Mark Gooch Commercial Photography, Birmingham, Alabama and Mississippi professional advertising
Mark Gooch Commercial Photography, Birmingham, Alabama and Mississippi professional advertising
People Southern Artist Travels in the Southern US
portrait of Willie King, blues musician from Old Memphis in Pickens County Alabama. First guitar was improvised by fastening bailing wire to a broom handle. He was the subject of a Dutch documentary film Down in the Woods portrait of Poarch Creek Indian Gail Thrower. Accomplished maker of pine needle baskets. She was an expert on Native American Foodways and knowing the traditional uses of wild plants and herbs. portrait of Henry Japheth Jackson of Ozark Alabama. He was a leader in the African-American Sacred Harp community of southeast Alabama. He learned the music from his Father, the famous Judge Jackson, who authored The Colored Sacred Harp in 1934. Portrait of Birmingham folk artist Joe Minter, aka, The Peace Maker Birmingham Alabama folk artist Joe Minter's sculpture garden portrait of Jerry Brown of Hamilton, Alabama. He is a ninth generation potter. He makes primarily utilitarian forms such as jugs, churns, and bowls, as well as face jugs and other figural forms. portrait of James Bryan who is considered one of the nations finest old-time fiddlers, bringing a rich tone and intense feeling to a highly traditional style of fiddling. He began playing at age 11, learning from his father Joe, an old-time musician himself. Encouraged by his father, James learned from many of Alabama's Sand Mountains old-time fiddlers portrait of Wayne Heard of Henagar, Alabama, learned to play the dobro more than 65 years ago. Like many other Sand Mountain musicians, he learned from a relative, his uncle Marvin. Heard plays a large repertoire of traditional songs and tunes. He is a fine songwriter as well. Wayne Heard of Henagar learned to play the dobro more than 65 years ago. Like many other Sand Mountain musicians, he learned from a relative, his uncle Marvin. Heard plays a large repertoire of traditional songs and tunes. He is a fine songwriter as well. portrait of Jerry Rogers grew up in a family where, he said, music was as important as the three Rs. He learned fiddling from his grandfather, Benny Rogers, who taught him many tunes. portrait of Jeff Sheppard who is a highly respected singing master in the Denson book tradition and has served as president of the Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association and on the music committee of the Sacred Harp Publishing Company. portrait of Joe Bob Traylor of Woodland, Alabama. He makes what he calls "primitive furniture" he constructs the chairs, rockers, swings, and other forms that are traditionally made from willow. portrait of Gwen Chafin of Arab, Alabama.She was a student of her father Jesse Thomason and later developed as a master artist in her own right. He taught her how to use white oak strips to bottom chairs and to construct several basket types, including the intricate egg basket. portrait of Dennis George, from Fyffe. He is a native of Sand Mountain, is a talented musician who plays mandolin, guitar, fiddle and dobro. George is an original member of the Melody Men, a southern gospel group that was once featured on A Prairie Home Companion. In addition to old-time string music, George is also a singer of both Sacred Harp and seven-shape note gospel convention music and is a published songwriter of the latter genre. He was one of the Sacred Harp singers featured on the soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain. Quilter Annie Mae Young was born in 1928 in Wilcox County and grew up as one of 12 children in a farming family. She learned to make quilts from her mother, Lula Pettway, by sewing together strips of old clothing. Mrs. Young is one of the most well-known Gees Bend quilters. Her quilts have traveled to museums across the country with The Quilts of Gees Bend exhibit and one of her quilts was depicted in the American Treasures stamp series issued by the U.S. Postal Service. portrait of Allen Ham. He is one of the Ham family of potters who have been making pottery in Alabama for more than 150 years. He is the also the grandson of potter Hendon Miller and was trained mainly in his maternal grandfathers shop in Brent. portrait of Mary Hicks and daughter Annette Jordan. Mary Hicks of Eutaw in Greene County is a practitioner of pine needle basketry. From the late Mabel Means, she learned to make basic coiled baskets out of bundles of pine needles bound together with thread or raffia. But she has expanded her work, adding decorative elements, such as corn shuck bows, and coming up with her own designs. In addition to baskets she now makes hats, placemats, letter holders and purses. portrait of Cast King who grew up on Sand Mountain where he formed his first band around the age of 15, which played for local audiences. He performed in a succession of bands after that, playing bluegrass and country music throughout the region. I guess I rode a million miles under a bass fiddle, he recalled. As the founder and leader of Cast King and the Country Drifters, he recorded a number of sides for Sun Records in the early 1950s. An accomplished guitarist and fiddler, he has also written more than 500 songs Novelist Denzil Strickland. portrait of Gene Ivey of Ider, Alabama. Quilter Annie Mae Young was born in 1928 in Wilcox County and grew up as one of 12 children in a farming family. She learned to make quilts from her mother, Lula Pettway, by sewing together strips of old clothing. Mrs. Young is one of the most well-known Gees Bend quilters. Her quilts have traveled to museums across the country with The Quilts of Gees Bend exhibit and one of her quilts was depicted in the American Treasures stamp series issued by the U.S. Postal Service. portrait of Odessa Rice of Eutaw, Alabama. Pine neetle basket maker. She gathers the pine needles and boils them in a solution of water, salt and vinegar. This gives them a gloss and helps to preserve them. It takes her three to four hours to make a small basket by bundling pine needles together, wrapping thread around them and forming coils that she sews together, adding more pine straw as she goes. portrait of William Bailey.The Poarch community of Creek Indians near Atmore is Alabamas only federally recognized Native American tribe. For more than a decade, William Bailey has been instrumental in bringing Creek elders from Oklahoma to teach the language and to help reintroduce traditions that were no longer practiced in Alabama.
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