Recipient Artists

After a lifetime of toil, the working poor often find themselves in their “Golden Years” with inadequate resources to maintain even the humblest of lifestyles. Recipient artists, due to illness and age are often incapable of continuing career pursuits. They receive financial support through our Musician Sustenance program, greatly improving their quality of life and enabling them to enjoy the dignified retirement they deserve.

Robert Belfour

Robert “Wolfman” Belfour was born on September 11th, 1940 in Holly Springs, Mississippi. His deep blues style and husky voice earned him the nickname “Wolfman”. Growing up on the Hurdle farm in a small plank house, Belfour experienced music unique to Mississippi’s hill country. He’ll tell you that his first…

Skeeter Brandon

Despite his relative youth, still in his early 50s, Skeeter’s music reflects the influence of a century of African American songster traditions. He has the capability of earning a living by making music for any audience – black or white. He also makes each show an emotional experience for the…

Cora Mae Bryant

Cora Mae Bryant was the daughter of Georgia guitar legend Curley Weaver. She remembers, “When the weekend came, Daddy would come and get me. We did not know the difference between night and day.” Curley would perform from one house party to the next often meeting up with his friends…

Precious Bryant

Precious Bryant hails from Waverly Hall, Georgia. She is an honest, wonderful songwriter and a spellbinding performer. I met her in 1995; many years had passed since 1967 when folklorist George Mitchell had come knocking on her door. We performed with bluesmen Neal Pattman and Cootie Stark at shows in…

George Conner

“Birmingham” George Washington Conner moved from Pickens County, Alabama to Chicago and stayed there close to 30 years where he had his own blues club “The Place.” In the 80s he moved to Memphis for 5 years before moving back to Alabama where he opened another blues club. Unfortunately a…

George Daniels

George Daniels was born April 27, 1929 in Macon County, Alabama. George still lives not far from where he was raised. He can really sing the blues and is a deep blues guitar and harp player. George treasures and nurtures the old ways in which he was raised. He makes…

Cedell Davis

Davis is most notable for his distinctive style of guitar playing. Davis plays guitar using a table knife in his fretting hand in a manner similar to slide guitar, resulting in a welter of metal-stress harmonic transients and a singular tonal plasticity. He uses this style out of necessity. When…

Algia Mae Hinton

“Algia Mae is a great example of what is called in and throughout the African diaspora, ‘Original Joe.’ This is an innovative character who survives and creates anew under all circumstances. Algia Mae Hinton is someone not to be missed!” -Taj Mahal Born: August 29, 1929 in Johnston County, NC…

Clyde Langford

Clyde Langford of Centerville, Texas learned guitar from Joel “Thunder” Hopkins as a young boy. He grew up in the cotton fields and as a young man he joined the Army. Returning from service he began a career of digging wells by hand. Clyde never stopped playing his music. In…

Nora Milner

“I was born in December 27, 1918 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. I was put out in other people’s homes when I was eight years old. I had a white daddy and a brown skinned mama. My daddy was from well to do people but he never owned up to…

Whistlin’ Britches

“He is the only fellow I have heard who can pop and click his tongue like a bushman.” Tim Duffy Born: Winston-Salem, NC, 1932 Repertoire Summary: Acoustic Blues Current Location: Winston-Salem, NC Haskel Thompson was born in Winston-Salem, NC in 1932, and has lived there to this day. Captain Luke…

John Zeigler

John Lee Zeigler of Kathleen, Georgia plays the guitar left-handed, with the strings upside down, striking the bass strings with his index finger and the treble strings with his thumb. John is the most unique and pure Georgia blues artists performing today. He appeared at Blues Estafette in Holland in…