Of late, the Music Maker Relief Foundation’s twentieth anniversary has
earned press in the New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, The Nation,
Wondering Sound, and more. But musicians are also praising the
non-profit organization and record label. Here’s what some of roots
music’s leading lights have said:
“We are the Music Makers [the book] highlights an essential part of our
culture, providing us a glimpse into the lives of the amazing, and often
little known, musicians of the American South. Tim Duffy has taken
every opportunity to sustain a dimension of Blues culture that could
easily be lost forever, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his
new book.” –BB King
Clapton said, "Music Maker is a fabulous project, real evidence that the
music I have always loved is alive and well." –Eric Clapton
“I think they’re doing wonderful work and I support them for keeping not
only interest in the blues alive but the musicians themselves... The
photographs in this book are not only beautiful, but reflect the deep
love and dedication The Duffys have for both preserving traditional
Blues culture and providing real support and opportunity for these
wonderful musicians who might otherwise be forgotten.” –Bonnie Raitt
“Some of the best blues comes from unlikely places. Thanks to Music Maker for seeking out the real blues artists.” –Derek Trucks
“Having worked extensively with The Music Maker Relief Foundation, I can
say without a doubt, it is one of the most amazing organizations I have
dealt with. Tim's and Denise's dedication to preserving the quality of
life and the music of these essential and historic musicians is
unsurpassed. Congratulations on 20 years!” –Kenny Wayne Shepherd
"Through the efforts of the Music Makers Relief Foundation, these
amazing people and artists have been able to live dignified lives. In
many cases they were rediscovered during their golden years by Tim and
Denise Duffy, then given the joy of new recognition by their families,
peers and fans world-over!" –Taj Mahal
“I have never seen photographs generate so much of the atmosphere and
personalities of blues music.” –John Cohen, The New Lost City Ramblers
Next up is "We Are The Music Makers," a new book out next week on Nautilus Press; ‘We Are the Music Makers,’ a 2CD set out September 30; and the Homecoming October 3-4 in North Carolina, featuring over 40 musicians performing in concert.
Showing posts with label bb king. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bb king. Show all posts
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
LESSONS FROM EARLY MENTORS LIKE BIG WALTER HORTON, OTIS RUSH, ROOSEVELT SYKES, ETC. TO PLAY WITH DEEP FEELING STICK WITH SUGAR RAY AND THE BLUETONES
“THAT’S THE WAY HARMONICA IS SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED”
-MUDDY WATERS
"SUGAR RAY HAS GREAT TONE AND GREAT PHRASING, SINGING AND PLAYING THE HARP. ONE OF MY FAVORITES!"
-CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES’ NEW ALBUM ‘LIVING TEAR TO TEAR’ OUT NOW ON SEVERN RECORDS TO RAVES FROM GUITAR WORLD, ELMORE
Three-time GRAMMY nominee Sugar Ray Norcia still draws on lessons he learned from playing with Muddy Waters, Otis Rush (who turned 80 this year), Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rogers, Big Walter Horton, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Mama Thornton and others in the 1970s and ‘80s, most of all to play with deep feeling. The leader of Sugar Ray & The Bluetones says, “We were in awe of them! Sometimes there’s a myth about old blues guys that they’re gun toting and gruff. But they were open with their ideas and had no prejudices. They could hear our love of the music immediately and feel our soul. They accepted us.”
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones have played shows with B.B. King. “He treats everyone with dignity. That’s always rubbed off on me,” says Norcia. “I sat in with Muddy Waters one time and he told me, ‘Son, now that’s the way the harpmonica is supposed to be played.’” (Ray confirms that he used the word “harpmonica.”)
Backing Roosevelt Sykes led directly to the band having the assurance to go into the studio for the first time in 1979 after the gigs led to Baron Records signing the band, making 2014 the 35th anniversary since that vinyl EP. “We backed Roosevelt Sykes at the Speakeasy [in Cambridge] before we ever made a recording. He said, ‘You fellows sound so good. You ought to capture that great sound in a recording studio.’”
The band toured extensively with harmonica great Big Walter Horton and Norcia remembers him fondly, “I learned so much from him, the way he handled himself on stage as well as the tonal qualities of the harp. Walter just stood up there and addressed the audience directly. It doesn’t take theatrics all the time; it takes deep inner feeling. Walter carried his harmonicas in a drawstring sack. He’d coil the cord after every show and carefully put it in his sack with his harps. We’d go to Ronnie Earl’s apartment and Walter would sleep on the floor, just unfurl the old mattress.”
Far less unassuming was slide master J.B. Hutto, who played in a flashy suit and used a 100 foot guitar cord to wander into the audience while the Bluetones backed him.
Bassist Mudcat Ward says he learned early from the masters “how to play with a drummer, how to make a pocket, make a groove,” continuing, “It was exciting to us.” He recalls the early Bluetones – the same lineup as now with one exception: Monster Mike Welch plays guitar in a spot once held by Ronnie Earl – as a band that took learning the craft seriously, saying, “The blues is serious as a heart attack. We always gravitated to the deep stuff, the lowdown stuff. If someone put on a tape or record of Robert Johnson, say, at an after-gig get-together or in the van, we'd shut up, just stop talking and things would get quiet. Why? Because we'd be listening. This was serious stuff to us."
Pianist Anthony Geraci says, “One time when we were backing the great Memphis Slim, we played a few numbers and then we called him up to do his show. He placed his arm on my shoulder and said ‘you play, I’ll sing.’ That was a thrill.”
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones’ new album ‘Living Tear To Tear’ (Severn Records) came out last month. Damian Fanelli writes, “The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from Chicago blues masters.” Elmore Magazine said, "(Sugar Ray Norcia's) voice is soulfully engaging, in sync with Welch's guitar and his own masterful harmonica playing." Twangville called it “a gem,” saying, “The album is a pleasure to hear.”
Norcia strives to return the favor to his early mentors. When Big Walter Horton’s family didn’t have the money for a tombstone for the master musician, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones played several benefit concerts to raise the money. “I have his amplifier and his microphone. That’s pretty special.”
He encourages young blues musicians to explore its roots and give the music space to breathe, saying, “Slow down, take a minute, think about it, play it with more feeling.”
-MUDDY WATERS
"SUGAR RAY HAS GREAT TONE AND GREAT PHRASING, SINGING AND PLAYING THE HARP. ONE OF MY FAVORITES!"
-CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE
SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES’ NEW ALBUM ‘LIVING TEAR TO TEAR’ OUT NOW ON SEVERN RECORDS TO RAVES FROM GUITAR WORLD, ELMORE
Three-time GRAMMY nominee Sugar Ray Norcia still draws on lessons he learned from playing with Muddy Waters, Otis Rush (who turned 80 this year), Hubert Sumlin, Jimmy Rogers, Big Walter Horton, Roosevelt Sykes, Big Mama Thornton and others in the 1970s and ‘80s, most of all to play with deep feeling. The leader of Sugar Ray & The Bluetones says, “We were in awe of them! Sometimes there’s a myth about old blues guys that they’re gun toting and gruff. But they were open with their ideas and had no prejudices. They could hear our love of the music immediately and feel our soul. They accepted us.”
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones have played shows with B.B. King. “He treats everyone with dignity. That’s always rubbed off on me,” says Norcia. “I sat in with Muddy Waters one time and he told me, ‘Son, now that’s the way the harpmonica is supposed to be played.’” (Ray confirms that he used the word “harpmonica.”)
Backing Roosevelt Sykes led directly to the band having the assurance to go into the studio for the first time in 1979 after the gigs led to Baron Records signing the band, making 2014 the 35th anniversary since that vinyl EP. “We backed Roosevelt Sykes at the Speakeasy [in Cambridge] before we ever made a recording. He said, ‘You fellows sound so good. You ought to capture that great sound in a recording studio.’”
The band toured extensively with harmonica great Big Walter Horton and Norcia remembers him fondly, “I learned so much from him, the way he handled himself on stage as well as the tonal qualities of the harp. Walter just stood up there and addressed the audience directly. It doesn’t take theatrics all the time; it takes deep inner feeling. Walter carried his harmonicas in a drawstring sack. He’d coil the cord after every show and carefully put it in his sack with his harps. We’d go to Ronnie Earl’s apartment and Walter would sleep on the floor, just unfurl the old mattress.”
Far less unassuming was slide master J.B. Hutto, who played in a flashy suit and used a 100 foot guitar cord to wander into the audience while the Bluetones backed him.
Bassist Mudcat Ward says he learned early from the masters “how to play with a drummer, how to make a pocket, make a groove,” continuing, “It was exciting to us.” He recalls the early Bluetones – the same lineup as now with one exception: Monster Mike Welch plays guitar in a spot once held by Ronnie Earl – as a band that took learning the craft seriously, saying, “The blues is serious as a heart attack. We always gravitated to the deep stuff, the lowdown stuff. If someone put on a tape or record of Robert Johnson, say, at an after-gig get-together or in the van, we'd shut up, just stop talking and things would get quiet. Why? Because we'd be listening. This was serious stuff to us."
Pianist Anthony Geraci says, “One time when we were backing the great Memphis Slim, we played a few numbers and then we called him up to do his show. He placed his arm on my shoulder and said ‘you play, I’ll sing.’ That was a thrill.”
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones’ new album ‘Living Tear To Tear’ (Severn Records) came out last month. Damian Fanelli writes, “The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from Chicago blues masters.” Elmore Magazine said, "(Sugar Ray Norcia's) voice is soulfully engaging, in sync with Welch's guitar and his own masterful harmonica playing." Twangville called it “a gem,” saying, “The album is a pleasure to hear.”
Norcia strives to return the favor to his early mentors. When Big Walter Horton’s family didn’t have the money for a tombstone for the master musician, Sugar Ray & The Bluetones played several benefit concerts to raise the money. “I have his amplifier and his microphone. That’s pretty special.”
He encourages young blues musicians to explore its roots and give the music space to breathe, saying, “Slow down, take a minute, think about it, play it with more feeling.”
Thursday, May 22, 2014
NAUTILUS PRESS CONFIRMS SEPT 15 RELEASE OF “WE ARE THE MUSIC MAKERS” HARDCOVER BOOK WITH PHOTOGRAPHS AND STORIES BY TIMOTHY AND DENISE DUFFY
ROLLING STONE AND ERIC CLAPTON HIGHLIGHT SOUTHERN MUSICAL CULTURE NON-PROFIT’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY: http://rol.st/1k0MQ0k
Nautilus Press has confirmed a September 15 release date for the book “We Are The Music Makers: Preserving The Soul Of America’s Music.” Written by Timothy and Denise Duffy, the book features over 65 photographs taken by Tim Duffy over twenty years along with the stories and songs. Tim Duffy's previous book “Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America” was released in 2002 and sold 15,000 copies.
In related news, Rolling Stone recently highlighted the Foundation’s twentieth anniversary by posting an acoustic blues song by Duffy with Eric Clapton. Clapton said, "Music Maker is a fabulous project, real evidence that the music I have always loved is alive and well."
Of the book, B.B. King said, “We are the Music Makers highlights an essential part of our culture, providing us a glimpse into the lives of the amazing, and often little known, musicians of the American South. Tim Duffy has taken every opportunity to sustain a dimension of Blues culture that could easily be lost forever, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his new book.”
Bonnie Raitt added, “The photographs in this book are not only beautiful, but reflect the deep love and dedication The Duffys have for both preserving traditional Blues culture and providing real support and opportunity for these wonderful musicians who might otherwise be forgotten.”
Character sketches and black and white photographs of great American musicians Etta Baker, John Dee Holeman, Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain, Taj Mahal, Willie King, Othar Turner, Little Freddie King, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ironing Board Sam, and the original guiding light for the Foundation’s formation Guitar Gabriel are shared in the book. The book also highlights other artists nestled deep in southern culture and telling a hidden story of American music. The book also highlights the musician’s place in the southern community, a vital role that serves the laborers.
Photos from the book are here.
In the introduction, Denise writes, “Tim acknowledges a deep obligation to these artists, ‘It is no small thing to ask a musician for their song and their story. The only way we can hope to make an equal exchange is if the documentarian and the artist have a genuine relationship; they must share more than just the moment the photo is taken or the song is captured…’
Days spent sharing songs, food, laughter and far too many miles in vans and airplanes have built the bridges of trust that allow these artists to give their wisdom and art so generously. These artists share their life lessons with us because we are dedicated to presenting their music to the world with reverence and to be partners in their struggle for a better life…
We concluded that our nations musical traditions were suffering from starvation and underemployment… We get gigs for those that want to perform, guitars for those who want to play, and feed the hungry. Our initial grassroots effort to meet the needs of a handful of blues musicians in Winston-Salem, NC, has grown to assist hundreds through the generosity and passion of our supporters, employees and volunteers.”
“We Are the Music Makers” runs 144 pages and will be for sale at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com. List price is $38. It can be pre-ordered here or here.
Nautilus Press has confirmed a September 15 release date for the book “We Are The Music Makers: Preserving The Soul Of America’s Music.” Written by Timothy and Denise Duffy, the book features over 65 photographs taken by Tim Duffy over twenty years along with the stories and songs. Tim Duffy's previous book “Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America” was released in 2002 and sold 15,000 copies.
In related news, Rolling Stone recently highlighted the Foundation’s twentieth anniversary by posting an acoustic blues song by Duffy with Eric Clapton. Clapton said, "Music Maker is a fabulous project, real evidence that the music I have always loved is alive and well."
Of the book, B.B. King said, “We are the Music Makers highlights an essential part of our culture, providing us a glimpse into the lives of the amazing, and often little known, musicians of the American South. Tim Duffy has taken every opportunity to sustain a dimension of Blues culture that could easily be lost forever, and nowhere is that more apparent than in his new book.”
Bonnie Raitt added, “The photographs in this book are not only beautiful, but reflect the deep love and dedication The Duffys have for both preserving traditional Blues culture and providing real support and opportunity for these wonderful musicians who might otherwise be forgotten.”
Character sketches and black and white photographs of great American musicians Etta Baker, John Dee Holeman, Jerry ‘Boogie’ McCain, Taj Mahal, Willie King, Othar Turner, Little Freddie King, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ironing Board Sam, and the original guiding light for the Foundation’s formation Guitar Gabriel are shared in the book. The book also highlights other artists nestled deep in southern culture and telling a hidden story of American music. The book also highlights the musician’s place in the southern community, a vital role that serves the laborers.
Photos from the book are here.
In the introduction, Denise writes, “Tim acknowledges a deep obligation to these artists, ‘It is no small thing to ask a musician for their song and their story. The only way we can hope to make an equal exchange is if the documentarian and the artist have a genuine relationship; they must share more than just the moment the photo is taken or the song is captured…’
Days spent sharing songs, food, laughter and far too many miles in vans and airplanes have built the bridges of trust that allow these artists to give their wisdom and art so generously. These artists share their life lessons with us because we are dedicated to presenting their music to the world with reverence and to be partners in their struggle for a better life…
We concluded that our nations musical traditions were suffering from starvation and underemployment… We get gigs for those that want to perform, guitars for those who want to play, and feed the hungry. Our initial grassroots effort to meet the needs of a handful of blues musicians in Winston-Salem, NC, has grown to assist hundreds through the generosity and passion of our supporters, employees and volunteers.”
“We Are the Music Makers” runs 144 pages and will be for sale at bookstores nationwide and on Amazon.com. List price is $38. It can be pre-ordered here or here.
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