Following in the steps of the legendary fiddlin' John Carson, a Cabbagetown resident credited with releasing the first country music record in history "Little Log Cabin In the Lane" in 1923, Brookshire has worked to keep the traditional sound and quality of Appalachian music alive. In addition, she is a successful and important community activist, providing support and advocacy for the poor, the homeless, troubled teens, and others down on their luck. She has recorded three full length albums (the two most recent are available on CD at www.cdbaby.com) and has been on various compilations with other artists. Her songs have also been featured in plays, films, and she was nominated for a Georgia Emmy award in 1987. Brookshire's crystal clear voice and perfect pitch is a joy to behold, and her lyrics are rich with historical imagery and emotion. Cabbagetown is very proud of her many life achievements and honors, which are well deserved.
Senate Resolution 1333
By: Senator Nan Orrock of the 36th
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing and commending Joyce Brookshire; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS, Joyce Brookshire's music is a portrait of her life and the life of her community, the Cabbagetown Mill Village in the heart of downtown Atlanta, where she was born and raised; and
WHEREAS, in the 1880's folks from the North Georgia mountains moved to Atlanta and began to work at the Fulton Bag and Cotton Mill, and Joyce's family was among those who brought their rural way of life to build a new community in the city; and
WHEREAS, Joyce's musical influences were many, including her father, a truck driver, who played guitar and sang in a quartet at the family church; neighbor Grace Mote, who played Kitty Wells and Webb Pierce on one of the first record players in the neighborhood; and the rhythm and blues and rock and roll music of the 1950's; and
WHEREAS, Joyce began writing songs at age ten and hasn't quit since; and
WHEREAS, in the early 1970's Joyce went to work at The Patch, a drop-in center for kids in crisis in the Cabbagetown neighborhood, and it was there that she met Esther LeFever, who was to have a major impact on Joyce's life as she was a folk singer, political activist, ex-Mennonite, and friend to the poor and disadvantaged and greatly nurtured Joyce's talent as a songwriter and performer; and
WHEREAS, in the 1970's and 1980's Joyce toured with folk legend Guy Carawan and lived in the Knoxville, Tennessee, area for several years playing with her band the Phantoms of the Opry with Phyllis Boyens, who played Loretta Lynn's mother in the movie Coal Miner's Daughter; and
WHEREAS, Joyce has used her songs to express not only her own feelings, but to become a voice for the hungry, the homeless, and the poor; and
WHEREAS, along with the Indigo Girls and other noted Atlanta musicians, Joyce is featured on the infamous Don't Eat Out of Dented Cans album produced by WRFG Radio; and
WHEREAS, her music has been featured in the theatrical productions Cabbagetown: Three Women, Ponce de Leon, Blood on Blood, and Texas Two-Stepping with the Girls; and
WHEREAS, in 1987 she was nominated for a Georgia Emmy for outstanding achievement in original music; and
WHEREAS, her first solo album, North Georgia Mountains, was released in 1977 by Foxfire Records; and
WHEREAS, Joyce, known as the "Empress of Cabbagetown" and its best known advocate and celebrity, continues to tell her wonderful stories through her music.
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