Tales Of The Music Maker Relief Foundation Announce 25th Anniversary OGN

Focusing on the singer and song makers of America’s Southern states, the new original graphic novel, Tales Of The Music Maker not only depicts the pioneers and traditions of Southern culture but comes with its own accompanying downloadable soundtrack, two never-before-published Harvey Pekar (American Splendor) strip and black and white photographs too, in one historical document. The first since Marvel published his last strip back in 2010.

It’s being published now to celebrate 25 years of The Music Maker Relief Foundation, an organisation that was founded to “preserve the musical traditions of the South by directly supporting the musicians who make it, ensuring their voices will not be silenced by poverty and time.”

Here’s more about their important work:

Music Maker will give future generations access to their heritage through documentation and performance programs that build knowledge and appreciation of America’s musical traditions.

Tales Of The Music Maker will be released by Z2 Comics and by Gary Dumm. Here’s a full list of its content, telling the stories of:

• Music Maker Foundation’s guiding light, blues great Guitar Gabriel, AKA “Razorblade.”
• Cora Mae Bryant, daughter of Georgia guitar legend Curley Weaver and friend of the great Blind Willie McTell.
• Piedmont-style fingerpicking guitar legend Etta Baker.
• Louisiana soul singer and Dan Auerbach collaborator Robert Finley.
• Grammy-winner, Blues Hall of Famer, and Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award winner Taj Mahal, who explains why he sits on the Music Maker advisory board.
• Mississippi gospel trio and Daptone Records group Como Mamas.
• Rhythm & blues and jazz pianist and vocalist and World War II veteran and former member of the Ink Spots Eddie Tigner, who still plays regularly in Atlanta.
• Adolphus Bell, known as the One-Man Blues Band.
• Willa Mae Buckner, a performer known as the snake lady who performed in an all-black tent show, stripping, singing bawdy songs, swallowing swords, and handling snakes.

That’s an impressive list and a book that is aimed at being both entertaining and informative, too.

As for that soundtrack? We’ve got the full list of tracks right here now too:

1.     Alabama Slim and Little Freddie King – The Mighty Flood

2.     Adolphus Bell – Child Support Blues

3.     Algia Mae Hinton – When You Kill the Chicken, Save Me The Head

4.     Ben Payton – Singing About My Baby

5.     George Higgs – Blues Is Here To Stay

6.     Captain Luke – Old Black Buck

7.     The Como Mamas – Thank Him Enough

8.     Cool John Ferguson – Low Country Blues

9.     Cootie Stark – Jigroo

10.  Cora Mae Bryant – What Shall I Do

11.  Dave McGrew – Just Another Rainbow

12.  Dr. Burt – Girl, You The One For Me

13.  Drink Small and Cootie Stark – Come Out of the Wilderness

14.  Essie Mae Brooks – I Got So Much To Talk About

15.  Guitar Gabriel – Mississippi Farm

A non-profit organisation out to preserve and protect the past while developing future generations Southern soaked musicians. I can get behind that! Will you?

Tales Of The Music Maker OGN will be released on February 12th by Z2 Comics.