Here I went lamenting how underappreciated Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup is and came to find out that the commonwealth of Virginia plans to honor him. With a highway historic marker, but hey, it’s better than the current nothing. I think this is what folks call “manifesting” which is a hyper-realistic and super non-toxic life philosophy that I’ll have to mansplain more tediously in a future post.
The important thing is that sometime in the next 8-12 months, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources plans to unveil a historic marker on the Eastern Shore to the effect that a great man lies buried nearby. I’m glad they finally got to it, after marking various other locations including but not limited to the burial site of Stonewall Jackson, the burial site of Stonewall Jackson’s arm, and the burial site of Stonewall Jackson’s horse. Story link.
I was definitely not sitting around googling myself when I stumbled upon the recently revealed cover of the forthcoming Blind Boys of Alabama book, Spirit of the Century, but apparently it’s available for pre pre pre pre pre-order now for a surprise delivery next March. Do it. The cover is gorgeous, the guts are better.
As exciting as I find these announcements to be, they’re not what I teased in my last newsletter—that is that I’m hosting a totally new and different kind of experience this fall in Memphis.
I’m billing it as the Rock ’n’ Roll Writing Retreat. It’s open to writers and researchers of any medium or level. The big theme is sense of place, which is something I’ve always hungered to share with readers but find it virtually impossible to achieve adequately. So, I want to explore Southern music, culture, and history with fellow devotees. Most retreats focus on quiet and work-shopping, which will certainly be a part of this, but on top of that I want to provide content, inspiration, and skills to build your craft.
As of now, authors Charles Hughes, Ralph Eubanks, and Robert Gordon have agreed to be part of the retreat. We’ve lined up a special tour of the Stax Museum and I’ll be twisting Robert’s or Charles’ arm to join us. I have a few feelers out for some behind-the-scenes experiences that you won’t find in Lonely Planet. My research on the current Before Elvis book has put me in touch with even more interesting people and places than I’ve previously known about and I’ll really enjoy taking folks through the secret history of American music there.
I hope to hear from you if you’re interested in taking part. If you can’t do that, please help by sharing the link on social media and telling your friends how depressed you are that you have a wedding that week but that they really should go.
Details are at rockinretreats.info
Finally, a shout out to my favorite soul deejay, the one and only Rum Cove, pictured here in more of a coffee cove. He recently received honors as the country’s best indie radio host, which you should verify for yourself by listening to the Soulful Situation Mondays from noon-2pm EST on wtju.net.
Mr. Lauterbach!!! I interviewed you for radio many, many years ago - I believe before a talk you gave in Indy, but believe it or not, I first learned about Indiana Avenue from The Chitlin Circuit, which I read while we still lived in Savannah. Now, here I still am - I am now the local Morning Edition host for the NPR station here. I am glad I found you here, as I had hoped to talk to you briefly for a piece I am working on about plans that were just announced for a new Black rock and roll festival that will be in Indy in the Spring of '24. I would like to incorporate The Avenue's rock and roll history into the piece, if you'd like to chat about that for a few. Thanks for everything you have done to remind us where the music really came from!
Looking forward to the book. Loved Chitlin' Circuit. The Blind Boys have a new album coming out 8 Sept. on Single Lock for those that don't know. https://www.singlelock.com/news/2023/6/13/a-brand-new-blind-boys-of-alabama-record-out-august-25