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A video project highlights a pair of Burlington musicians separated by a generation in age but the same in their love of music and family.
The African American Cultural Arts and History Center recently debuted the videos, which features Isaiah Hawkins and George Williamson. The Center partnered with Alamance Arts to spearhead this video project with Two Dots Studio, a Durham-based production company.
"We wanted to feature two amazing local African American artists," said African American Cultural Arts and History Center President Garry Wiley. "We wanted to tell a part of their story."
After weeks of filming and interviews, the end result is a pair of short documentaries providing a snapshot into the lives and inspiration of Hawkins and Williamson.
"I was surprised they approached me for this," Hawkins said, minutes before the video's presentation.
After seeing the actual documentary, Hawkins thanked everyone behind the project.
"It was very inspirational," Hawkins said.
The documentary touched on the path Hawkins took to learn his craft. He described to guests his unorthodox method for learning the flute.
"I learned from listening to the birds," Hawkins said.
The videos are currently available on YouTube and can be found by typing "my Alamance story" in the search bar.
Hawkins, whose nickname is Ike, and Williamson, whose stage name is Black Market Da Prince, attended the event and spoke about their respective musical journeys. In the midst of school integration, music served as an outlet for the young Hawkins who today specializes in the saxophone and flute.
Williamson is half of Fuego Market, a group he does with his cousin Rashad Fields, who goes by the stage name Fuego. Since starting his music career at 16, Williamson and his cousin have been compared to the likes of Outkast, another duo of southern rappers.
One of the stand-out moments in Williamson's career was the standing ovation he received after a performance in Raleigh.
"They showed us love," Williamson said.
The video reveals family served as the creative catalyst for both artists. For Hawkins, the musical spark came from his mother, who taught music for 65 years. For Williamson, he made a promise to his mother not to give up on making music.
"She'd be so proud of me right now," Williamson said in the video. "Her baby boy grew up to become a very respectable human being, first of all. I always try to do the right thing and I don't always make the right decision."
The pair still practice their craft while living in Burlington.
The documentary, according to Wiley, was partially to bridge the gap between old and young.
"We have Mr. Hawkins, who you can kind of say is from the older generation," Wiley said, "and Mr. Williamson who is the newer generation."
Although decades apart in age, Williamson and Hawkins found commonalities in the process of making music. After the premiere, Hawkins, Williamson, and Fields commiserated over the music-making process and agreed that the process hasn't changed much over the decades.
Both artists hope to continue making music so that Burlington can be recognized as an artistic hub in the south.
Dean-Paul Stephens covers racial justice. Follow him on Twitter @DeanPEStephens. If you have tips, send an email to dstephens@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Times-News: Mini-documentaries explore origins, inspirations of Burlington musicians
