Music Maker Relief Foundation is an American

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, based in

Hillsborough, North Carolina The town of Hillsborough is the county seat of Orange County, North Carolina, United States, and is located along the Eno River. The population was 6,087 in 2010, but it grew rapidly to 9,660 by 2020. Its name was unofficially shortened to "Hi ...

. Music Maker Relief Foundation was founded in 1994 by Tim and Denise Duffy to "help the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs. Music Maker presents these musical traditions to the world so American culture will flourish and be preserved for future generations."

History

Early years

In 1989, while completing his studies for a master's degree in

Folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, Tim Duffy was documenting

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musician James "Guitar Slim" Stephens for the university's Southern Folklife Collection. Stephens's health was in decline, and shortly before his death, he advised Duffy to locate a musician named Guitar Gabriel. After his graduation, Duffy began working as a substitute teacher at a middle school in Winston-Salem, hearing an assortment of folkloric tales about Guitar Gabriel from students, until one student volunteered that Gabriel was her neighbor, living in the government housing projects of Winston-Salem. That evening, Duffy followed the student's directions to a "drink house" in the neighborhood, where he met Gabriel's nephew, Hawkeye, who took him to meet Gabriel. Duffy forged a close friendship with Gabriel, and the two began recording and performing under the name Guitar Gabriel & Brothers in the Kitchen, releasing the album ''Do You Know What it Means to Have a Friend?'' (also known as ''Toot Blues'') on their own Karibu label in 1991. Gabriel had been inactive in the music industry since the 1970 release of his album ''My South, My Blues'' (as Nyles Jones) on the Gemini label. He had received no royalties and was impoverished. He required almost daily assistance from Duffy, who provided transportation to medical appointments, money, and food for Gabriel and his wife. Through Gabriel, Tim and Denise Duffy made field recordings of other local blues musicians, such as Captain Luke, Macavine Hayes, Mr. Q., and Willa Mae Buckner. They lived in poor conditions and needed regular assistance. Duffy thought their culture was slipping away unnoticed by the music industry. Tim Duffy's father, Allen Duffy, a lawyer, had represented and won a case for audio pioneer Mark Levinson, allowing him to continue working in the

hi-fi High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...

industry. Levinson heard about Tim Duffy's field recordings, some reminiscent of the work of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

, and invited Duffy to visit his stereo showroom in New York. After hearing the recordings, as well as the stories of the many destitute musicians, Levinson offered to remaster the tapes, which became an eight-artist CD anthology of traditional North Carolina blues entitled ''A Living Past''. Levinson became a crusader for the cause, and solicited funds and industry connections from his friends and colleagues, which, in 1994, resulted in the incorporation of the Music Maker Relief Foundation.

1995–present

In 1995, Tim Duffy met

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

in a

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

bistro, sharing some of his field recordings, as well as the philosophy and goals of the foundation, after which Clapton became a supporter, introducing artists such as

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

and

Rosanne Cash Rosanne Cash (born May 24, 1955) is an American singer-songwriter and author. She is the eldest daughter of country musician Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian Cash. Although Cash is often classified as a country artist, her music draws f ...

, all of whom donated to the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Duffy was invited to the Los Angeles studio where B.B. King's album '' Deuces Wild'' was recorded and where he met

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal ( ; ; ) is an ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his belo ...

, who contributed to the foundation's growth and success. By 1996, after receiving several sizable donations, Music Maker Relief Foundation had established the Musician Sustenance, Musical Development, and Cultural Access Programs, which provide food, monetary assistance, transportation to doctor's appointments and to pick up medications, home repairs (in some cases, extremely poor living conditions have warranted the relocation of the musician), performance bookings in professional venues, such as the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

and

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

, as well as European tours and music festivals worldwide. The success of the programs is due, in large part, to

, who by 1997 had become an advisory board member, artistic consultant, contributor, and co-producer for many of the artists' records. Taj Mahal headlined blues festivals in support of Music Maker, was instrumental in securing advertising in mainstream print media, as well as the creation of the "Fishin' Blues Tournament", which raises funds for the foundation. Over the next several years, many new donors and contributors were involved, allowing Duffy to expand the roster of the Music Maker Recordings label, and to release over one hundred albums, the proceeds of which the artists keep, in their entirety. Many of the label's artists have been documented in the collaborative work of artists Harvey Pekar and

Gary Dumm Gary G. Dumm (b. c. 1947)Dumm entry
Who's Who of American Comic Bo ...

, who have contributed artwork since 2003, and whose work was featured in a 2010 calendar, created as a fundraiser for Music Maker Relief. In 2006, Tim Duffy saw the Carolina Chocolate Drops performing at the Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance in

Silk Hope, North Carolina Silk Hope, in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States, is a farm community centered on a school, a volunteer fire department, several country churches, and many historical farmsteads. Some residents who work in Cary, Chapel Hill, and R ...

. Duffy signed a management deal with the group and released their debut record, ''Dona Got a Ramblin' Mind'' on the Music Maker Recordings label. During Duffy's time as manager the Carolina Chocolate Drops won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 2010 for Best Traditional Folk Album with their first album on

Nonesuch Records Nonesuch Records is an American record company and label owned by Warner Music Group, distributed by Warner Records (formerly Warner Bros. Records), and based in New York City. Founded by Jac Holzman in 1964 as a budget classical label, Nonesuch ...

, '' Genuine Negro Jig''. The Chocolate Drops second release with Nonesuch, '' Leaving Eden'' was nominated for a Grammy. In 2014, the Music Maker Relief Foundation celebrated its 20th anniversary with an exhibit of 28 photographs of Music Maker artists. The exhibit was previewed at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. A double-disc compilation album and 144-page photo book is also set to be released in honor of the foundation's anniversary. On October 27, 2014 ''

PBS NewsHour ''PBS News Hour'', previously stylized as ''PBS NewsHour'', is the news division of PBS and an American daily evening news broadcasting#television, television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS Network affiliate#Member stations, member stat ...

'' aired segment on the Music Maker Relief Foundation, showing William R. Ferris say, "They provide a model for what our nation should be doing. The New Deal under FDR did this for the entire nation, and Tim Duffy thankfully is doing it for the community of blues artists."

Artists (past and present on Music Maker Recordings)

* Sheila Kay Adams * Rachel Ammons * Little Pink Anderson * Harvey Dalton Arnold * Etta Baker * Terry "Harmonica" Bean * Robert Belfour * Adolphus Bell * Larry Bellorin & Joe Troop * The Branchettes *

Skeeter Brandon Skeeter Brandon (April 22, 1948 – March 20, 2008) was an American blind blues keyboardist, singer and songwriter. From 1966 to 1991, Brandon played in various bands across the United States. He joined Highway 61 in 1991, and recorded four alb ...

* Kelley Breiding * Essie Mae Brooks * Leonard "Lowdown" Brown * Tommy Brown * Cora Mae Bryant * David Bryant * Precious Bryant * Willa Mae Buckner * Randy Burns * Charles "Sugar Harp" Burroughs * Dr. G. W. Burt * Lil' Joe Burton * David Butler * Carolina Chocolate Drops * The Carolina Cutups * Gail Ceasar * Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen * Robert Lee Coleman * The Como Mamas * George Conner * Pura Fe Crescioni * George Daniels * Johnny Ray Daniels * Clarence "Bluesman" Davis * James B. Davis * Ardie Dean * Dedicated Men of Zion *

Ernie K-Doe Ernest Kador Jr. (February 22, 1933 – July 5, 2001), known by the stage name Ernie K-Doe, was an American rhythm and blues, R&B singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law (song), Mother-in-Law", which went to number 1 on the ''Bi ...

* Bishop Dready * Paul Duffy * Mr. Frank Edwards * Faith & Harmony * Willie Farmer * Pura Fé * Cool John Ferguson *

Robert Finley Robert Finley (1772 – November 3, 1817) was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator who is known as one of the founders of the American Colonization Society, which established the colony of Liberia in West Africa as a place for free A ...

* Dom Flemons * Benton Flippen * Cora Fluker * Sam Frazier Jr. * Preston Fulp * Guitar Gabriel * Lee Gates * Rhiannon Giddens * Elder James Goins * Boo Hanks * Macavine Hayes * Big Boy Henry * George Higgs * Algia Mae Hinton * Hermon Hitson * Carl Hodges * John Dee Holeman * Big Ron Hunter * Ironing Board Sam * David Johnson * Elder Anderson Johnson * Todd Jones * Kever's Long House Singers * Little Freddie King * Pernell King * Sonny Boy King * Willie King * Clyde Langford * The Legendary Singing Stars * Guitar Lightnin' Lee * Lucille Lindsay * John "Lakota John" Locklear * Captain Luke * Bishop Dready Manning * Marie Manning * Jimbo Mathus * William Maxwell * Jerry "Boogie" McCain * Leyla McCalla * Dave McGraw & Mandy Fer * Rufus McKenzie * Nora Milner * W.C. Minger IV * Cary Morin * Mudcat * Music Maker Blues Revue * Chicago Bob Nelson * Sonny Boy Nelson * Bubba Norwood * Jack Owens * Neal Pattman * Ben Payton * Lena Mae Perry & the Branchettes * Pinetop Perkins * Shelton Powe * Rip Lee Pryor * Lil' Jimmy Reed * Abe Reid * Thomas Rhyant * Frank "Sugar Chile" Robinson * Sol Roots * Jahue Rorie * Earnest "Guitar" Roy Jr * Carl Rutherford * Cueselle Settle (Mr. Q.) * Larry Shores *

Patrick Sky Patrick Sky (born Patrick Linch; October 2, 1940May 26, 2021) was an American musician, folk singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was of Irish and Native American ancestry, and played Irish traditional music and uilleann pipes in the ...

* Slewfoot * Alabama Slim * Drink Small * Albert Smith * Elnora Spencer * Martha Spencer * Sol * Cootie Stark * James "Guitar Slim" Stephens * Samuel Turner Stevens * Sweet Betty *

* Brother Theotis Taylor * Benjamin Tehoval * Fred Thomas * Robert Thomas * Eddie Tigner * Reverend Perry Tillis *

Othar Turner Othar "Otha" Turner (June 2, 1907 – February 27, 2003) was one of the last well-known fife players in the vanishing American fife and drum blues tradition. His music was also part of the African-American genre known as Hill country blues. Ea ...

* Ernie Vincent * The Glorifying Vines Sisters * Freeman Vines * Tad Walters * J. W. Warren * Beverly Watkins * Lightnin' Wells * Pete Whicher * Pat Wilder * Jontavious Willis * Aretta Woodruff * Whistlin' Britches * Albert White * Pat Wilder * Ernie Williams * John Lee Zeigler

References

External links

Official website

Ncarts.org

Bluesweb.com

{{Authority control American folklore Appalachian culture in North Carolina Blues record labels Music archives in the United States Non-profit organizations based in North Carolina