Your support in action: Little Freddie King

Senior artists like New Orleans blues legend Little Freddie King know all too well how suddenly life can change. Serious injuries, skyrocketing rent, and disappearing gigs can quickly spell disaster – even for those who have spent decades enriching our culture.

Luckily, generous music lovers like you have their back through life’s twists and turns.

2025 was a rollercoaster year for Little Freddie King. Freddie has long been a fixture of the Big Easy blues scene, performing at every New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and regularly featured on the city’s premier club circuit.

This year, at age 85, he released a new album and even had a cameo in the film Spinal Tap II. But he also suffered a severe injury in a bike accident this September, which left him partially paralyzed. While he is slowly regaining his movement, he hasn’t been able to perform since September, leaving his meager Social Security checks as his only source of income.

Just this month, life threw him another curveball: The Musicians’ Village, an affordable housing community for New Orleans tradition-bearers built after Hurricane Katrina, was sold by the nonprofit that runs it. Residents were informed by the new management that their rent would increase significantly. Freddie, who was an original resident of the Musicians’ Village and has lived there for 20 years, recently learned that his rent would double in 2026.

This would be difficult for anyone – but for a newly disabled 85-year-old living on a fixed income, this news was devastating.

Thankfully, you were there to help.

When we learned about this, Music Maker sprang into action. Your support made it possible for us to commit to paying Freddie’s increased rent through June 2026. While there is still work to be done to make sure Freddie can keep a roof over his head, this will buy him valuable time to recover and figure out his next move.

This would not be possible without your support. From all of us at Music Maker, thank you for supporting our work uplifting the unsung heroes of American music.

If you haven’t already, please consider making a gift online, via check, or through your donor-advised fund or IRA by December 31st. Your gift will be matched 1:1 up to $100,000. With your help, we can continue serving artists like Freddie through 2026 – and for decades to come.

Happy holidays from the Music Maker team!