Get well soon, George!

George Higgs recovering in the hospital   Photo by Jimmy Williams We've just gotten word that Tarboro, NC Bluesman George Higgs has been moved out of the ICU after an issue with his lungs, and is on the mend. Unfortunately George has had to cancel his gigs for the rest of 2012 to re-cooperate, but Music Maker will continue be there for him as he recovers. If you'd like to send Get Well cards or wishes to George, please send them to Music Maker at PO Box 1358 Hillsborough, NC 27278, and we will pass them on to him.  We are happy to hear the hopeful report of George's continued improvement and he, as well as his family, remain in our thoughts. Diggin: "I'm Going Home" photo by Axel Kustner Just like the opening line in George Conner's "I'm Going Home" stutters its way to the root note, I return to my desk here at Music Maker. I am just returning from a two-and-a-half-week journey with my new wife, Nicolle, to Indonesia. We had a wonderful time, but as fun as it was, it felt good to come home and see my cat, cook at my own stove and sleep in my bed. This track from George's forthcoming release, his first with Music Maker, is a celebratory romp.  It tells of a man who is taking control of his life in the best way he knows how--he goes home. Whatever troubles he left behind, he made his decision and the way he's singing, it was the right one. Of course, the root of this song comes from the spiritual tradition and home in that instance refers to the home we all have in the great beyond. I think whether we are talking about that home or just plain home home, the meaning is the same.  The pace and feel of "I'm Going Home" off of Brother's Tone coming out next month expresses what that concept of home means to us all. -- Aaron Annual Fund letters in the mail! Are you on our mailing list? If so, watch out for our letter coming to you shortly! If you're not, and you'd like to be, please email corinne@musicmaker.org and we'll make sure you're added! Listen:  George Conner -   I'm Going Home  Adolphus Bell Photo of the Week by Tim Duffy Keep up with Music Maker!      Support Music Maker, and help keep the music alive!

Upcoming Shows: Click here for more info on upcoming events  11/11 - John Dee Holeman -  Pinecone Music of the Carolinas, NCMoH, Raleigh, NC 11/17 - Lakota John and Kin - American Indian Heritage Festival, NCMo, Raleigh, NC 11/20 - Dr. Burt - So Blues Festival, Coulaines, France 11/22 - Dr. Burt - Salle Jaques Brel, Montigny Les Bretonneux, France 11/23 - Dr. Burt - Beautiful Swamp Blues Festival, Calais, France 12/01 - Albert White - Northside Tavern, Atlanta, GA   Music Maker Relief Foundation, Inc. helps the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain  recognition and meet their day to day needs. We present these musical traditions to the world so American culture will flourish and be preserved for future generations.

Interview and Blues Medley - George Higgs

George Higgs was born in 1930 in a farming community in Edgecombe County near Speed, North Carolina (“a slow town with a fast name” as he is fond of saying.) He learned to play the harmonica as a child from his father, Jesse Higgs, who enjoyed playing favorite spirituals and folk tunes at home during his spare time. George got to catch the medicine showman and harmonica player Peg Leg Sam playing locally in Rocky Mount during the tobacco market season and he made a lasting impression on the young harp player. He was later attracted to the guitar as a teenager and reluctantly sold a favorite squirrel dog to a neighbor to raise funds to purchase his first. As a result of their close proximity the dog spent more time at George’s home than at his new owner’s, so he got to have the guitar and keep the company of his dog.
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Move On - George Higgs

This is another real straight guy.

"George Higgs hails from Edgecombe County, North Carolina and is a wonderful guitar and harp player in the Piedmont tradition. Throughout the 40’s and 50’s he was a popular performer at fish fries and house parties and later on performed gospel with a local quartet.

He apparently recorded for the Trix label in the early 70’s but these sides were never issued. 'Tarboro Blues' is a beautifully played debut filled with mostly traditional songs sung in a deeply moving and personal manner. Higgs is a moving singer, powerful harp blower and has a gentle, propulsive guitar style that make for engaging listening.

Higgs rolls through a set of traditional material like the driving 'My Hook’s In The Water', the heartfelt 'Geraldine', the good time feel of 'Greasy Greens' and the moving “'Sides to Every Story.' Fans of bluesman like Pink Anderson and Peg Leg Sam will certainly want to investigate this record." -Jeff Harris, Bad Dog Blues
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