Poem: Vines of Sound

Longtime Music Maker supporter David Lautenberger wrote a moving poem titled “Vines of Sound” inspired by his visit to Fountain, NC during our 30th anniversary celebration. As we reflect on Freeman Vines’ legacy, we wanted to share this beautiful tribute to the master luthier, the rest of the Vines family, and the enduring power of the search for the sound.

It was not a bus trip

of tourists to see the coastal plains

It was not a field trip

to see an old forgotten town

where history is re-enacted by paid actors

It was not a simple journey

It was a journey to a place

where strong fruitful vines grow deep

from the soil made dark and rich by the bodies and souls

of those who tilled it long ago

dead and lost but not forgotten

It was a search to find the soul of the music

It was a pilgrimage to experience the soul of the music

As it rises up

Carved out of ancient wood sanctified by blood

By an old one-eyed black man

Who can see the sound

Feel the sound

Hear the sound

Rising up from the sacred soil sanctified by blood

Know the spirits

Of those whose music and song echoed the pain of their existence

Long ago

Who can reach back and seize the sounds

Bring life up out of the soil

And out from the death trees

And breath new life sounds out of the past

And it lives

See

Listen

Feel the sound

carried forward

where it will flow and grow

to feed the next generations

Freeman Vines, the visionary artist and luthier behind Hanging Tree Guitars, passed away on Thursday, March 13, 2025 at age 82 from complications of multiple myeloma. His funeral will be held at noon on Saturday, March 22 at Hornes Funeral Home in Farmville, NC. The viewing begins at 11 AM.

Read our full statement celebrating his life at the link below.