For 10 years, the Music Maker Foundation’s Freight Train Blues concert series has introduced new audiences to the musical traditions of old, bringing communities together to bond over food and live music — the same music that shaped Carrboro, and the South, for decades.
"It's an event where music brings people together, regardless of race, identity — and music expression, again, has no identity," Michelle Blume, an event organizer from the Town of Carrboro, said. "Everybody's able to come out and enjoy and express themselves."
Piedmont Blues is a branch of folk music characterized by the fingerpicking technique. This technique was popular in Orange County in the 1930s, most notably by Elizabeth ‘Libba’ Cotten, a Grammy Award winning artist, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Carrboro native. Since she was left-handed, she played her guitar upside down to strum easily, in what became known as "Cotten Style."
Freight Train Blues is named after Cotten's most popular song, "Freight Train", which she played with that distinct and characteristic strumming. This song is also a folk music staple that has been reimagined by numerous artists, like the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan.
"A lot of people would know that song and wouldn't even think that someone actually wrote it, that it's just part of the fabric of America," Tim Duffy, executive director of the Music Maker Foundation, said. “But, actually someone did write it: it was Elizabeth Cotten."
The Music Maker Foundation is a nonprofit based in Hillsborough dedicated to supporting traditional American music artists who are from marginalized communities, including those affected by age, poverty, race and gender. Over the past 30 years, Music Maker has served over 500 artists ranging from blues, gospel, folk, Appalachian string band and Native American musicians.
"In those rural Southern communities, or even Southern cities, there's excellent musicians and geniuses," Duffy said. "And we strive to find these artists and bring light to them so their voices are heard — for the illumination of our hearts and for our historical record — so future people can hear them."
The series occurs every Friday from May 3 to June 21, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. It showcases the talents of numerous folk, blues and gospel artists, some of which are long-time performers.
Duffy said that the series has transformed throughout its 10 year run, starting out as just a small event with little attendance. Over the years, he said, the event has become more popular, and the foundation has tried to showcase more aspects of Carolina folk music, including singer-songwriter and bluegrass music.
