Music Maker Relief Foundation – Bid on a Fender Strat signed by Bonnie Raitt!

Music Maker will be auctioning off a Fender guitar on the upcoming Blues Cruise – and Bonnie Raitt will sign and dedicate the guitar to the winning bidder!

This American Deluxe Stratocastor was donated by Fender Musical Instrument Corp. and has a MSRP of $2000! Music Maker will have the unsigned guitar available for view on the Blues Cruise, and will take care of shipping it to Bonnie and then back to the winning bidder. In addition to Bonnie’s guitar donation to the auction, her good friend and old touring buddy Jackson Browne made a charitable gift to challenge blues lovers to support MMRF and the Foundation’s efforts to keep the blues alive. We thank Bonnie and Jackson, members of the MMRF Advisory Board, as well as Fender and the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise for all they do to support the Blues!

If you’d like to bid on the guitar but aren’t going on the Blues Cruise, you can still get in on the action! Just submit your top bid to Denise Duffy at denise@musicmaker.org or by phone at 919-643-2456 by 5pm, January 20th.

This week’s dig was chosen by Tim. “Southland Blues,” by Guitar Gabriel, was recorded in the basement of a now-defunct Durham bar called “Under The Street.” The bartender, a friend of Tim’s, left the beer and liquor cabinet open for three days during the recording session. It was in that time that Tim and Gabe laid down one of the seminal recordings of the Music Maker label and the beginning of our extensive and lauded catalog. “Southland Blues” is Guitar Gabriel’s reflection on his youth growing up in the South. He was a truly incredible songwriter with the ability to write songs on the spot. It’s no exaggeration to so say that his songwriting was on par with that of the greats, like Lightnin’ Hopkins or Howlin’ Wolf. This and several other great recordings can all be found on Deep in the South, originally released on cassette and later rereleased on Cello Records in 1998.

Check out the track above, and enjoy!

— Aaron & Corinne