The Lyndon House Arts Center, Historic Athens, and Athens Cultural Affairs Commission present "African American Music Heritage in Athens: an Evening of Presentations," on Thursday, January 9, 2020 from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

In celebration of the upcoming launch of the Athens Music Walk of Fame, the community is invited to a night of musical education to listen and learn about the history and the rich contributions of Black music and musicians in the Athens area. There will be three speakers followed by questions, conversation, and refreshments.

Mr. Art Rosenbaum will be sharing his knowledge of folk musicians such as Joe Rakestraw who served in the war and returned to a segregated South. Mr. Rosenbaum is an artist, as well as a collector and performer of traditional American folk music. He has written a number of books including Shout Because You're Free: The African American Ring Shout Tradition on the Coast of Georgia (1998), published by the University of Georgia Press. He was awarded a Grammy in 2008 for Best Historical Album for his music collection Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum. A performer on a variety of folk instruments, he has written and illustrated two instruction books on traditional banjo styles; and his own playing and singing can be heard on several solo and group CDs.

Mr. Gregory Hull, is the Pre-K Coordinator at the Clarke County School District and Choir Master at Hill Chapel Baptist Church. Mr. Hull will be presenting Athens/Classic City Scared Music in the African American Tradition. Mr. Hull will share the stories and accomplishments of musicians such as the highly regarded African American choral director Hall Johnson, recording artist Reverend W.A. Billups, and coral groups such as the Athens Voices of Truth and the Howard Sisters.

Mary Helen Hoque is a Ph.D. candidate in Musicology at the University of Georgia. Her research interests broadly explore identity and agency in American music, including previous work as diverse as compositional practices in late 19th-century American operetta and gender in country music. Her dissertation research explores how identity and citizenship are expressed through musical activity in the American South during Reconstruction. She will be presenting her research on the life and music of George Davis, the Athens native and Reconstruction-era African American barber and bugler.