What was planned as a one hour lecture from Road Scholar Billy Stevens at the annex of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History yesterday stretched to two hours as crowd members asked numerous questions about roots music.

Stevens’ lecture was titled, “Samson and Delilah: From Pulpits to Pop Stars.” A North Carolina Humanities Council Road Scholar, Stevens shared his research on the impact of Negro spiritual songs on American popular music. The scholar played several recordings, some of which were from the early 1900s.

Heather Elliott, education and program director for the museum, said at the end of the lecture, “I think that was an excellent program.”

Emma Jean Tucker, a member of the museum board, attended the free lecture, and she was overwhelmed with all of the new ideas and possibilities that the lecture opened her up to.

“My head is just swimming,” she said.

Carolyn O’Melia of Mount Airy said, “I thought it was excellent. It was very entertaining, informative.”

O’Melia is not a musician, but she loves music. She has visited the “New Harmonies” exhibit at the museum and been to a few of the Lunch and Learns. She was impressed with the way Stevens tied together music and history.

“I just learned a lot,” she said.

Ethlene Edwards had similar praise. She said, “It was an excellent presentation. It correlates with the ‘New Harmonies’ exhibit so much. It just expanded it.”

In Stevens’ presentation, he used archival recordings of “My Soul is a Witness” and “If I Had My Way” to demonstrate the connectivity of music of black and white cultures. Both songs were based on the Old Testament stories of Samson and Delilah, and they were performed by musicians from various genres and backgrounds. Audience members were introduced to recordings from black street preachers, jubilee singers, folk musicians, rock bands, and more.

The speaker talked about the origins of American popular music in the 1820s and 30s when white musicians first began to imitate black musicians on stage. He also said that conflict between blacks and whites became the inspiration for African-American songs. He talked about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, a group of black students who toured the United States and Europe singing popular songs and spirituals.

“What they brought to the table was so moving for people,” Stevens said.

He played recordings of early jubilee singers, quartets, preachers, and blues musicians, then went on to talk about how these influenced groups such as Peter, Paul and Mary and the Grateful Dead.

“That’s why roots music is so important,” he said. “It’s ultimately where pop music comes from.”

Audience members asked a variety of questions after the lecture. Stevens talked about the origin of various instruments and musical genres while answering questions.

Stevens has presented in more than 60 countries and was sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency of the Department of State. He also has performed music with many bands. His program at the museum was made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The council sponsors a Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, which Stevens is a member of.

The event was offered in conjunction with the exhibit “New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music” now showing at the museum. It is a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution.

The exhibit has two more weeks left at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, and on Saturday the museum sponsored a “reinvigoration concert” featuring the bluegrass music of “Creek Junction.” Matt Edwards, museum director, said around 60 people attended the concert designed to renew interest in New Harmonies.

Edwards said the exhibit has been very well attended. In the exhibit’s first three weeks in Mount Airy, nearly 2,500 people came to see it. Last year during this same three-week period, the museum had 624 visitors. The director believes New Harmonies could bring in 5,000 people to the museum before it ends on April 24. Admission fees to the museum are suspended for the duration of the exhibit.

“One of our goals was to have an opportunity to gain exposure with a new audience,” said Edwards. “While they’re here checking out New Harmonies, they’re also trying out the rest of the museum.”

At yesterday’s lecture, Elliott encouraged more people to visit the exhibit.

“Make sure you get in to take a look at it before it leaves to go to its next site,” she said.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.