Bill Myers and Dick Knight are both members of the renowned NC jazz band The Monitors, and this year they’ll close out the Music of the Carolinas series together as the duo Two of a Kind. Myers is the leader and co-founder of The Monitors, and he is the last original member still with the group – he plays piano, saxophone, flute and vibes, in addition to directing, arranging and composing music. Knight plays trumpet, alto saxophone, and flugel horn, and he is a vocalist from Kinston, NC. Myers and Knight are both featured on the African-American Music Trail in Eastern North Carolina, and Myers’ life story was featured on NPR. In 2009, Knight was honored by the city of Kinston for his outstanding work with the music and children in his community. In 2014, Myers received the prestigious North Carolina Heritage Award. Don’t miss these two outstanding musicians at the Museum of History!
While you’re at the Museum, make sure you take some time to explore the Museum’s new temporary exhibit “Hey America!”: Eastern North Carolina and the Birth of Funk. The exhibit will be newly open (it opens June 6, 2015) and features audio and video clips that help illuminate the roles of African American musicians from eastern North Carolina who played prominent roles in the creation of funk—a genre of highly danceable music that helped integrate dance floors across America during the mid- to late-1960s.
Leave yourself extra time to find parking downtown for this event – Raleigh will also be hosting a food truck rodeo on Fayetteville Street from 1-6 p.m. on the same afternoon – you can make a day of it: try some food truck fare, head to the Museum for some exhibit exploring and the concert, then head over to Tir na nOg for the Irish session (or sample a second round of food trucks!) – and on your way home, tune in to the PineCone Bluegrass Radio Show on WQDR 94.7-FM Learn more about the food truck rodeo
