Carolina Chocolate Drops release music video!

Music Maker Receives NEA Grant! Music Maker has received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to present a music series in Chapel Hill! The Music Maker Roots and Leaves series will take place on Fridays, June 8th - 29th, on the Village Green in Southern Village. The shows will highlight a diverse array of local musical traditions, from Piedmont Blues to Native American. 6/8 - My South My Blues will feature John Dee Holeman, an NEA National Heritage Fellow, Captain Luke and Cool John Ferguson. 6/15 - Heart Strings will present Piedmont-style guitarist Boo Hanks, and country band Kelly and the Cowboys. 6/22 - Sisters of the South will include performances from powerhouse vocalist Essie Mae Brooks and Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen. 6/29 - Native Voices, our final show, will showcase the Pura Fé Trio alongside 15-year old guitar prodigy Lakota John Locklear. More info to come. Hope to see you there! Tom Ciaburri and crew shoot a scene for "Country Girl" by Tim Duffy Happy Birthday Lil' Joe! photo by Jimmy Williams Trombone player Lil' Joe Burton's birthday was last Friday, May 4th! Joe's nearly 50-year career began in the 1960's with the late, great Junior Wells. Joe has also toured with B.B. King, Bobby Womack, Joe Tex, Otis Clay and many others. He's even appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show, Soul Train, and more. He currently resides in Atlanta, G.A. and can be seen frequently playing shows with Mudcat. Happy Birthday Lil' Joe! Quick Links: Website Merch Music Carolina Chocolate Drops video for "Country Girl" is #1 on CMT.Com! Click to play video on CMT.com! Music Maker board members the Carolina Chocolate Drops filmed a video early this year for their single "Country Girl," and it's now #1 on CMT.com! The video was directed by Music Maker intern Tom Ciaburri, and includes many Music Maker artists and interns throughout. Watch closely for cameos from Captain Luke, Big Ron Hunter, and John Dee Holeman! Check out their awesome video here! Music Maker Blues Revue at Back Porch Music If you're in the Triangle area of N.C., don't miss this Friday night's Back Porch Music at the American Tobacco District! The Music Maker Blues Revue, including John Dee Holeman, Boo Hanks, Captain Luke, Cool John Ferguson, Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen, Ironing Board Sam, Bubba Norwood and Gerald Robinson, will be performing live - you can watch the show in person for free, or listen on 91.5 FM WUNC! For those of you not in N.C., Back Porch Music should be available at WUNC.org as well. The show will begin at 6pm. More info can be found here! Listen: Etta Baker - Marching Jaybird Diggin: Etta Baker's "Marching Jaybird" This week we've had birds on the brain, on account of a little red and blue bird knocking into the window behind Corinne's desk about every five minutes. We've tried putting objects in the window, taping swaths of fabric, standing by the window and waiving our hands. Feeling helpless, we turned our attention back to our work. With birds on our minds, we dug into the Music Maker catalog. We found countless songs whose melodies danced around the theme of birds. We especially liked this number "Marching Jaybird" performed by Etta Baker that appears on her Banjo release. Etta most certainly would have known what to do about this bird. --Aaron

Upcoming Shows: Click here for more info on upcoming events 5/11 - Music Maker Blues Revue - Back Porch Music, Durham, N.C. 5/11 - Ironing Board Sam - The Depot, Hillsborough, N.C. 5/12 - Cool John Ferguson and Captain Luke - Lake Eden Arts Festival, Black Mountain, N.C. 5/27 - Lakota John and Kin - Wake Arts Sundays in Spring, Wake Forest, N.C. 6/08 - The Branchettes and Bishop Dready Manning - The Music Academy of the South, Winston-Salem, N.C. 6/08 - Captain Luke, Cool John Ferguson, John Dee Holeman - Music Maker Roots and Leaves Series, Chapel Hill, N.C. 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.