Music in the Gardens
Music Maker Revue: Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen & Big Ron Hunter

Wednesday, July 29, 2015 | 7:00 pm

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Music Maker Relief Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Hillsborough, NC, dedicated to helping the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of the blues gain recognition and meet their day-to-day needs. The organization is currently commemorating its 20th anniversary and in celebration has collaborated with Duke Performances’ Music in the Gardens for a series of multi-artist summer concerts.

We close our 2015 season in the Gardens with a double-bill of artists who have been supported by the Music Maker Relief Foundation: Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen was a long time fixture on the New Orleans blues scene until Hurricane Katrina forced her from her home; with the help of Music Maker, she’s managed to resettle in her home state of North Carolina. “Mother Blues” is a fine blues belter with a brassy stage presence that rivals her idols Koko Taylor and Etta James. Big Ron Hunter was born the son of a sharecropper in Winston Salem, and mentored in the country blues by the legendary Guitar Gabriel. Big Ron plays both acoustic and electric guitar and croons a jubilant, good-time blues in a warm and disarming tenor.

Music in the Gardens concerts take place rain or shine on the lawn behind the Gardens’ Visitor Center. Lawn chairs, picnics, and blankets are encouraged. Dogs are not allowed. Outside food and beverages, including beer and wine, are permitted and also will be available for purchase on-site. The lawn will open at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.

Music in the Gardens presentations are excluded from Pick-Four discount.
Duke Performances’ Music in the Gardens is made possible, in part, with support from Duke Continuing Studies, Duke Summer Session, and the Sarah P. Duke Gardens.