Our Story

The bluegrass album Matriarch takes a listener through a woman’s journey from coming-of-age to enlightenment. Through poems and songs, Matriarch tells the story of the uncertainty one experiences when traversing life. Matriarch exposes the trials and tribulations of relationships, self-determination, and resilience. Classical musical pieces such as Handel’s Messiah and author Hermann Hesse’s Journey to the East weighed heavily in the creation of this album. The songs, the sequence in which they are presented, and the poems are reflections of Alice Gerrard and Hazel Dickens' view of not only women but that of the poor and underserved. The band Coulee Creek is honored to tell this story of the Matriarch.

— DAVID STRUDTHOFF

When I first began listening to the works of Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, I instantly became inspired by their raw vocals, expressing the struggle and triumph of a woman's journey. As a young woman myself, I then began reflecting on the insecurities and strengths I possess and how, really, the emotion and experiences of their stories are timeless. I was fortunate to connect with Alice Gerrard by telephone. She discussed how her and Hazel's lives were very different from each other. Alice was a mother and not expecting fame; from my understanding, she just loved to make music. This presented a different and relatable perspective of the woman behind the song. Alice also shared about the roots of bluegrass and credited the history of spirituals and gospel music. With this knowledge, I dug in and listened to past gospels, bluegrass, and my own heart when tributing and “following the music.”

— SARAH JACKSON

In writing these poems, I watched and re-watched films and documentaries in which Hazel Dickens appeared and grew more and more fascinated with her. I read her collection of lyrics and essays called Working Girl Blues and wished she’d written a full-length autobiography (though Bill Malone’s biography of her in that same volume is quite good). Everything I learned about her left me hungry for more. Her life resonated so deeply with me—growing up in West Virginia, watching parents uprooted and withering, and seeing siblings struggle with bad work or no work at all. These poems attempt to provide some connective tissue between her music and her life, and pay tribute to her struggles, generosity, and wisdom that continue to provide a beacon and a bedrock for working people everywhere.

— RITA MAE REESE