How 5 Gallons of Kerosene Saved Willa Mae

Gift Yourself! Get a Free Record Club Membership! With the Holiday Season upon us, we're excited to offer Music Maker members the opportunity to spread the love and earn a special reward for encouraging friends to become Music Maker members! When your friends are making their gift through our online store, make sure they designate your name in the COMMENTS section of the order form. Once three new members designate that you referred them, receive either (1) FREE enrollment in our Givin' It Back Record Club or (1) Flash drive loaded with the past year's new releases, with our thanks! So, spread the word and gift yourself! We thank you so much for all your support! Listen:  Willa Mae Buckner-  Peter Rumpkin Meet our interns from abroad! Raphael and Simon came from Toulouse, France to intern with Music Maker for nine months; their university requires that students intern or study abroad in their third year, and when Simon found Music Maker on the Internet, he thought it would be a perfect fit. "The spirit and the music - the mission is very beautiful. We are not social guys, but if we can help in a way we like with musicians and music and the blues. " Since last month they have been working on digitizing the photo and audio archives, general office duties and starting and maintaining a French-language blog, which they hope to update at least once a day with their experiences, interesting tracks or photos they find and reflections on Blues music. Take a look here:  musicmaker.org/bleublancblues  Homebrew Hootenanny in Atlanta Supports Music Maker! We at Music Maker want to give a big thank-you to the organizers of the Homebrew Hootenanny, an Atlanta event that just wrapped up. Not only did they hire Music Maker artist Beverly "Guitar" Watkins to perform, they used the event to raise money for Music Maker's mission! According to Cullen "Slim" Brown, the event's coordinator, "This was the most successful Homebrew Hootenanny by far as we were able to directly support a local Music Maker artist AND the organization with one fundraiser. Miss Beverly Watkins KILLED it." We want to thank Cullen and everyone who made the event happen, including Chef Diana Presson, Henry Studdard, Malcolm Todd, Brewmaster Julian Travis, and Kyle Swick! The kerosene that saved Willa Mae (and her snakes) In the winter of 1995, I discovered how a simple gift can be the difference between life and death for our elderly artists. In that year, there was a terrible ice storm in Winston-Salem, NC and many parts of town were without electricity. The first day after the storm MM artist Willa Mae Buckner, who lived in an old drafty house, was struggling to keep herself and her two giant pythons alive with blankets. The news reported that there might be outages for some days yet, and I knew we had to do something for our artists.  I called my friend John Creech, an early supporter of Music Maker. Driving was very hazardous, so with John along one of us could push the car when we got stuck. We headed down to the hardware store and got Willa Mae and another artist, Mr. Q, kerosene heaters and 5 gallons of kerosene. When we arrived at Mr. Q's after some difficulty navigating the icy roads, we found he had been trying to drag an old wood stove into the house, and was happy to see we had brought him a safe source of heat. Willa Mae was also happy to see us, though she was more concerned about keeping her pet snakes warm.   That night the temperature dropped severely and power was still not restored. The next afternoon while checking on Willa Mae, I noticed an ambulance parked in front of her neighbor's house. Willa Mae was noticeably shaken, she told me the woman next door also had not heat and had frozen to death. The realization that the simple gift of a heater and kerosene might have saved Willa Mae's life gave me the inspiration to formally create Music Maker's Sustenance Program, to help artists in need, who often have nowhere else to turn. This Holiday Season, we are hoping to raise $25,000 in support of our Emergency Relief Fund, part of our Sustenance Program that steps in when artists have a sudden need, such as during a natural disaster. Please help us ensure elderly artists have what they need to live in safety and comfort this winter. -- Tim Duffy Albert White's Birthday Bash at the Northside Tavern! In Atlanta? Don't miss Albert White's Birthday Bash at the Northside Tavern this Saturday, December 1st! He's turning 70 and it's going to be a big party, with great performances from Albert of course. Go celebrate with Albert! For more info - northsidetavern.com. Shelton Powe at the Oyster Riot in DC Photo of the Week by Aaron Greenhood Keep up with Music Maker!    Support Music Maker, and help keep the music alive!     Upcoming Shows: Click here for more info on upcoming events  12/01 - Albert White - Northside Tavern, Atlanta, GA 12/05 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint, Atlanta, GA 12/07 - Shelton Powe - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, NC 12/09 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Blind Willie's, Atlanta, GA 12/14 - Ironing Board Sam - The Depot, Hillsborough, NC 12/15 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Northside Tavern, Atlanta, GA 12/27 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Steve's Live Music, Sandy Springs, GA 12/31 - Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Fatt Matt's Rib Shack, Atlanta, GA 1/04 - Boo Hanks - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, NC 1/13 - Ironing Board Sam - NC Museum of History, Raleigh, NC 2/01 - Ironing Board Sam - The Eddy Pub, Saxapahaw, NC   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.