A Drop of Midnight: A Memoir

by Jason Timbuktu Diakité

Goddamn! Here, in a forgotten, destitute corner of the world, I have found a man whose songwriting formed one of the pillars of the music that has guided me through life. And he doesn’t seem to have received a cent for it either. What he has is the memory, the story, and this secondhand store. I suppose it’s always the case that the people who lay the groundwork for a culture do so without expecting anything in return. Roy C. Hammond wrote and created music because he had to, not just to survive financially but because his soul demanded it.

I actually grew up listening to Roy C, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, to mention a few. The above paragraph touched me I quickly googled Allendale and wow!

As our Soul flies across the damp Louisiana countryside, I think of how jazz, blues, rock, soul, funk, and hip-hop are an ode to humanity’s unbreakable spirit. Soul was born out of tragedy, brutality, and terror. Sprung from the same soul that gave rise to the inherent cheerfulness and spark of life that George, Enid, Don, and so many more of Dad’s friends allowed me to experience during my upbringing.

This is deep and aptly put👌