News
June 4th Creative Alliance Recap
Hugh and Zane, with cousin Dave Reed, had the audience on its feet screaming for more, when they opened for Hazel Dickens on June 4th at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance at the Patterson.
The concert was part of Urban Appalachia: From the Mountains to Baltimore and Back, in which the Creative Alliance showcased the music, stories, and other art forms of Appalachians who migrated to Baltimore in search of work during the Depression, bringing their mountain culture with them. It honored Ola Belle Campbell Reed, our aunt and a talented songwriter and performer, best known for “High on a Mountain” and “I’ve Endured.”
Creative Alliance also exhibited some of Hugh and Zane’s folk-art furniture (see Campbell Furniture on Flickr on Hugh and Zane’s page to see some of the pieces they exhibited). Also on display were photos that Leon Kagarise took of New River Ranch and Sunset Park, country music parks that became gathering places for Appalachian migrants during the 1950s and 60s. The Campbell family owned New River Ranch, and Ola Belle and Alex were the hosts. They also were the house band at Sunset Park for several decades.
This show did indeed showcase the talents of our family.
Hugh returned to Creative Alliance on June 10th to perform in Maryland Traditions’ Maryland Masters Showcase. He was an apprentice to Burton DeBusk, a Virginian who migrated to Cecil County, Maryland, after the Depression and brought his music with him. As leader of the DeBusk-Weaver Family, Burton recorded several albums, including one for Smithsonian Folkways. He is an exceptional guitar picker and gospel singer.
Hugh learned well from Burton and again impressed the Creative Alliance audience when he and the DeBusk-Weaver Family presented soulful renderings of such gospel classics as “Gloryland” and “Angel Band.”
Cousin Dave Reed will be a Master in this program next year, teaching banjo picking to a fortunate apprentice.
Maryland Traditions’ Maryland Masters: Down the Street, Around the World is a wonderful program. In partnership with Maryland State Arts Council and the Maryland Historical Trust, they showcase a wide variety of folk and traditional talent, including verbal, musical, visual, occupational, and religious. For more information about Maryland Traditions, see www.marylandtraditions.org.
Maryland Traditions also presented the ALTA awards (not named for a member of our family, unfortunately) earlier that evening. The award, Achievement in Living Traditions and Arts (ALTA), was named for Dr. Alta Schrock, founder of Penn Alps and Spruce Forest Artisan Village. It honors the people, places, and traditions that preserve our state’s traditions.
Zane painted the frames for the ALTA awards.
We like the Creative Alliance and hope to see Hugh, Zane, and Dave on their stage again.
For more information on shows at the Creative Alliance, see www.creativealliance.org.
