SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2013 - THE CAROLINA TIMES -f
Community Scene
Clubs & Socials
Durham’s Mature Adults Compete for the
Gold This Spring
Registralioufor Durham Senior Games 1 mlenvuv
Mature adulis-55 years old or better can fulfill their dream to win a
old medal at the 2014 Durham Senior Games and Silver Arts Show-
ie. I he competition will be held in various locations in Durham on
nil 21-May 3. . .5
Durham Senior Games and SilverArts Showcase is an Olympic
Ie competition designed to give mature adults the opportunity to
inpete in a host of athletic and a; istic aciivio . Fitness, fun and
inmunity building are among the me • ■ goals of the games. The
liners ot the SilverArts visual heritage and !itcrar\ competitions
II receive ribbons while the cheerleaders and performers receive
Io participate, athletes and artists must be a Durham resident or
a team with a person from Durham. Applications are available at
v Durham Parks and Recreation site including the main office on
D Cleveland Street or online www.DPRPIavMore.org.
The cost for the games ranges from $l2.50-$l9. Additional fees
ply for the gob and bowling. Farlv bird i j .iraias receive S2 off
■ registration fee from now through March 31. Ihe DSC registra-
n deadline is April 14.
Shirley C aesar
Celebrate Women’s History with North
Carolina Women who Made a Mark in Music
RAI.HIGH. — Whether it's the "Happiest Girl in the
Whole (ISA." or "Killing Me Softly with Ills Song."
North Carolina women have made it big in the music
world. Across genres of country, folk, bluegrass, pop.
rhythm and blues, or gospel, female singers from North
Carolina have won awards and respect worldw ide. Only a
few of the many are highlighted here.
Mount Airy's Donna l'argo's recording. "Happiest Girl
in the Whole (ISA" was one of the hits that kept her in
the Country lop 10 throughout the 1970s; Unlike many
ol her contemporaries, she wrote some of her songs, and
in recent times wrote poetry and greeting cards. Roberta
I lack of Asheville shared smooth jazz-based stylings that
kept "Killing Me Softly with His Song" on top of the
charts for lice weeks in 1973. and earned three Grammys,
including Record and Song of the Year, black continues
to perform today.
North Carolina women's involvement with the music
business goes back decades. In 1924. the Columbia Pho
nograph Company of New York recorded 12 songs of
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banjo player Samantha Biddix
Bumgarner. She was the first Appala
chian banjo player and the first female
country performer to make a commer
cial record. Some of the women can
trace the roots of their traditional mu
sic centuries back. Mary Jane Queen,
of Jackson Count), traced her lineage
to early settlers from Ulster. Ireland.
All of her family sang or played gui
tar or fiddle. Bessie Eldridge of Ashe
County, born in 1913. also carries on
traditional sones she has heard all her
life.
Women in blues also made them
selves heard. Piedmont blues guitar
ist Etta Baker of Caldwell County
inlluenced many musicians. She re
corded sporadically for more than
40 v ears, her last album in 1991 .Iki
songs "Railroad Bill" and "()ne Dime
Blues" are standards of the Piedmont
blues sound. But it was a move from
Belhaven. N.C. to Brooklyn. NA
that helped put Eva Nareussus Bowl
"Little Eva" on the map. She was .1
baby sitter for the songwriting team
of Carole King and Gerry Goflin and
recorded their song "Loco-motion" as
a demo. It became a number one pop
hit in 1962. and other hits followed.
Some other women moved to the
state and made a mark on the music
world. Singer-songwriter Emmylou
Harris is a native of Birmingham.
Ala., and attended 1 NC-Greensboro.
While there, she began performing in
coffee houses and clubs and released
several country albums in the 1970s.
111 19X0, she won a Grammy 10 r
"Roses in the Snow." Singer-song
writer lift Merrill moved to North
Carolina from lexas at an early age;,
and got her start in Triangle clubs
placing with bands like Iwo Dollar
Pistol. She won a songwriting contest
al Merlefest in 2000. Among her re
cordings is the Gramme-nominated
" I ambourine."
Singer-composer-pianist Nina Sim
one. ol I ry on. performed jazz, rhythm
a n d b 111 e s. a n d p r 01 e s i s o 11 g s i n I h e 19 6' > s.
Iler rendition of George Gershwin's
"I Loves You Porky" was a top 40 hit.
Simone made records into the 1990s.
fantasia Barrino, oflligh Point, won the
third season of American Idol in 2004.
singing "Summertime" from Gershwin s
Porky and Hess. In 2006, she received
four Grammy nominations and also has
starred on Broadway.
One of the most awarded of North
Carolina's musical mavens is gospel
singer Shirley ( aesar. of Durham. She
sang with ihe group the Caravans before
launching her solo career in 1966. Know n
asdic I i rs I I a d y 01 G 0 s pe I. s h e h a s b ee n
recognized wnh II Grammy awards. 17
I )ov e aw arils. 12 Stellar.\w arris, and w as
inducted into the Gospel I lull of I ante in
2000, I ler best know n songs include "No
C harge" anil Don't Drive Your Mama
Away." She has appearer! on Broadway
in Born to Sing and Mama. I Want to
Sing. She sen es as pastor of a Raleigh
church in addition to performing.
I or a more on North Carolina’s wom
en in music, including some fantastic
audio, visit ncrlcr.gov WomenlnMusie.
Ihe North Carolina Arts Council also
recognizes traditional musicians with
the North C arolina Heritage Award, and
guidebooks including "Blue Ridge Mu
sic frails o f N o rt h Carolina" and "Af
rican American Music i I s o f E a s te rn
North Carolina." Ihe A Council is.a
division of Ihe N.C. Deparim at ofCul-
lural Resources.