UPDATE: Time changed to 3-5 p.m., Jan. 10, per Claire Holley. Please RSVP here.
Some called him “Greensboro’s father of songwriting.” Others simply knew him as a brilliant friend with a rock-steady artistic vision.
When UNCG alumnus Bruce Piephoff ’82, 84 MFA died last April at age 75, his many friends wanted to share their appreciation through song. A big community of musicians and music lovers in this region gathered at The Flat Iron for a concert to celebrate his art. Plus, many recorded tracks in a studio. A musical tribute from that recording session – all covers of Bruce Piephoff-penned songs – will be unveiled next week.
A “listening party” for the tribute CD, with friends presenting memories and stories, will be held Jan. 10 in UNCG’s Alumni House. The following evening at the RA Fountain General Store, which is run by UNCG alumnus Alex Albright, a concert will further celebrate the troubadour’s life and work.
Bruce Piephoff wrote and performed songs and poetry for five decades. He recorded 25 CDs and traveled widely on the folk singer-songwriter circuit. He also published two books of poetry.
His start? After two years as an English major at UNC Chapel Hill, he dropped out and followed his passion: music. Bruce played cafes and bars around the country and in Europe. By age 27, he had landed back in North Carolina, working at John Umstead Hospital as a music and recreation therapist while playing his music on weekends.
Next, he enrolled at UNC Greensboro, where he finished his bachelor’s in English and then completed an MFA in Creative Writing. He studied poetry with Fred Chappell (who is referenced in his music) and with Robert Watson (the spoken-word “Greetings from Holden Beach” is particularly memorable) before entering the N.C. Arts Council’s Visiting Artists Program. This program made him artist-in-residence in several community colleges across the state. To the students and local communities, he was a teacher, mentor, and inspiration. He appeared at thousands of performances through this program.
His songs capture an era of this city and the region – from “Tate St. Blues” to the Walker/Elam focused “Christmas at the Laundromat” to “Greensboro Blues.” And many of the places and people are ones UNCG alumni will recall, or will wish they had known.
Singer-songwriter Claire Holley, who collaborated with Piephoff, is an organizer of this event. She recalls getting to know him, back in 1997. “Since my husband, Chad, was starting the MFA program at UNCG that fall, I decided to take the opportunity to embark upon a music career in earnest. Bruce was one of the first folks I met, and he was incredibly generous in helping me get the lay of the land and feel welcome in Greensboro.” She adds that he did that for many other artists.
“There’s so much heart in his songwriting. He’s not just a journalist reporting on things: you can tell he cares for the people he’s writing about.” She hopes people will continue to listen to his songs for a long time to come.
She cites what fellow musician Daniel Ayers said in an interview. “Bruce was more than just the neighborhood musician or artist-in-residence. He was living proof that being a songwriter is something you are, not something you do. … To Bruce, the song was sacred – more sacred than fame, wealth, or influence.”
The “Bruce Piephoff Tribute Release & Listening Party” will be held Friday, Jan. 10, 3 p.m., in the UNCG Alumni House, Oakley Family Reception Room. The event is free. The public is invited. Please RSVP here. (Note: Organizer Claire Holley informs the magazine staff that the event time has been changed from 6 p.m. to 3-5 p.m.)
By Mike Harris, UNCG Magazine
Photograph by Melinda Fine. CD cover courtesy Claire Holley.