The Leatherby Libraries presented a display in honor of Native and African-American vocalist, songwriter, composer, and educator Martha Redbone’s visit to campus.

Redbone presented Bone Hill, an interdisciplinary musical theater work. Bone Hill is inspired by four generations of singer-songwriters in Martha Redbone’s family in the hills of coal-mining Appalachia. Traditional Cherokee chants, bluegrass, blues, country, gospel, jazz, rock, and funk are used to illuminate the family’s commitment to the land and an important part of American history that has remained untold. Skintalk, Home of the Brave, and The Garden of Love are a few of Martha Redbone’s songs. These and others are a part of the albums included in the display.

This display also includes publications such as Choctaw Language and Culture: Chahta Anumpa by Marcia Haag and Henry Willis, and Intertribal Native American Music in the United States: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture by John-Carlos Perea. Items in the display discuss the different cultures Martha Redbone combines to create music. Publications such as The Trail of Tears by Deborah Kent and Appalachia: The Voices of Sleeping Birds by Cynthia Rylant both cover the history and culture of the inspiration of Bone Hill.

Bone HIll DisplayPictured: Singer, Martha Redbone and Chair of Research and Instructional Services, Taylor Greene

Bone Hill: A Staged Concert – Martha Redbone was performed at the Musco Center of the Arts on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

Check out this display on the First Floor of the Leatherby Libraries through May 2023.

The complete bibliography can be viewed from the Chapman Digital Commons here.

This display is curated by Leatherby Libraries student employees Isabella Piechota ’25, Kalea Brown ’26, and Arianna Tillman ’25.