NC TRAILS | EASTERN REGION
Opposite: Drummer Melvin Park in his hometown of Kinston
ROCKY MOUNT, PRINCETON & TARBORO Notable locals: The Barnes family (gospel), George Higgs (blues), Thelonious Monk (jazz)
Titus Brooks Heavins
Hear the Horns, Feel the Beat
‘African American Music Trails’ celebrates Eastern NC’s musical roots By Scott Gates
The landscape of North Carolina reverberates with a rich history of music and musicians who drew inspiration from its fields, churches, communities and cityscapes. The deep hollers of the Appalachians cultivated bluegrass, string bands and gospel artists. Cities of the Piedmont gave rise to blues, country, rock and hip hop acts. And the tobacco warehouses, schools and towns of Eastern North Carolina are where several notable jazz, blues, funk and R&B musicians got their start. Eastern North Carolina, in particular, was a hotbed of African American talent from the early 1900s into the ’70s and beyond, with big-name acts — including The Monitors, James Brown and Parliament — drawing on local musicians to define their sound. This local talent turned otherwise sleepy towns into swinging hot spots. “At one particular time, Kinston was almost like a little New York,” remembers Dick Knight, a retired music teacher and horn player who performed with The Monitors, James Brown and Otis Redding, among others. “Saturday night you had five or six different bands playing different places … I never did get a chance to get bored for wanting to play my instrument with a band.” Dick’s memories as quoted here, as well as those of more than 90 other musicians, are captured in “African American Music Trails of Eastern North Carolina,” a guidebook to the region’s musical heritage compiled by the NC Department of Cultural Resources. The guide leads readers through the music of the eight contiguous counties of the region, grouping them by community. Along the way, you’ll get a sense of each area’s musical roots, as well as spots to eat, socialize and enjoy live music today.
In the 20th century, a main railroad line, established cotton mill and thriving tobacco market put Rocky Mount on the map. Workers spread the blues, and in the 1940s and ’50s, annual all-night summer dances in Rocky Mount called “June Germans” drew big acts like Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie. HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF Juneteenth Community Empowerment Festival May 31 – June 1 Rocky Mount’s Imperial Centre for the Arts & Science presents music, dancing and African American history and cultural events. bit.ly/RMjuneteenth
WILSON AREA Notable locals: John Henry Fortescue, aka Guitar Shorty (blues), The Monitors (R&B)
Wilson was a major clearinghouse for brightleaf tobacco in the early 1900s, and big auction days drew travelers from across the region. Blues players took advantage of the crowds to busk outside warehouses on auction days. Those warehouses also served as venues, hosting dances with big band heavy-hitters like Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington. HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF Boykin Series 22 | April 19 Organized by the Arts Council of Wilson, Zydeco great C.J. Chenier will play at the Edna Boykin Cultural Center as part of the series. wilsonarts.com
GREENVILLE AREA Notable locals: Billy Taylor (jazz), Carroll V. Dashiell (jazz)
School auditoriums and marching bands were breeding grounds for musical talent in Greenville, as were clubs in the black business district. The local Elks Lodge held “turnouts,” brass-band funerals with parades similar to New Orleans jazz funerals. Native jazz pianist Billy Taylor maintained ties to the area throughout his life and inspired East Carolina University’s jazz studies program. HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF Billy Taylor Jazz Festival | April 10–13 bit.ly/ecu-jazzfestival African American Music Series | Second Fridays Local musicians perform at Greenville’s Emerge Gallery & Art Center. pittcountyarts.org/events/music-series
Local talent turned otherwise sleepy towns into swinging hot spots.
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3/11/19 11:45 AM