The story of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, an organisation established in 1994 to help artists working in the blues, R&B, hillbilly, and other 'roots' forms of music, comes to life in this beautiful collection of essays, photographs, and lyrics. The artists, all of whom are 55 and over, were either abused or ignored by mainstream record labels and living in poverty until the foundation stepped in to help them with basic needs such as food, shelter, and medical care. The foundation also assists the musicians' careers by providing free studio recording time and local and national tour promotion. Featured are 75 musicians such as Beverly 'Guitar' Watkins, Cootie Stark, Mudcat, Macavine Hayes, and Drink Small. Their well-documented lives take all who look, read, and listen on a soulful ride through music festivals, beer halls, concert stages, church pulpits, back porches, and city sidewalks.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"A fabulous project--real evidence that the music I have always loved is alive and well." -- Eric Clapton
"A perfect complement to the exciting and promising resurgence in America’s roots music." -- Morgan Freeman
"It’s great to have this window on some under-appreciated bluesmen and women." -- Bonnie Raitt
"The Music Maker Relief Foundation preserves roots music and sustains the artists who create it. . . .a treasure." -- Utne Reader
"A perfect complement to the exciting and promising resurgence in America’s roots music." -- Morgan Freeman
"It’s great to have this window on some under-appreciated bluesmen and women." -- Bonnie Raitt
"The Music Maker Relief Foundation preserves roots music and sustains the artists who create it. . . .a treasure." -- Utne Reader
About the Author
Tim Duffy is a musician and cofounder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. He lives in Hillsborough, North Carolina.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this book describes blues in the making,
This review is from: Music Makers: Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America (Hardcover)
Real traditional blues (as opposed to guitar frenzied blues-rock) is very much alive and kicking, and that is the message of this book. Tim Duffy, co-founder of the non-profit "musicmaker foundation", describes the journeymen blues artists that his organisation helps to support, promote, record and arrange live dates for. These artists are a talented bunch who have invariably led the hard lives so often described by blues lyrics. Few of these people have managed to live the life of a professional musician, rather music for them has enabled them to supplement low incomes. Short sections of text are richly illustrated with photographs shot mostly by the editor himself, and describe with great passion the often rich and eventful lives of these struggling musicians. As a bonus, a number of the artists can be heard on the enclosed CD compilation. Although BB King provides the introduction, this book is never about the well known blues icons such as BB, but celebrates the unsung heroes who are still out there keeping the blues alive in communities all over america. This is a contemporary book of the blues like no other and is worth every penny. Regard this book as a doorway to the "musicmaker" experience, because musicmker shows are regularly organised up and down the country, as described on their website ...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By "rd111" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Music Makers: Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America (Hardcover)
A rich and deep portrait of the state of blues today. Highly recommended and the accompanying CD alone is worth the price.
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