HINTON Algia Mae 1999
Algia Mae Hinton doesn't stand still while she plays the blues: for her, blues and dancing are natural partners. Born in 1929 in Johnston County, NC; the daughter of Alexander and Ollie O'Neal (a local legend whose musical skills were so extraordinary that many believed she'd made a pact with the devil), she began playing guitar at age nine, and as a teen was a fixture at area dances and house parties.
But her family modeled another talent not typically mentioned about other musicians -they were buckdancers. Hinton learned to buckdance by watching her older siblings, parents and other relatives. Often she and her brothers and sisters would compete with each other, and Hinton proved her ability to play the guitar while dancing, never stepping out of rhythm or making a mistake.
She was the youngest of fourteen children and worked the fields from an early age. Her musical and agricultural upbringing set the stage for her adult life. Life proved more difficult after Hinton stepped out of the shelter of home.
Algia married Millard Hinton in 1950. Her husband died in 1965, forcing Algia to raise her seven children alone by working long hours, managing the family tobacco farm. Fairly recently, a fire raged through her house, destroying her home and belongings. While her music did not contribute much financially to her needs, its comfort guided her through at least ten years of harrowing troubles.
Hinton enjoys teaching her children the art of music and dancing, and her son Willette shows promise of continuing the family tradition. Many of her twelve grandchildren have also learned a little buckdancing, and some have shown interest in playing the guitar. Since 1978, when she played at the North Carolina Folklife Festival, Hinton has traveled up and down the east coast, entertaining audiences. She has appeared at the National Folk Festival, the Chicago University Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. Her dancing has even inspired some of her audiences, who like to dance in the aisles during her performances. In 1997, Hinton finally released her debut LP, Honey Babe.
She was the youngest of fourteen children and worked the fields from an early age. Her musical and agricultural upbringing set the stage for her adult life. Life proved more difficult after Hinton stepped out of the shelter of home.
Algia married Millard Hinton in 1950. Her husband died in 1965, forcing Algia to raise her seven children alone by working long hours, managing the family tobacco farm. Fairly recently, a fire raged through her house, destroying her home and belongings. While her music did not contribute much financially to her needs, its comfort guided her through at least ten years of harrowing troubles.
Hinton enjoys teaching her children the art of music and dancing, and her son Willette shows promise of continuing the family tradition. Many of her twelve grandchildren have also learned a little buckdancing, and some have shown interest in playing the guitar. Since 1978, when she played at the North Carolina Folklife Festival, Hinton has traveled up and down the east coast, entertaining audiences. She has appeared at the National Folk Festival, the Chicago University Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. Her dancing has even inspired some of her audiences, who like to dance in the aisles during her performances. In 1997, Hinton finally released her debut LP, Honey Babe.
Algia Mae HINTON 1999 Honey BabeAlgia Mae was born 1929 and this album was recorded in 1999!
No comments:
Post a Comment