music Maker headquarters in North Carolina to record with seasoned artists like Etta Baker, John Dee Holeman, and Cootie Stark. Tim and Taj took the show on the road, touring more than 40 American cities in a Blues Revival Tour. Taj has served on the Foundation’s boards ever since as an artist advocate. 

Jackson Browne first encountered the Music Maker Blues Revue in 2006 on tour in Byron Bay, Australia. Intrigued by the authenticity of gut-bucket blues artist Macavine Hayes, as well as Music Maker’s recordings of John Lee Zeigler, he soon became a member of the organization’s Advisory Board. 

On October 10, these artists come together with Music Maker’s Next Generation artists, the cultural children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of the first roots musicians the organization served when it launched in 1994. These young artists are bringing these traditions forward into a new millennium. Guided by esteemed practitioners Taj Mahal, Dom Flemons, and Jackson Browne, we present a mosaic of American roots music’s enduring evolution.

About the artists

Taj Mahal

One of the greatest ethnomusicologists, Taj Mahal travels the world and explains and elucidates what he learns — through his music, live on stage. From Hawaii to India, Taj Mahal Carries the Blues TorchNo other musician in the world is like Taj Mahal. He grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts, in a musical family. But when Taj saw Mississippi John Hurt at the Newport Folk Festival, it spurred in his soul a deep interest in the music of his ancestors. His lifelong pursuit of that ancestral music keeps being incorporated into his own music, which is always, in one way or another, anchored in the blues.

Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2007. His debut album came out on David Geffen’s Asylum Records in 1972. Since then, he has released fourteen studio albums, four collections of live performances, two “best of” compilations, two DVDs and several single recordings. Jackson’s new studio album, “Downhill From Everywhere” is set for worldwide release on July 23, 2021. Browne is known for his advocacy on behalf of the environment, human rights, and arts education. He’s a co-founder of the groups Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) and Nukefree.org and a member of the Ocean advocacy group, Ocean Elders.

Dom Flemons

The American Songster. He first came to public attention as a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, but this multi-instrumentalist has  evolved into a walking encyclopedia of American music. Since he first came to public attention as a founding member of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom Flemons has built a repertoire that covers over a full century of American music, making a reputation for himself as “The American Songster.” He is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor, music scholar, and historian. He is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife, and rhythm bones.

Lakota John

Lakota John is a living representation of the musical cultures of southeastern North Carolina. He is a member of the Lumbee Tribe who combines the blues with the indigenous music of his ancestors. Intrigued by the sound of the slide guitar, by 10 he had bought himself a glass slide, placed it on his pinky finger and has been sliding ever since. Today, Mama Tonya, Papa John and Sister Layla join him to form a proud Lumbee Nation family of talented musicians.

Martha Spencer 

Martha Spencer is a singer-songwriter, mountain musician and dancer from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She grew up in the musical Spencer family and learned to play several instruments (guitar, fiddle, banjo, bass, dulcimer, mandolin) and flatfoot/clog at a young age. She performs and has recorded with various groups and has been involved with several roots music projects. She has played shows, festivals and led workshops across the US, Australia, UK, Canada, and Europe. 

Gail Ceasar

The roots of Gail Ceasar’s’ music run deep into the Virginia soil. After Music Maker met and began working with the great blues guitarist Boo Hanks in Virginia, we began doing more fieldwork in that state and soon met a blues player from Pittsylvania County named Pete Witcher. We returned several times to record Pete, and every time we visited, Pete made a point of taking us to see his niece Gail Ceasar. He was so proud of her guitar playing. She plays with incredible precision.

Faith & Harmony

Faith and Harmony is a family group—two sets of three sisters who are first cousins. They grew up singing together in Greenville, NC. Member Christy Moody recalls singing in the church choir when she was scarcely bigger than a toddler. “I was so short,” she says, “they would take and put me on the chair so people could see me.” Like their great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents before them, harmony and song have been part of the very essence of their existence. When they officially formed the group in 2012, they solidified their commitment to carrying on the family’s musical legacy. “You know how they pass the baton in a marathon?” asks member KeAmber Daniels, “Now it’s our turn to carry it as far as we can. Until hopefully we’ll be able to leave a legacy for our kids. And the future generations to come.”

Terry “Harmonica” Bean

Bean is a renowned blues artist hailing from Pontotoc, Mississippi. Born with an innate musical talent, Bean discovered his love for the blues at a young age and has since become a master of the harmonica. With his soulful playing style and distinctive voice, Bean’s performances are a mesmerizing blend of electric blues and personal storytelling.

Born and raised in Pontotoc as one of 24 siblings, Terry has a deep connection with his local heritage and stewards the land his father left him. As a teenager, Bean was a baseball allstar set to join the pros, when a serious motorcycle accident left him injured and unable to play at the age of 20. He refocused his talent on the blues, and delved into the local music scene outside of his hours working at the local furniture factory.

TICKETING

You must purchase tickets directly through Duke Arts for this event.

NOTES

The only way to access the VIP Artists’ After Party is with the purchase of VIP Weekend Package tickets in addition to your Duke Arts seats for this event.