CARRBORO, N.C. -- The Town of Carrboro proudly presents the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues series of live concerts every Friday evening between May 3 and June 21, 2024, at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main Street. Concerts start at 6:30 p.m.
The series is a collaboration among 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.
An annual event marking its 10th year anniversary 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.
Freight Train Blues Concert Series 2024 Lineup
FRIDAY, MAY 3
- Mangum & Company
Led by soaring trombones with their slides pointed heavenward, Mangum & Company is 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. They are central to worship services, inspiring congregants with joyous sounds of praise. “Our music feeds the soul,” says bandleader Cedric Mangum, “It’s designed for the soul, and that’s what draws the people.” - Terry “Harmonica” Bean
Terry “Harmonica” Bean is a renowned blues artist hailing from Pontotoc, Mississippi. Born with an innate musical talent, Bean discovered his love for the blues at a young age and has since become a master of the harmonica. Growing up in the heart of the Mississippi Hill Country, Bean was immersed in the rich musical culture of the region at the knees of his father and grandfather, both blues musicians themselves. With his exceptional harmonica skills, soul-stirring vocals, and captivating stage presence, he continues to carry the torch of the Hill Country blues, preserving its rich legacy while adding his own personal touch to the genre.
Terry “Harmonica” Bean
FRIDAY, MAY 10
- Gail Ceasar
Gail Ceasar floats somewhere between bluegrass and the blues. Her music has roots that run deep in Virginia soil. Taught the blues by her uncle, Pete Witcher, Gail’s Piedmont style is “reminiscent of Etta Baker and Elizabeth Cotten” (Bluegrass Situation). Losing her home to a fire in 2022 didn’t stop her from releasing her debut album, Guitar Woman Blues. The album, produced by Music Maker, has been called “sweet and captivating” and “gritty and raw as the high lonesome wind” (Americana Highways). She performed with Music Maker at the National Gallery of Art in February 2023. - Javier Montano
Javier Montano is a young singer/songwriter, born and raised in North Carolina. With Mexican roots (Monterrey, Nuevo Leon and Chiapas Mexico)Javier strives to represent regional Mexican music. He has been Involved in the music world since he was 14 years old. He continues to showcase his talent to leave a mark in the heart of his public. As a first generation musician in the family, he is hungry for success. - Lakota John Locklear
Lakota John is, in and of himself, a living representation of the musical cultures of southeastern North Carolina. He is a member of the Lumbee Tribe who combines the blues with the indigenous music of his ancestors. Born in 1997, John Lakota Locklear, grew up listening to his dad’s music collection. At 7 years old, he picked up the harmonica and, at 7, his first guitar. Intrigued by the sound of the slide guitar, by 10 he had bought himself a glass slide, placed it on his pinky finger and has been sliding ever since. Today, Mama Tonya, Papa John and Sister Layla join him to form a proud Lumbee Nation family of talented musicians. Since the creation of blues music, Native Americans have paid an often overlooked but deep contribution to this musical tradition. Lakota John & Kin continue to Meld their ancestors’ ancient harmonies With traditional blues.
FRIDAY, MAY 17
- Music Maker Blues Revue feat. Albert White, Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen and Jimbo Mathus
The Music Maker Blues Revue is an all-star band and a thriving musical institution. It was born in the early 1990s as a backing band for Guitar Gabriel, and quickly became a power cell of Music Maker Foundation’s live presence. Featuring dozens of different Music Maker artists over the years, the Revue has played all over the world in every kind of venue. They’ve busked on the sidewalks of High Point, NC, and received standing ovations at Carnegie Hall. From Argentina to Australia, Europe to Guatemala, and across the U.S., the Revue pleases all types of fans; “the boogiers and the bookworms,” as drummer Ardie Dean puts it. - Albert White
Albert White, an Atlanta native, grew up playing behind his uncle, Piano Red, a legendary Rhythm & Blues powerhouse who had many hits including the song “Doctor Feelgood” famously covered by the Beatles. In Albert, the tradition of high energy, funky R&B lives on. Albert and his band The Rockers have played jukes, clubs, weddings and celebrations throughout the Southeast from the 1960s to the present. Along the way, they have shared the stage with every notable R&B star that has traveled the circuit including Rufus Thomas, Ray Charles, The Tams, Joe Tex and many more. - Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen
Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen shares the mettle, pathos, and ocean-deep compassion of the blues singers she idolizes — Billie Holiday, Koko Taylor, and Etta James. Despite losing her home twice, she keeps taking her talent and heart to the world. Pat’s performances have always unfurled the tapestry of her life experiences to her audience in soulful words and music. That compassion began to flow from Pat in brand new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As her scheduled gigs disappeared, she began playing one-woman shows at nursing homes. She even made phone calls to individual people and sang to them. These works of compassion wound up making her the subject of touching stories on PBS Newshour and in Rolling Stone Magazine.
FRIDAY, MAY 24
- Legendary Singing Stars
The Brooklyn-Based Legendary Singing Stars have carried the gospel tradition into the 21st century in the sixty-plus years since its founding. In the decades since their founding, the Stars have gone by different names, changed their band mates, and cut several successful records. Founder Billie Hardie left to form his own gospel group in 1970, and rejoined the Stars in 2008 at the request of the group leader Tommy Ellison. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer and hoped that Hardie would carry on their group’s legacy. Following his passing, the group renamed itself “The Legendary Singing Stars,” memorializing Ellison and his musical impact.
Today, Hardie shares lead vocal duties with 21-year-old Michael Boone, who has been performing with the group since age 15 and grew up frequenting the Singing Stars’ NC shows. Hardie calls Boone “the new Tommy [Ellison],” remarking on similarities in sound and look between him and his predecessor. Despite a 63-year age difference, the two vocalists have great chemistry on stage and share a similar vision and talent.
FRIDAY, MAY 31
- Charly Lowry
Charly Lowry, a musical powerhouse from Pembroke, NC, is proud to be an Indigenous woman belonging to the Lumbee/Tuscarora Tribes. She is passionate about raising awareness around issues that plague underdeveloped and under-served communities. Since her teenage years, Charly has established a career as a professional singer-songwriter with unique passion and voice. In addition to performing solo, for 10+ years Charly has been the front-woman for the multi award-winning band, “DARK WATER RISING."
Among her community, Native women are traditionally barred from the hand-drum and relegated to singing behind the men’s drum and/or dancing instead. Lowry defies that norm, following in the footsteps of her mentor, an artist and heir to the Tuscarora Indian Nation, Pura Fé; choosing to battle with her songs, hand drum, and guitar to deliver songs that not only tell the plight of her people but all humankind that face oppression. Robeson County, her home, is one of the most diverse counties in the U.S., and Charly celebrates that diversity in all aspects of her life. While she may be familiar to some from her success as a semi-finalist on AMERICAN IDOL, she has maintained close ties to her Native American roots and culture. - Viv and Riley
Gifted songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno’s first album under the name Viv & Riley is a subtle masterpiece of thought and reflection. The album brings a reflectiveness to summertime jams that speak of uninhibited joy and creative camaraderie. Coming on the heels of their acclaimed earlier albums that showed preternaturally talented songwriting from such young artists, now the songs have caught up with their lives. Now in their mid-20s, the two are building a life together, creating a supportive community, and looking back on everything they’ve been through. Based out of Durham, North Carolina, they’ve tapped into the area’s eclectic and collaborative music scene, recruiting Alex Bingham of Hiss Golden Messenger to produce the album.
FRIDAY, JUNE 7
Orquesta GarDel
Modern salsa from North Carolina.
FRIDAY, JUNE 14
Blue Ridge Opry hosted by Kelley Breiding
The Blue Ridge Opry is a nostalgic country music variety show inspired by the early days of the Grand Old Opry and the heyday of classic country stars like Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Uncle Dave Macon, The Carter Family, Loretta Lynn, and the like. The program is hosted and produced by singer and multi-instrumentalist Kelley Breiding and features a variety of musical guest stars.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
The Sacred Soul of North Carolina Revue feat. The Glorifying Vines, Bishop Albert Harrison & the Gospel Tones, Jerry Harrison & Faith, and Dave Hargrove & Company
- Glorifying Vines Sisters
The Glorifying Vines Sisters from Eastern North Carolina have been singing gospel music together in their living rooms, churches, and even bars for over 40 years. The Vines sisters’ music is steeped in the traditions of quartet gospel—a style that came into its own in the 1930s with groups like the Soul Stirrers and the Dixie Hummingbirds. Over the years they have shared the stage with many of the biggest names in the genre, including the Mighty Clouds of Joy and the Swanee Quintet. But while the Vines Sisters can wreck the house with the best of them, they also bring a distinctive sweetness and a mellow funkiness to their music. - Bishop Albert Harrison and the Gospel Tones
Bishop Albert Harrison has been traveling and singing gospel music solo since the 1980s. When he was in the hospital in 2006, he took stock of his life and decided resolutely to start a group—The Gospel Tones. Harrison hails from the experimental planned black community of Soul City in Warren County, while The Gospel Tones make Ahoskie, NC their home base. Talking about gospel musicians in Eastern North Carolina he says, “We all come back from a long way back. We all come up on farms. Our mothers and fathers and grandfathers always used to sing. It’s something we love to do.” Harrison says that he sings in the “old jubilee style.” And he sings it anywhere he can. “Wherever the Lord sends me, I go,” he says, “that’s the way I feel about it.” - Jerry Harrison & Faith
- Dave Hargrove & Company