‘Hanging Tree Guitars’ Highlights the Worst of Endemic Racism and ‘the Art of Resistance’
Linda Laban Freeman Vines may not be a well known name in the music world, but his work is finally being recognized.In September, the gorgeously illustrated book “Hanging Tree Guitars,” published by Bitter Southerner in conjunction with the non-profit Music Maker Relief Foundation, and named for guitars Vines carved using wood from a tree used in a lynching, will present the 78-year-old folk blues musician’s work as a luthier, sculpting guitars — each unique and made completely by hand.In the book, edited by folklorist Zoe van Buren — folklife director at the North Carolina Arts Council — Vines’ words are formed into poetic rumination, interspersed among tintype photographs by photographer and ethnomusicologist Timothy Duffy.