Music Makers celebrate Black History Month

Music Makers play The Eddy Pub for Black History Month MMRF and The Eddy Pub, in Saxapahaw, N.C., are celebrating Black History Month by presenting four Music Maker artist performances in February! Boo Hanks will play this Friday, February 3rd, to kick off the month. Ironing Board Sam, Shelton Powe and Big Ron Hunter will perform in the weeks following, each Friday starting at 8pm. The Eddy Pub will accompany the performances with menus featuring regional cuisine. From the food to the music, these shows will truly immerse the audience in the musical traditions of North Carolina. It's not to be missed! 2/3: Boo Hanks 2/10: Ironing Board Sam 2/17: Shelton Powe 2/24: Big Ron Hunter The series will take place on Fridays in February at The Eddy Pub, 1715 Saxapahaw-Bethlehem Church Road. Music will start at 8pm. More info at theeddypub.com. Listen: Drink Small - Livin' In a BBQ World PineCone presents MMRF Advisory Board member Taj Mahal in NC! The Taj Mahal Trio will close out PineCone's 2011-12 Down Home Concert Series in Raleigh on February 18th! For more than 40 years, Taj Mahal has been playing and exploring music from around the world. The composer, multi-instrumentalist, and two-time Grammy winner is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. With 50 albums to his credit, Taj's Photo by Jay Blakesburg repertoire spans nearly a generation of music history, and his musical range has included American blues and music representing virtually every corner of the world. Taj has been a major supporter of Music Maker, performing and recording with Music Maker artists and offering his help whenever he can. PineCone is honored to present the Taj Mahal Trio. Make plans now to hear this legendary blues musician right here in Raleigh! More details at pinecone.org. Quick Links: Website Merch Music Winner of Blues Cruise Raffle announced! The winner of the passage for two on Blues Cruise #19 is John Shelton! Shelton was aboard the Blues Cruise #18 when his ticket was drawn by musician Bettye LaVette, and was very excited at the news! Thank you to everyone who supported the Blues Cruise Raffle this year, we so appreciate your support. Stay tuned for next year's raffle! Diggin: Drink Small's "Livin' In a BBQ World" This is a brand new track that Tim brought back to the office from his visit with Drink Small in Columbia, SC. Drink is losing his eyesight, but getting along without disability or medicare; as Tim says "he's living off the grid." Drink enjoyed meeting Shelton Powe, who went down to SC with Tim. While they were there Drink told them about this new song he had written to pull everyone into the blues. He wrote a song about BBQ, because everyone loves BBQ, so everyone can relate to it. BBQ is bait, "because you gotta use bait when you're fishin' don't you?," to get people listening to the blues. We know when we listened to it, it made us smile AND hungry! Check out this exclusive track and remember, we're living in a BBQ world! Drink Small's birthday was last week, if you'd like to send him birthday wishes or contact him to buy the BBQ World Single, you can reach him at this address: 2926 Truman St., Columbia, SC 29204 -- Aaron & Corinne Photo of the Week Drink Small by Tim Duffy

Upcoming Shows: Click here for more info on upcoming events 2/03 - Ironing Board Sam - The Blue Note Grill, Durham, N.C. 2/03 - Boo Hanks - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, N.C. 2/10 - Ironing Board Sam - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, N.C. 2/12 - Boo Hanks - PineCone presents Music of the Carolinas 2/17 - Shelton Powe - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, N.C. 2/21 - Ironing Board Sam - SOOTS Fat Tuesday Film & Music Festival 2/24 - Big Ron Hunter - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, N.C. 3/09 - Pura Fé, Deer Clan Singers - UNC Pembroke 3/10 - Shelton Powe - St. Anne's Chapel & Event Center, Tarboro, N.C. 3/23 - Leyla McCalla - Carrboro Arts Center 4/13 - SOOTS 6th Annual Blues Review featuring Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes 4/14 - Big Ron Hunter - North Dakota Museum of Art 4/27 - Guitar Lightnin' Lee, Leyla McCalla - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/28 - Carolina Chocolate Drops - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 4/29 - Ironing Board Sam - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. helps the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day to day needs. We present these musical traditions to the world so American culture will flourish and be preserved for future generations.