MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MUSEUM EXHIBITION, COMPREHENSIVE 2CD SET, NEW BOOK, AND MORE

Music Maker Relief Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, which supports traditional, southern musicians who are living in poverty, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2014. Music Maker has assisted hundreds of artists with emergency aid and performance opportunities, and their label has released 166 albums since Tim and Denise Duffy founded it in 1994.

Taj Mahal, Music Maker advisory board member and strong advocate of the organization, said, "Through the efforts of the Music Makers Relief Foundation, these amazing people and artists have been able to live dignified lives. In many cases they were rediscovered during their golden years by Tim and Denise Duffy, then given the joy of new recognition by their families, peers and fans world-over!"

Music Maker has planned a series of events to commemorate the anniversary:

+ April 4 – Kickoff event at The Crunkleton, Chapel Hill, NC featuring Ironing Board Sam.

+ April 14 – Performances by Ironing Board Sam and David Bryant at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, MS.

+ July – August 2014 – We Are the Music Makers museum exhibit on view at New York  Public Library

+ September 2014 – Release of We Are the Music Makers: Preserving the Soul of America's Music book on Nautilus Press

+ September 2014 – Release of 2CD set 'We Are The Music Makers.'

+ October 3 – Official Launch of We Are the Music Makers exhibit at the Arts Center in

Carrboro, NC.

+ October 3 – 4 – Music Maker Reunion Weekend in Carrboro and Hillsborough, NC.

Written by the Duffys, the book features over 65 photographs taken by Tim Duffy over the past 20 years of artists he has worked with, along with the stories and songs of these musicians. Tim Duffy's previous book, Portraits and Songs from the Roots of America, was released in 2002 and sold 15,000 copies.

A 20th Anniversary compilation album will also be released on the Music Maker label in September 2014. The 44-track collection includes Taj Mahal, Guitar Gabriel, John Dee Holeman, Etta Baker, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Leyla McCalla, Ironing Board Sam, and many others, with over two hours of music.

The traveling exhibit will include photographs from the book alongside field recordings and music from Music Maker's archive and will lead viewers on a journey of discovery through the often-overlooked artists of the American South.

About Music Maker Relief Foundation and a timeline of its history