By — Frank Carlson Frank Carlson Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/ironing-board-sam-sings-rainbow Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Blues man ‘Ironing Board Sam’ sings ‘Over the Rainbow’ Arts Oct 27, 2014 4:35 PM EDT Blues musician Ironing Board Sam sings his rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” 75-year-old Sammie Moore, aka “Ironing Board Sam,” has been playing and singing the blues for 55 years. In the 1960s, he appeared regularly on “Night Train,” an early R&B showcase out of Nashville. He also played with an up-and-coming Jimi Hendrix and opened for Aretha Franklin. Click on the image to see black and white photographs blues musicians by Tim Duffy, founder and executive director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. But like many R&B acts then, Moore never made it big, playing for decades at small clubs throughout the South and busking on the streets of New Orleans and washing dishes to help pay for food and rent. In 2005, he returned to his native Rock Hill, South Carolina, and some of his fans in New Orleans thought he’d passed away. We recently met Moore at his home in Hillsborough, North Carolina, as part of a story about the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit that has helped Moore get his musical life back on track — with new albums and tours, including gigs overseas. You can watch the full piece on Music Maker on tonight’s Newshour. You can tune in our our Ustream Channel at 6 p.m. EDT or check your local listings. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Frank Carlson Frank Carlson Frank Carlson is the Senior Coordinating Producer for America at a Crossroads. He's been making video at the NewsHour since 2010. @frankncarlson
Blues musician Ironing Board Sam sings his rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” 75-year-old Sammie Moore, aka “Ironing Board Sam,” has been playing and singing the blues for 55 years. In the 1960s, he appeared regularly on “Night Train,” an early R&B showcase out of Nashville. He also played with an up-and-coming Jimi Hendrix and opened for Aretha Franklin. Click on the image to see black and white photographs blues musicians by Tim Duffy, founder and executive director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation. But like many R&B acts then, Moore never made it big, playing for decades at small clubs throughout the South and busking on the streets of New Orleans and washing dishes to help pay for food and rent. In 2005, he returned to his native Rock Hill, South Carolina, and some of his fans in New Orleans thought he’d passed away. We recently met Moore at his home in Hillsborough, North Carolina, as part of a story about the Music Maker Relief Foundation, a non-profit that has helped Moore get his musical life back on track — with new albums and tours, including gigs overseas. You can watch the full piece on Music Maker on tonight’s Newshour. You can tune in our our Ustream Channel at 6 p.m. EDT or check your local listings. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now