The Legacy of Odell and Joe Thompson
Hook & Line—The Thompson Music & Arts Heritage Festival is a celebration of the musical legacy of the extended Thompson Family of Alamance and Orange Counties, NC, particularly the world-renowned Thompson first-cousins, Odell Thompson (1911-1994) and Joe Thompson (1918-2012).
Check out the Joe Thompson Legacy Exhibit at the Mebane Historical Museum here!
https://www.mebanehistoricalmuseum.org/joe-thompson-legacy-exhibit
Almost The Last Black String Band
“People loved to see us come”
-Joe Thompson, 2008
Cousin to Joe Thompson, Iris Thompson Chapman Ph.D., produced “The Life and Times of Joe Thompson” (2004). Check it out here!
https://www.folkstreams.net/films/life-and-times-of-joe-thompson
Leading the Next Generation
One of our partners for Hook & Line, Rhiannon Giddens, was a founding member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a black string band founded in 2006 inspired by Joe Thompson’s music. Today, Rhiannon and CCD co-founder Justin Robinson continue making music and inspiring future generations.
Joe Thompson loved to tell folks about how he learned to play “Hook & Line ” at the age of 6. Here, Hook & Line music headliners Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson perform the song.