[piano intro] - [Announcer] "Shaped by Sound" is made possible through support from Come Hear NC a program of the North Carolina Arts Council within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

- [Director] "Shaped by Sound".

[clapperboard clacks] - 13 North Carolina artists, their songs, their stories, this stage, [bright upbeat music] [phonograph crackling] ["Backbone"] ♪ No ♪ ♪ No, no, no-no ♪ ♪ No-no, no, no-no, no ♪ ♪ There's no rest, there's no rest ♪ ♪ No, no rest ♪ ♪ For the weary, no ♪ ♪ There's no rest for the weary ♪ ♪ Y'all, hey, let's go ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, woo ♪ ♪ When things don't go your way ♪ ♪ You can't tuck your tail and hide ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone ♪ ♪ Oh, from the cradle to the grave ♪ ♪ Comes more and more with age ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, a backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone ♪ ♪ Oh when you're down, down, down in the valley ♪ ♪ When you're down, down, down so low ♪ ♪ Oh when you're down, down, down in the valley ♪ ♪ Well that's when you've got to have a backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ You gotta have a backbone ♪ ♪ What about Martin ♪ ♪ What about Franklin ♪ ♪ And what about Henry Berry ♪ ♪ All through history backbone to victory ♪ ♪ No pain no gain ♪ ♪ No rest for the weary ♪ ♪ What don't kill ya makes ya stronger ♪ ♪ You will win in the end, yes you will ♪ ♪ What don't kill ya makes ya stronger ♪ ♪ Hey, gotta get on up take a step ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ You gotta have a backbone ♪ ♪ Woo [vocalizing], yeah ♪ ♪ Said you gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a, gotta have a backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone, backbone ♪ ♪ Gotta have a backbone ♪ - Charly Lowry.

- Yes.

- [James] Thank you so much for being on "Shaped by Sound".

We are so excited to have you here.

- Thank you for having me.

I'm excited.

- Well, good.

- Yeah.

- [James] And you look incredible.

- Thank you.

I figured I'd put my suit on for this portion of the programming.

- Yes well, you know you did the appropriate thing.

I put on my sweatshirt and hat and, yeah, I promise I'm a normal human being, everyone.

Anyway, so Charly, I think to start I'd love to talk to you a little bit about where you're from.

- I'm an Eastern North Carolina girl.

Born and raised in Robeson County.

I'm from the swamps.

I'm from the fields.

And I'm pretty much dead center in between Lumberton, Pembroke and then Red Springs, North Carolina.

An equal distance to all three.

So I claim all of them.

- Maybe talk to us a little bit about those identities maybe within those communities.

'Cause they seem uniquely different, but they're all part of you, right?

- Yes.

- In what way?

- [Charly] Well, I'm Native, I'm indigenous.

So those communities have high populations of indigenous folks where faith is strong, education is very important and so is kinship and all of our families live in that area.

It's kind of rare for our family members to move away to other counties, other states.

And so all of my immediate family, all of my cousins, my aunts and uncles are in that area.

- Yeah.

- Yep.

- [James] Can you kind of tell me a little bit about identity, sort of, and how you sort of were learning about that and starting to articulate that maybe through your music.

- You know we were able to learn more about our traditional songs, our dances that we hadn't heard about growing up.

- Yeah.

- And that was the kicker.

We were learning these songs and dances that some of us didn't grow up with in elementary school and it's like where is this coming from?

- Yeah.

- You know 'cause we were brought up in the church very different from the traditional aspect of being Native.

And so we were kind of in this place to where we knew we were Indian, but we didn't talk about it a lot.

- Right - There was years of acceptance that this is you.

You know there's a lot of history that you don't know about, that even your parents and your grandparents and your great-grandparents don't know about and it was by design.

And so I'm always doing something with music or trying to think of how can I use music as the universal language to make this palatable for people and for me to help me understand the working, the outer workings or the way things work and as a form of therapy.

And so that's how a song like "Brown Skin" came about ["Brown Skin"] ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ An existence so beautiful, so colorful ♪ ♪ Deep rooted in originality ♪ ♪ Eye candy of shallow minds, that was her reality ♪ ♪ Still, she walks around with a smile ♪ ♪ For the whole wide world to see ♪ ♪ Insides are screaming ♪ ♪ Free yourself from strains of society ♪ ♪ Brown skin, why do you hide the pain within ♪ ♪ Brown skin, brown skin ♪ ♪ Day in, day out, it's the same ♪ ♪ Living by the standards of a male domain ♪ ♪ She can't help but recognize the stares ♪ ♪ 'Cause of who she's talking to or the clothes she wears ♪ ♪ Yet she holds her head up high ♪ ♪ For the whole wide world to see ♪ ♪ Insides are screaming ♪ ♪ Free yourself from strains of society ♪ ♪ Brown skin, why do you hide the pain within ♪ ♪ Brown skin, brown skin, hey-uh ♪ ♪ I get tired of people telling me I ain't gonna make it ♪ ♪ I use it as fuel to feed my hunger like food ♪ ♪ Like a cake that I'm baking takes time and patience ♪ ♪ Once it starts to rise everybody wants a taste ♪ ♪ Why you always up on the line trying to play my face ♪ ♪ Like I ain't gonna make it ♪ ♪ It's people like you ♪ ♪ that hold us back from getting stacked ♪ ♪ So we go through the same routine every day ♪ ♪ Trying to conjure like voodoo ♪ ♪ Who do I do the extra ordinary one ♪ ♪ Little lonely brown skin ♪ ♪ Little mama with the country grammar ♪ ♪ GreenSky independent ♪ ♪ Tell me you're feeling this ♪ ♪ Fire water, all the smoke and the evil ♪ ♪ Like a Joker going by trying to clown my people ♪ ♪ Poverty-stricken keep your head up ♪ ♪ Yeah we'd better if people let it ♪ ♪ Automatically assume it's a setup ♪ ♪ Living from paycheck to check ♪ ♪ Minimum wage from this place ♪ ♪ To spend it all in one place ♪ ♪ And if your belly aches, take a step back ♪ ♪ Baby, hone your skills, what's happening ♪ ♪ Go ahead and throw your hands up like a criminal ♪ ♪ The government gets tough you feel the need to surrender ♪ ♪ I was sold on every single diss ♪ ♪ And marinade on Helen Drive now do it ♪ ♪ Brown skin, why do you hide the pain within ♪ ♪ Brown skin how long will you continue to pretend ♪ ♪ That who you know, where you go ♪ ♪ Won't phase the life you live ♪ ♪ That what you do, what you be ♪ ♪ Will catch up with you in the end ♪ ♪ [vocalizing] Live your own life ♪ ♪ Don't worry about the need to please ♪ ♪ Be the Queen of your own society, yes, oh yes ♪ ♪ Brown skin, brown skin ♪ ♪ Brown skin [vocalizing], brown skin ♪ [Charly vocalizing] [Charly continues vocalizing] I had the opportunity to open up for Rhiannon Giddens on her "You're the One" tour and if you don't know Rhiannon, get to know her music.

She's a prolific player, artist and she's also a renaissance woman.

- Yeah.

- And does amazing work on the banjo and educating people of the origins the banjo.

And while we were on tour, I was like, "Rhiannon, I wanna learn how to play the banjo."

Because there are stories of some of our ancestors, and I'll tell you about that, playing banjo back in the 1800s.

But had me intrigued and just to see her play it is inspiring.

- Yeah.

- And so I was like, I wanna learn how to play the banjo and the fiddle.

And she sent me home with one of her banjos.

- Oh, how cool.

- There's something about playing that banjo.

It's very hypnotic, once I get started.

I don't know if some Rhiannon's magic is in it.

- Yeah.

Is that the one you're using on our show as well?

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- So you have Rhiannon's banjo still?

- Yeah.

- Wow.

That's really cool.

- [Charly] Yeah, it's very cool.

For some reason, G Minor was the first chord that I latched onto.

But as soon as I struck that chord, I thought about the Battle of Hayes Pond.

But it tells the story of when our people defeated and sent the KKK packing back in January of 1958.

And the story goes that there was an Indian, a Native man, young man.

I'm not even sure, I need to get the details on that.

- Okay.

- But he was fooling around with a White lady, Caucasian lady and she was married.

And whenever she went to court the judge found out that she was having an affair with this Native man and that wasn't taken too kindly, too fondly in the '50s for sure.

And so, word got out to the Klan.

In particular, to evangelist Catfish Cole from South Carolina and he said, "Oh no, we're not gonna have this.

We're gonna hold a rally."

And even against the sheriff saying, "That's not a good idea.

You don't wanna mess with those people.

That's their territory.

They're gonna stand their ground."

- Right.

- But Catfish Cole insisted and started putting up flyers everywhere and word got around to our people and the efforts were led by a World War II veteran named Simeon Oxendine.

Simeon rallied, started spreading the word that the Klan was coming and the night of the rally, their proposed rally, they had one light and they powered it by a battery on a car.

- Hmm.

- And as Catfish Cole was about to begin his speech, about 500 of our men and women came from the woods, the surrounding area, the swamp and surrounded about 50 Klansmen.

- Wow!

- And so this is a story that we've been told growing up.

It was kind of romanticized.

We were like, "Ooh, yeah.

Wow, tell us that story again."

But it was really a brawl.

["Catfish Cole"] ♪ Oh, oh, Catfish Cole ♪ ♪ Said pick up your hood ♪ ♪ Come gather 'round the pole ♪ ♪ Word around town's gotten outta control ♪ ♪ They're mocking Jim Crow down in old Rob Co ♪ ♪ Flames shall rise in the name of the Holy Ghost ♪ ♪ Word shall spread 'cross the land ♪ ♪ Pure clean blood shall flow ♪ ♪ Oh, who's this clown ♪ ♪ There's no easy work around ♪ ♪ Gather up your arms form a sea of brown ♪ ♪ We're Maxton bound when the sun goes down ♪ ♪ Turn Hayes Pond into a battle ground ♪ ♪ When shots ring out in Scuffletown ♪ ♪ Into the night with no fear saints of the choir will sing ♪ ♪ Darkness shall fall for all to hear ♪ ♪ Let freedom ring, let it ring ♪ ♪ [vocalizing] Let freedom ring ♪ ♪ [vocalizing] Well there's hoods in Mississippi ♪ ♪ Hoods in Alabam, on up in Virginia ♪ ♪ Oh, they came from South Caroline ♪ ♪ They're riding down in Georgia ♪ ♪ In the bayous of Louisiana, Tennessee and Kentucky ♪ ♪ Our presence is our past, our presence is our past ♪ ♪ Presence is our past ♪ ♪ Whoa, in North Carolina on cold and January night ♪ ♪ Oh, we came together all the colors and creeds ♪ ♪ To battle against supremacy ♪ ♪ Battle against supremacy, battle against supremacy ♪ ♪ Whoa, Catfish Cole leader of the KKK no more ♪ - Charly, in what ways are you shaped by sound?

- Well, I'm sitting here today as like in the physical realm as a miracle.

- Hmm.

- And I owe a lot of it to music and sound and believing in the power of music as medicine and frequencies to heal your body.

I've survived two kidney transplants.

- Wow.

Two?

- Two, I'm not gonna say that I have done a lot of research on it, but I have read a lot about using sound and frequencies and just the power of humming and to move that energy through your body.

And I think a lot of that had a hand in my healing and getting through the transplants, getting through dialysis.

So it's kept me alive.

Sound has kept me alive.

- Wow.

- And, yeah.

I performed and sang all throughout my sickness.

It's rare for me to be to the point to where I can't perform.

Even with my kidneys functioning at 7%, I was still playing shows because I just love to sing.

I love to perform and yeah, it shaped me into healing.

- Yeah.

- Um-hmm.

- Physically changed you.

- Physically, yeah.

Yeah.

- [James] I would like to know, Charly, how do you celebrate?

- [laughs] Going to sleep.

I'm like, "Hmm, I'm gonna take a nap on that."

- Yeah?

- I'm gonna rest.

I can rest and feel okay about resting.

- Yeah, okay.

- And not feeling like I should be up doing something, 'cause it's hard for me to do that.

- Yeah.

- To say it's okay, you've done good work.

Like lay down.

Take it easy.

Take a load off.

- Yeah.

- And I can celebrate in that.

That's peaceful to me.

- Yeah, well thank you so much for being here.

Again, we appreciate it.

- Thank you.

- Awesome.

["Kind Heart"] ♪ People like you and me ♪ ♪ A little different, a little hard to read ♪ ♪ Saw yourself when you looked at me ♪ ♪ Troubled past from a wild breeze ♪ ♪ You gave me shelter from the storm ♪ ♪ I'm so amazed by your kind heart ♪ ♪ Kind, kind heart ♪ ♪ I never knew how much you loved me ♪ ♪ I never knew how much you cared ♪ ♪ Until the night I saw you standing there ♪ ♪ With your kind heart, kind heart ♪ ♪ Kind heart, kind heart ♪ ♪ I was hanging on by a thread ♪ ♪ 21st century patchwork kid ♪ ♪ Troubles bursting at the seams ♪ ♪ You hemmed me up, oh yeah, you tailored me ♪ ♪ Now I'm shining like silk and satin and lace ♪ ♪ All because of you now I'm forever changed ♪ ♪ Forever changed ♪ ♪ I never knew how much you loved me ♪ ♪ I never knew how much you cared ♪ ♪ Until the night I saw you standing there ♪ ♪ With your kind heart, kind heart ♪ ♪ Kind heart, kind heart, oh, whoa ♪ ♪ Maybe I was foolish a time or two ♪ ♪ But you showed me how to keep my cool ♪ ♪ With your kind heart, yeah ♪ ♪ With your kind heart, oh, whoa, oh ♪ ♪ I never knew how much you loved me ♪ ♪ I never knew how much you cared ♪ ♪ Until the night I saw you standing there ♪ ♪ With your kind heart, kind heart ♪ ♪ Kind heart, kind heart ♪ ♪ People like you and me ♪ ♪ A little different, a little hard to read ♪ - [James] Thanks for joining us on "Shaped by Sound".

If you'd like to hear more of our discussion from today, you can find it over on our website, pbsnc.org/shapedbysound or you can find it on the PBS App.

[lively upbeat music] ♪ I said hey, hey, what do you say we play hooky today ♪ ♪ Karen's crying and whining can wait ♪ ♪ Passion in action are calling your sweet name ♪ ♪ Whoa, whoa, what do you know ♪ ♪ Sometime go with the flow ♪ ♪ All the haters and players can wait ♪ ♪ We're burning rubber down the highway ♪ ♪ So hop in my truck, let's try our luck ♪ ♪ I don't mind if we get stuck ♪ ♪ The wind in our hair ♪ ♪ In the middle of nowhere with no care ♪ ♪ I just wanna say yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ I'll give you that giddyup ♪ ♪ Call me sugar, I am your crush ♪ ♪ Take your places you never been ♪ - [Announcer] "Shaped by Sound" is made possible through support from Come Hear NC a program of the North Carolina Arts Council within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.