Gail Ceasar
BluesFloating somewhere between bluegrass and the blues, the music of Gail Ceasar has roots that run deep into the Virginia soil.
Music Rooted Deep in the Oral Traditions of Virginia
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. Gail is a unique musician, flowing seamlessly between bluegrass and blues with incredible precision and feeling.
On one visit, Gail and Pete took us to see the old plantation where their enslaved ancestors worked. They showed us an immense stone wall carved into the mountains that had once been a part of the plantation house. They told us how their forefathers, talented stonemasons, had built that wall. Gail and her extended family live within a longstanding oral tradition that’s reflected in the stories they tell and in the music they play.
Gail plays her tunes with an exquisite tone—always deep and rich, no matter the song she’s playing.
Gail Ceasar was born on February 15, 1984.
Top photo by Tim Duffy.
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