SLIDESHOW: Jerry Harrison at Music Maker Studios

Eastern North Carolina is home to an extraordinary community of gospel and sacred soul singers – artists whose musical roots reach back hundreds of years, their songs and singing style passed from generation to generation. As Zoe van Buren, Folklife Director at the North Carolina Arts Council, put it:

“Styles flourish in Eastern North Carolina that singers in other areas have abandoned as too old-fashioned. It’s not that musicians in this area aren’t conversant in the full range of contemporary sacred music — from inspirational R&B and holy hip-hop to slick Nashville-produced praise music — it’s just that they still find power and vitality in the music their elders taught them.”

We chose rural Fountain, NC to be the home of Music Maker Studios largely so we could better serve this large, yet under-resourced musical community. So it was fitting that, last month, we welcomed a local gospel legend to record an album with us: Jerry Harrison!

Jerry’s group, Jerry Harrison and Faith, also includes Kevin Ray Mitchner, Clifton Richardson, Alfonzo Wilson, Mikell Williamson, and Kevin Greene. These men have been performing at churches and other venues across the region for nearly 30 years, and frequently collaborate with the Vines family. We can’t wait to share their immense talents with you.

See Jerry and his band members in action in the slideshow below. Look for their album in 2028 from Music Maker Foundation!