Remembering Blind Boy Fuller
Friday, August 08 2008
by Frank Stasio and Lindsay Thomas
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Fuller, c. mid-1930s, from the collection of Paul Oliver.
In the 1930s, it was common for Durham’s tobacco factory laborers to kick back to the sounds of Piedmont blues artists. The most popular was Fulton "Blind Boy Fuller" Allen, a young guitarist whose ragtime tunes and skillful finger-picking attracted huge crowds. Today, Blind Boy Fuller's influence is reflected in the sounds of countless musicians, including the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones. Host Frank Stasio explores the artist’s life and legacy and the explosion of the Piedmont blues with Glenn Hinson, chair of UNC-CH's Folklore Curriculum; Joe Newberry, public information officer for the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources; Tim Duffy, founder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation; and blues guitarist Boo Hanks. This program was originally broadcast on February 20, 2008
