African-American Country Music History & Cowboy Lore through Sunday December 14 at Berkeley Public Library

DeFord Bailey Legacy Festival December 13-15 at Freight & Salvage

Bay Area folks! Dom Flemons and Vania Kinard are curating a music festival and library exhibit celebrating the history of African-American Cowboy Culture and Country Music. The weekend of music (December 13th through the 15th) will be at the historic Freight and Salvage Venue in Berkeley. The visual exhibit is currently up through Saturday, December 14 at the Berkeley Public Library and features historic memorabilia, albums, books, clothing from the private collection of Dom Flemons and Vania Kinard.

I am excited to share that I created the promotional poster graphic for the Berkeley Library Exhibit featured in the large vinyl sign at the entrance of the library. I plan to record a video sharing how I made this poster using historic public domain available vintage photos as well as free AI software and put it together in Photoshop so sign up for this blog if you’re interested in it because I will share it on this blog when completed in the next couple weeks. I also included a video from the Berkeley Public Library where Vania and Dom share about the exhibit.

If you click on the individual photos below, I’ve linked to the website where you can get information or tickets about each event over the next week. I’ve also included below the text from the press release from Freight and Salvage detailing about the Music Festival. Please share widely so that more people can learn about this important part of American history.

Freight & Salvage is proud to present the inaugural DeFord Bailey Legacy Festival, honoring the harmonica virtuoso’s impactful legacy as the first Black star of the Grand Ole Opry, and , commemorating the harmonica virtuoso’s remarkable contributions to country music and beyond.

Born in rural Tennessee on December 14, 1899, Bailey overcame extreme poverty (his grandparents were slaves), childhood polio, and the pernicious racism of the Jim Crow Era to become one of the most popular and influential musicians of the 1930s. While his contributions were then overlooked or whitewashed from the history books for decades, Bailey was finally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His enduring and distinguished legacy continues to inspire and delight listeners and musicians to this day.

Curated by Grammy® award-winning artist Dom Flemons and Freight Artistic Director Peter Williams, this 3-day festival includes talks, workshops, interviews, free community events, and evening concerts.

In addition, the Freight has partnered with the Berkeley Public Library to present Westward Bound, an exhibit of art and craft highlighting African-American country music history and country lore, curated by Vania Kinard.

Along with paying homage to Bailey, the festival also aims to foster cultural engagement among regional traditional music enthusiasts while reaching out to new audiences, including BIPOC communities, school-age individuals, and young adults. The festival’s diverse programming seeks to create an inclusive space for all to appreciate and celebrate the rich heritage of Black country music.

2090 Kittredge St. (at Shattuck)
Berkeley, CA 94704

Curator-Led Tour of Westward Bound Exhibit

December 14, 2024 – 10:30 am-12:00 pm

Central Library Art & Music/5th Floor

Central Library

Go on a live tour of the Westward Bound: African-American Country Music History & Cowboy Lore exhibit by curator Vania Kinard and Grammy award winning musician, Dom Flemons. Vania and Dom created this exhibit to celebrate the pioneers of American roots music and Western history. This exhibit features a display of artifacts, including photographs, instruments, books, and memorabilia from their collection. Visitors will get a glimpse into the often-overlooked history of Black cowboys and some of the trailblazers in country music. The display cases feature prominent figures such as Bass Reeves and Bill Pickett, alongside the musical legacies of black country artists ranging from DeFord Bailey, Solomon Burke, and Linda Martell to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album. Westward Bound: African American Country Music History & Cowboy Lore exhibit offers a unique opportunity to explore the connections between black western culture and its influence on American history.