GROOVE JAM MUSIC FESTIVAL Origins and History

Warren Haynes is one of my favorite musicians, not only for the incredible music that he makes with the Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, Gov’t Mule and so many others but for the person he is and the way he has used his success to give back to his hometown community. Every year for the past quarter of a century Warren has hosted the Christmas Jam in Asheville NC to raise money for the local Habitat for Humanity. I was fortunate enough to meet Warren at a Habitat home dedication ceremony and it was very moving. It made me think that perhaps I could do something similar on a smaller scale to benefit the less fortunate in my own community of Greensboro.

Together with my two bands plus other musician friends and a group of dedicated volunteers, we organized a music festival to benefit the Greensboro Urban Ministry, our local homeless shelter and food bank.