Saturday September 21, 2024

FRANK HAMILTON SCHOOL PLAYERS Frank Hamilton is one of the founding figures in the American Folk Music tradition. In addition to gathering and performing folk songs, recording with The Weavers, Pete Seeger, Odetta, and The Clancy Brothers, and working as a studio musician in Los Angeles, he co-founded Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music in 1957. In 2015, he co-founded the Frank Hamilton School in Atlanta—a place where people of all ages can come together to share, learn, and celebrate music. Based on the idea that music is a natural birthright shared by everyone, the school strives to make learning accessible and enjoyable, bringing students and teachers together in a caring and supportive musical community. Continuing the magic of his 90th birthday celebration, Frank will lead the audience in a sing-along of well-loved folk songs, interspersed with a few fiddle tunes played by musicians from the school. VERONIKA JACKSON Veronika Jackson started her music career singing in school choirs at the age of ten. In her teens, her love for acoustic folk and R&B music grew as she followed such artists as Odetta, Dolly Parton, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Joan Baez, Ella Fitzgerald, and, later, Diamond Teeth Mary, a blues performer who inspired many folk artists through her performances at the Florida Folk Festival. Veronika has combined acoustic folk music and R&B to create her own unique music. She has shared her talents with audiences at venues and festivals throughout the South and Northeastern states and across the Atlantic Ocean. The Woman I Am, her latest CD, is a compilation of her original compositions and some favorite songs she enjoys performing. “Her stage presence and sound have a sincerity that will grace your heart.” “Her performances take you to another place and time.”