Freight Train Blues: Charly Lowry and Thomas Rhyant
Location
Carrboro Town Commons 301 W. Main Street, Carrboro, NC
Date & Time
May 23, 2025 — May 23, 2025
6:30 pm — 8:30 pm EST
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Charly Lowry, a musical powerhouse from Pembroke, NC, is proud to be an Indigenous woman belonging to the Lumbee/Tuscarora Tribes. She is passionate about raising awareness around issues that plague underdeveloped and under-served communities. Since her teenage years, Charly has established a career as a professional singer-songwriter with unique passion and voice. In addition to performing solo, for 10+ years Charly has been the front-woman for the multi award-winning band, “DARK WATER RISING”.
Rhyant was raised on quartet gospel music. His father, an aspiring singer, was frustrated with the difficulties of trying to keep a group together. Eventually, he built one the organic way, fathering four sons who became a family gospel quartet known as The Rhyant Brothers. All four sons sang, but Thomas — the oldest and the one with a razor-sharp musical memory — was elected to be the guitarist.
Later, he became part of The Violinaires, the legendary group with whom Wilson Pickett cut his teeth before becoming an R&B superstar. Through The Violinaires, Rhyant met many of his musical heroes, and spent hours listening, soaking up the history of their lives and music.
These days, Rhyant uses music to tell the stories of those who came before him, allowing people to not only understand but emotionally connect with history.
Freight Train Blues 2025
The Town of Carrboro, N.C., proudly presents the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series of live concerts every Friday evening between May 16 and June 13, 2025 at the Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street. The series is a collaboration among Music Maker Foundation, the Town of Carrboro, WUNC 91.5 FM, and The Forests at Duke.
Bring your picnic, lawn chairs and blankets for a FREE evening of live music on the lawn. Public parking is available and free in downtown Carrboro.
Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series honors Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten’s legacy in the world of roots music by emphasizing the cultural diversity, complexity, and vitality of her music and the music of many other artists local to her community and all over the country.
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The Music Maker Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends on thousands of supporters. Together, we work to meet the day-to-day needs of the artists who create traditional American music, ensure their voices are heard, and give all people access to our nation’s hidden musical treasures. Please contribute or shop our store today.
