Coming To Durham
- Pushed by financial hardship, and for Black folks, by white supremacist violence in the country, thousands of these landless people soon moved into rental housing in the city.
- They traded in their ties to the land for a steady paycheck working in tobacco and textiles.
Two stories, united by music
Chester Clark and John Patterson were members of the Bright Moon Quartet, a Durham-based gospel and blues singing group.
The group formed after working together in the cutting room of the American Tobacco Company. They practiced on Cornell Street in the West End neighborhood, and played their first concert at Union Baptist Church on Roxboro Street.
Carolina Gospel Quartets album, recorded 1938-1939Courtesy Music Library, Duke University
- Pushed by financial hardship, and for Black folks, by white supremacist violence in the country, thousands of these landless people soon moved into rental housing in the city.
- They traded in their ties to the land for a steady paycheck working in tobacco and textiles.
Two stories, united by music
Carolina Gospel Quartets album, recorded 1938-1939Courtesy Music Library, Duke University
Chester Clark and John Patterson were members of the Bright Moon Quartet, a Durham-based gospel and blues singing group.
The group formed after working together in the cutting room of the American Tobacco Company. They practiced on Cornell Street in the West End neighborhood, and played their first concert at Union Baptist Church on Roxboro Street.