Overview

The life and times of Alabama folk potter Jerry Brown, as told in his own words Born in 1942, Jerry Brown helped out in his father’s pottery shop as a young boy. There he learned the methods and techniques for making pottery in a family tradition dating back to the 1830s. His responsibilities included tending the mule that drove the mill that was used to mix clay (called “mud” by traditional potters). Business suffered as demand for stoneware churns, jugs, and chamber pots waned in the postwar years, and manufacture ceased following the deaths of Brown’s father and brother in the mid-1960s. Brown turned to logging for his livelihood, his skill with mules proving useful in working difficult and otherwise inaccessible terrain. In the early 1980s, he returned to the family trade and opened a new shop that relied on the same methods of production with which he had grown up, including a mule-powered mill for mixing clay and the use of a wood-fired rather than gas-fueled kiln. Folklorist Joey Brackner met Brown in 1983, and the two quickly became close friends who collaborated together on a variety of documentary and educational projects in succeeding years—efforts that led to greater exposure, commercial success, and Brown’s recognition as a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts. For years, Brown spoke of the urge to write his life story, but he never set pen to paper. In 2015, Brackner took the initiative and interviewed Brown, recording his life story over the course of a weekend at Brown’s home. Of Mules and Mud is the result of that marathon interview session, conducted one year before Brown passed away. Brackner has captured Jerry Brown’s life in his own words as recounted that weekend, lightly edited and elaborated. Of Mules and Mud is illustrated with photos from all phases of Brown’s life, including a color gallery of 28 photos of vessel forms made by Brown throughout his career that collectors of folk pottery will find invaluable.

Full Product Details

9780817360375

Table of Contents

Reviews

As Alabama's State Folklorist who worked with Jerry Brown and his family long enough to become a 'family member, ' Brackner is well positioned to tell this story. This oral autobiography makes for good reading, positioning Jerry in rural Alabaman culture and exhibiting his skill as a storyteller. It is interspersed with photographs taken by Brackner and others, including those owned by Jerry's family, giving the reader a visual sense of the potter's life and work. --John Burrison, author of Global Clay: Themes in World Ceramic Traditions There's certainly no shortage of books on Southern pottery--I have around 20 or so on my state alone in my bookshelves--but studies of single potters are rare. Add to this that this is really an autobiography--Jerry Brown tells his story in his own words--it is a very compelling story that tells how a folk tradition can flourish in contemporary society. --Charles G. Zug III, author of Turners and Burners: The Folk Potters of North Carolina

As Alabama's state folklorist who worked with Jerry Brown and his family long enough to become a 'family member, ' Brackner is well positioned to tell this story. This oral autobiography makes for good reading, positioning Jerry in rural Alabama culture and exhibiting his skill as a storyteller. It is interspersed with photographs taken by Brackner and others, including those owned by Jerry's family, giving the reader a visual sense of the potter's life and work. --John Burrison, author of Global Clay: Themes in World Ceramic Traditions There's certainly no shortage of books on southern pottery (I have around twenty or so on my state alone on my bookshelves), but studies of single potters are rare. Add to this that this book is really an autobiography--Jerry Brown tells his story in his own words--it is a very compelling story that tells how a folk tradition can flourish in contemporary society. --Charles G. Zug III, author of Turners and Burners: The Folk Potters of North Carolina

Author Information

Jerry Brown (1942-2016) was an American folk artist and traditional stoneware pottery maker who lived and worked in Hamilton, Alabama. He was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1992 and the Alabama Folk Heritage Award in 2003. Joey Brackner began his role as Alabama state folklorist in 1985 and served as director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture from 2003 until his retirement in 2021. He is coproducer of Unbroken Tradition, a documentary film about Jerry Brown, and author of Alabama Folk Pottery. Since 2013, he has served as host of the Alabama Public Television series Journey Proud.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available