Having been referred to as “one of America’s defining voices of freedom and peace” by NPR, Mavis Staples is the kind of once-in-a-generation artist whose impact on music and culture would be difficult to overstate. Since beginning her career in 1950 with her family group The Staples Singers, she’s become both a Blues and Rock…
Cedric Burnside still lives on several acres not far from the Holly Springs, Mississippi, home where he was raised by “Big Daddy,” his grandfather, the late singer/songwriter/guitarist R.L. Burnside. Cedric was literally born to the blues, more specifically, the “rhythmically unorthodox” Hill country variant which emerged from Mississippi, where he grew up surrounded (and influenced)…
Voices of Mississippi is a new multimedia event that celebrates the music, art, and storytelling traditions of the people of Mississippi. Based on the 2019 double-Grammy Award-winning Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris, the program features live musical performances integrated with film, audio recordings, and rare photographs captured by folklorist William…
Les Filles de Illighadad come from a secluded commune in central Niger, far off in the scrubland deserts at the edge of the Sahara. Fatou Seidi Ghali, lead vocalist and guitarist, is one of the only female Tuareg guitarists in Niger. Les Filles de Illighadad perform tende music, a traditional form dominated by women and…
In this co-bill, two distinct storytelling traditions come together in the desert blues and tende of Niger and the blues of the American South. Les Filles de Illighadad come from a secluded commune in central Niger, far off in the scrubland deserts at the edge of the Sahara. Fatou Seidi Ghali, lead vocalist and guitarist,…
In this co-bill, two distinct storytelling traditions come together in the desert blues and tende of Niger and the blues of the American South. Les Filles de Illighadad come from a secluded commune in central Niger, far off in the scrubland deserts at the edge of the Sahara. Fatou Seidi Ghali, lead vocalist and guitarist,…
Based on a mutual love of bluegrass, country, blues, western swing, and string band music of all kinds, Dobro and lap steel specialist Rob Ickes and acoustic/electric guitarist Trey Hensley formed a partnership in 2015 after their debut album, Before The Sun Goes Down, was nominated for a Grammy. Since then, the duo has performed…
