Concert a Tribute to Bruce Piephoff
Proclaimed “Greensboro’s Father of Songwriting,” Bruce Piephoff was known for his own take on the Appalachian tradition of story songs and character portraits. Several musicians who knew him personally – and are excellent performers – are coming together on January 11 at R.A. Fountain General Store to pay tribute, having released an album of Piephoff’s music Riding the Stream. The show will be a live performance with the artists on the bill playing Piephoff songs.
Piephoff, who passed on April 1, 2024, was a singer, songwriter, poet, and the artist-in-residence at community colleges across North Carolina counties (and beyond), including Pitt. He recorded 25 albums, published 2 books, played everywhere from Merlefest to the Kennedy Center, and left an indelible mark on those who heard him.
The title song of the tribute album was inspired locally. Describing the song’s origin, Piephoff wrote. “It’s a song I wrote down east in North Carolina in Greenville about migrant workers ‘riding the stream’ up and down the east coast.’
The lyrics describe picking oranges in Florida before heading to North Carolina, “cropping tobacco and singing of the pain.” The song was originally recorded on his 2002 Slaughterhouse”CD.
Scott Sawyer (L) & Piephoff
Scott Sawyer, who was adjunct jazz faculty at East Carolina University for 12.5 years, will be performing at the concert. He spoke about his relationship and music collaboration with Piephoff:
Bruce was like an older brother to me. We started playing music together and we kind of clicked even though my background was very different from his because I’m not like a folk singer guy. I’m a guitar player and I’ve spent much of my adult life in the pursuit of performing jazz music, but I’ve always been interested in other music.
He was a very adventurous character, musically. He wasn’t your typical folk singer…he really listened to a lot of different music and he liked what I did, accompanying him on electric guitar while he played acoustic guitar. We ended up making a couple of records together that I helped produce.
He had been given a certificate from the mayor of Greensboro, where they basically proclaimed him the father of Greensboro songwriting. It was well deserved. I wish I was half as productive as Bruce was–he was constantly writing.
Bruce wasn’t just a folk singer and guitar player. He was a serious poet and writer. I mean a lot of the singer songwriters I think are poets, and a lot of them can write a catchy tune, and people like it, but there was a lot in Bruce’s work if you were willing to take a close look. Someone asked ‘Why do you like Bruce’s music so much?’ And I said, ‘Have you ever listened to the words?’
Claire Holley
Claire Holley, a longtime friend and collaborator of Piephoff, produced the tribute CD. She told how she chose the songs and musicians to include:
With the exception of one of the artists on this tribute, every person was a friend or collaborator of Bruce…and already had their songs picked out. In fairness, this collection certainly does not represent all of Bruce’s close musical friends over the decades of his career—it is a sampling and, I hope, a beginning. Part of the reason I called this tribute “Volume 1” is because I hope there will be others to come; Bruce certainly has enough songs for that to happen.
As for how we wanted to approach this record–I wanted the artists to feel the freedom to sing the songs in a way that felt true to their style. Doug Thompson’s take on ‘Notes to Knoxville,’ for instance, is pretty different than Bruce’s, but I think it works really well, and I think Bruce would’ve appreciated that. I wanted a spirit of generosity and room to experiment and dig a little in the studio. Did the song need a little piano? Great, Sam Frazier, hit it! Did Ranford’s version ‘Mad Song’ need a little harmony? Let’s try it! So much of the creative spirit and fun happened because the house band was ready and open to whatever we threw at them. Some songs didn’t need much. I’m glad we have Daniel Ayers take on ‘Razor’s Edge’ with just vocal, guitar and harmonica. And it seemed right for Martha Bassett’s lovely closer to hand off to Bruce’s own voice, as if he’s giving us his blessing with his poem, ‘Honky Tonk Stradivarius.
Is this a concert that only people who knew Piephoff personally will enjoy? Based on a sampling of Riding the Stream, it’s a concert that will leave audiences wishing they had known about Greensboro’s Father of Songwriting sooner–even as they delight in the talented musicians who are keeping his music alive.
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Originally published in the Greenville NC Daily Reflector January 8, 2025
