SINGER DISCUSSES GOING BLIND AS 2ND SYNDICATED RADIO SEGMENT TAPES NEXT WEEK AT MEMPHIS SHOW
NPR aired a profile on Robert Finley nationally this week as his debut
album ‘Age Don’t Mean a Thing’ on Big Legal Mess (Fat Possum) comes out
today. Finley told NPR that being able to play soul music for a living
in spite of going blind “a dream come true… what more could a man ask.”
He also described his music as “blues that make a person hold their head
up instead of dropping it down.” He and NPR host Jeremy Hobson
discussed how money from his father for a pair of shoes went to his
first guitar; learning music from watching musicians in church; his
religious family disapproving of the blues; what it’s like to go to
school to adapt to becoming legally blind; and sensing the energy from
the audience even when he can’t see it.
‘Age Don’t Mean a Thing’ is earning praise across the board as he
prepares for a Memphis album release show October 6 at Lafayette’s to be
taped by syndicated radio show Beale Street Caravan.
Here’s what we’re reading and hearing:
“Not your average up-and-comer… sounds good to me!”
- Jeremy Hobson, NPR Here & Now, September 26, 2016
“More than convincing.”
- Jon Pareles, New York Times, January 18, 2016
“Amazing… great stuff.”
- Rob Weisberg, NPR Music, January 26, 2016
“ Too legit to quit.”
- Hannah Hayes, Southern Living, August 22, 2016
"A delightful mix of old school blues, soul and R&B, with all of it
propelled by Finley’s gritty-yet-laid-back voice and equally effortless
guitar work. It’s a surprisingly confident effort from a first-time
recording artist."
- Sam D'Arcangelo, Offbeat Magazine, September 29, 2016
“A slab of dirty, sexy soul, gyrating around a firm funk backbeat in
much the same way as most pairs of hips exposed to this song might.
Finley’s Southern croon soars above sensual guitar and horns, reveling
in the freedom the music provides and exploring the crannies of the
instrumentation.”
- Will Rivitz, Pop Matters, August 15, 2016
“His brand of Southern Soul is tough to resist… a master at work!”
- Soul Tracks, August 29, 2016
Showing posts with label npr here and now. Show all posts
Showing posts with label npr here and now. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2016
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
PBS NEWSHOUR ON “EFFORT TO HELP MUSICIANS WHO ARE LITERALLY LIVING THE BLUES”
NON-PROFIT MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION PROFILED BY PBS NEWSHOUR, NPR HERE & NOW, AND CBS EVENING NEWS AS NEW BOOK AND 2CD RELEASED
PBS’ Jeffrey Brown profiled the Music Maker Relief Foundation on the Newshour last night as the non-profit organization – which supports elderly traditional southern musicians who live in poverty – celebrates its 20th anniversary. Brown spoke with organization founder Tim Duffy, soul/funk piano man Ironing Board Sam and New Orleans expat singer Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, and former Chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities and author William Ferris. The segment also features plenty of performance footage of the many artists involves in the Music Maker Relief Foundation Homecoming, as well as Ironing Board Sam playing at his home.
NPR’s Here & Now recently paid a visit to Duffy, Piedmont bluesman and tractor driver Boo Hanks, and baritone singer Captain Luke. The profile and online-only performances of “Highway Blues” and “Keep On Truckin’” aired and posted October 6, 2014.
PBS also ran a spread of photos from the book on its website with audio from the homecoming concert and an exclusive video of Ironing Board Sam performing a beautiful solo rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
CBS Evening News also ran a profile, also speaking with Ironing Board Sam and Captain Luke, explaining how the organization helps its artists with paying gigs, instruments, and album sales so that they can work.
The wave of attention comes as a new book We Are The Music Makers! Preserving the Soul of America's Music (Nautilus Press) and the 2CD set ‘We Are the Music Makers,’ an overview of the Music Maker catalogue compiled by Dom Flemons, both were released last month. The museum exhibition of the same title is on tour for the next several years, presently on display at the BB King Museum in Indianola, MS through November 30. Music fans may make a tax-deductible donation to the non-profit at this link.
PBS’ Jeffrey Brown profiled the Music Maker Relief Foundation on the Newshour last night as the non-profit organization – which supports elderly traditional southern musicians who live in poverty – celebrates its 20th anniversary. Brown spoke with organization founder Tim Duffy, soul/funk piano man Ironing Board Sam and New Orleans expat singer Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, and former Chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities and author William Ferris. The segment also features plenty of performance footage of the many artists involves in the Music Maker Relief Foundation Homecoming, as well as Ironing Board Sam playing at his home.
NPR’s Here & Now recently paid a visit to Duffy, Piedmont bluesman and tractor driver Boo Hanks, and baritone singer Captain Luke. The profile and online-only performances of “Highway Blues” and “Keep On Truckin’” aired and posted October 6, 2014.
PBS also ran a spread of photos from the book on its website with audio from the homecoming concert and an exclusive video of Ironing Board Sam performing a beautiful solo rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
CBS Evening News also ran a profile, also speaking with Ironing Board Sam and Captain Luke, explaining how the organization helps its artists with paying gigs, instruments, and album sales so that they can work.
The wave of attention comes as a new book We Are The Music Makers! Preserving the Soul of America's Music (Nautilus Press) and the 2CD set ‘We Are the Music Makers,’ an overview of the Music Maker catalogue compiled by Dom Flemons, both were released last month. The museum exhibition of the same title is on tour for the next several years, presently on display at the BB King Museum in Indianola, MS through November 30. Music fans may make a tax-deductible donation to the non-profit at this link.
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