Roots Of American Music

06/23/2026

Thank you for your continued support! Join us tomorrow, 6/24, at Visible Voice Books as Taylor Lamborn celebrates the music of Bonnie Raitt as part of our Masters of American Music Series.

Photos by

06/17/2026

We're thrilled to announce that Travis Haddix will officially be joining Taylor Lamborn at this month's Masters of American Music event!

06/16/2026

We are grateful for this visit and excited for what is to come. Thank you for your visit and sharing such meaningful time with us, Mary Frances!

06/16/2026

8 Days!

“Roots of American Music continues its new Masters of American Music series—an ongoing concert and storytelling experience celebrating the artists who shaped the foundations of American music.

Held on the fourth Wednesday of each month, the series brings audiences into an intimate setting where music and storytelling come together, connecting listeners more deeply to the history behind the songs.

For the fourth program in this series, Taylor Lamborn will perform the music of Bonnie Raitt.”

https://www.rootsofamericanmusic.org/stories/june-24-masters-of-american-music-taylor-lamborn-celebrates-bonnie-raitt

06/16/2026

What happens when students trade screens for songs, movement, and creativity? 🎻✨

This year, students in our Montessori Music Residencies explored traditional American music through singing, dancing, songwriting, and collaboration. In our latest blog post, teaching artist Forrest Britt shares how students connected with bluegrass and Appalachian traditions while creating music of their own.

“Seeing young kids engaged in something acoustic and alive... moving, singing, creating together” was one of Forrest’s highlights of the residency.

Read more about the program’s impact and Forrest’s experience on the stories page of our website (https://www.rootsofamericanmusic.org/stories) and listen to his latest project with wherever you stream music! Contact [email protected] if you would like to learn about how to have a music residency in your learning environment.



📸: MairMade

05/28/2026

Thanks for packing the house at Visible Voice Books last night for Ray Flanagan and Mary Frances Hurt!

Save the Date June 24 for Taylor Lamborn presenting the music of Bonnie Raitt.
(Poster and event dropping shortly!)

📸: Michael Weil

05/27/2026

Today’s dose of why we love what we do!

This morning Halle Kindergarten had their graduation ceremony and Blues is the Backbone Teaching Artist, Brother Jack, joined them to celebrate with a song they worked on together during this semester’s program. So much joy in this room! Thank you Jack for sharing the joy and lessons of blues with this talented generation of students!

To Cleveland’s newest rising first graders, CONGRATS!!!

We’ll be singing our new favorite song all summer long.

05/25/2026

Mary Frances Hurt is the living legacy of Mississippi John Hurt. She's dedicated years to relocating his home, his church, building a festival and community of people who can celebrate her grandfather. She produced "A Man Called Hurt" in 2024, premiering it just months after the tragic fire that burnt down the museum where it took home first place at the Nashville Film Fest.

We're so honored to host Mary Frances this week at Visible Voice Books. Join us as we listen to some storytelling and Ray Flanagan will play us some songs!

Masters of American Music: Ray Flanagan Celebrates Mississippi John Hurt

What started out as a quick 15-minute video as a favor for a friend, ended up a star-studded, feature-length documentary that highlights the amazing and insp...

05/25/2026

Peter Chakerian Cleveland.com wrote an incredibly thoughtful article about Ray Flanagan’s latest Album, “My Mind is Burning Up” and added insight into the weight of how meaningful it will be to have Mary Frances Hurt join us on Wednesday.

Excerpt:
For Flanagan, Hurt isn’t just an influence; he is foundational and you can hear it in nearly everything he creates. Hurt’s syncopated fingerpicking style was adopted by many artists during the second half of the 20th Century and critical to a 1960s folk music revival.

Before discovering Hurt’s recordings a decade ago, Flanagan rarely played fingerstyle guitar. Hurt’s intricate but conversational approach to accompaniment — fluid, rhythmic and deeply human — reshaped how he played entirely.

“There’s something about the way those old blues guys could accompany themselves,” Flanagan said. “But John Hurt is just unique.”

That influence stretches beyond technique into songwriting philosophy itself. Through educational programs with Roots of American Music…Flanagan often performs Hurt’s “My Creole Belle” for schoolchildren and watched classrooms instinctively begin singing along. He calls it mindblowing.

“It’s one of those songs where kids just start singing it,” he said. “And it makes me think about your own songwriting. A song should make you want to sing it on its own.”

…

Mary Frances Hurt has since become a leading force in preserving not only her grandfather’s memory, but much of the broader historical and cultural significance surrounding it. When Flanagan learned she would appear alongside him at the event, the emotional weight hit like a ton of bricks.

The full article is available to read here: https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2026/05/new-album-in-tow-ray-flanagan-headlines-roots-of-american-music-event-at-visible-voice.html

Make sure to give Ray’s latest album a spin! https://rayflanagan.bandcamp.com/album/my-mind-is-burning-up

And buy tickets for THIS Wednesday!
https://secure.qgiv.com/for/rootsofamericanmusic/event/moamrfmjh/?utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demo0e5te1wt

Roots of American Music continues its new Masters of American Music series—an ongoing concert and storytelling experience celebrating the artists who shaped the foundations of American music.

05/13/2026

We’re excited to celebrate 250 years of American music with a number of live private and public events this summer! Our roster of talented artists can share their expertise on a diverse range of genres spanning the history of the US, including jazz, country, bluegrass, blues, folk, Americana, rock and roll, gospel, R&B, soul, hip hop, and much more.

If you or your organization are planning to honor “America 250” this year and need entertainment, don’t hesitate to contact Roots Of American Music:

[email protected]

📸: