CARRBORO, N.C. – The first concert of the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street.
Friday's concert will feature Mangum & Company, a group of outstanding musicians representing many of Charlotte, N.C.’s United House of Prayer congregations. Shout bands are all-brass, gospel-based trombone choirs that represent a sacred musical tradition unique to United House of Prayer churches. Terry “Harmonica” Bean, a renowned blues artist hailing from Pontotoc, Miss., is also playing!
The series is a collaboration among the Music Maker Foundation; the Town of Carrboro; WUNC 91.5 FM; and The Forests at Duke. Funding for this year’s series was also provided by Spark the Arts.
Bring your picnic, lawn chairs and blankets for a free evening of live music on the lawn. Beer and food will be available for purchase at the events.
To mark its 10th year anniversary, the Town of Carrboro will celebrate with a big birthday cake and balloons! Come early and set up your spot!
About Freight Train Blues Concert Series
This annual Carrboro event honors GRAMMY-winning folk and blues artist and North Carolina Music Hall of Famer Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten, born in Carrboro, N.C. in 1893. Cotten’s soulful voice and unique guitar style have rendered her a legend in the world of blues, leading her to receive National Heritage Fellowship in 1984 and a GRAMMY award in 1985. She lived to be 104 years old and died in 1987. Her songs, like the iconic “Freight Train,” have been reimagined by artists like The Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan. In 2022, she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Music Maker Foundation honors Cotten’s legacy in the world of roots music by emphasizing the cultural diversity, complexity, and vitality of her music and the music of many other artists local to her community and all over the country.