Carrboro’s annual free concert series, organized by the Music Maker Foundation, highlights roots and blues music at Carrboro Town Commons, featuring regional artists and honoring local legend Elizabeth Cotten.
In 2026, the Friday evening concerts will run May 15 to June 12 at Carrboro Town Commons, 301 W. Main St. The Town of Carrboro is pleased to announce that a special celebration of Ms. Cotten is planned for the opening concert of the Freight Train Blues Concert Series on May 15, 2026.
The series honors Elizabeth Cotten's contributions to the American roots genre by highlighting the cultural significance of the Carolina Piedmont style and its connections to current artists. Check the lineup at https://www.musicmaker.org/freight-train-blues/
The series is a collaboration among Music Maker Foundation; the Town of Carrboro; WUNC 91.5 FM; and The Forests at Duke.
Bring your picnic, lawn chairs and blankets for a free evening of live music on the lawn. Beer and food will be available for purchase at the events.
Public Parking is available and free in downtown Carrboro.
The Town of Carrboro is pleased to announce that a special celebration of Ms. Cotten is planned for the opening concert of the Freight Train Blues Concert Series on May 15, 2026. The concert series is produced by the Music Maker Foundation with support from the Town of Carrboro. The free evening concerts honor Cotten’s legacy in the world of roots music by emphasizing the cultural diversity, complexity, and vitality of her music and the music of many other artists local to her community and all over the country.
Elizabeth Cotten
Born on Jan. 5, 1893, Cotten wrote her signature song “Freight Train” about the train she could hear from her childhood home on Lloyd Street in Carrboro, North Carolina. Cotten's talents as guitarist and songwriter came to light while she was working in the home of the Seeger family, who encouraged her career as a professional musician. Cotten toured across the country, recording several albums and winning a Grammy Award and a National Heritage Fellowship before her death in 1987. She was inducted into the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2025, the Town of Carrboro produced a special event featuring Brenda Evans, the great granddaughter of Elizabeth Cotten, for songs and remembrances. Evans was only 11 years old when she performed as a vocalist featured on the album Shake Sugaree. View the sharing of family stories with the great-great grandchildren of Ms. Cotten -- Jordan, Jared and John Evans of Charlotte, N.C.
