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From May 4, 2006...

Forty-five years ago this month blacks and whites rode buses into the Deep South to protest segregation. Segregationists violently attacked two buses, one in Anniston and one in Birmingham, but the people who became known as the Freedom Riders just kept coming. Tonight, Catherine Burks Brooks tells her story. Also, Gospel Goes Classical this weekend in Birmingham, AND - just to mix it up a little this week...Southern Funk from Birmingham band Looney Mill. I'm Greg Bass and this is Tapestry.

On Mother's Day 1961, Alabama made international news. It was May 14th -- and segregationists attacked buses full of interracial "Freedom Riders". The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute commemorates the Rides with a photo exhibit and a ceremony next Friday. Although she wasn't on the bus that Mother's Day, Freedom Rider Catherine Burks Brooks did travel down to Birmingham on a bus not long after. She shared her story with WBHM's Rosemary Pennington.

The story of Freedom Rider Catherine Burks Brooks

Catherine Burks Brooks talking about her experience as a Freedom Rider in May of 1961. There's more in the Tapestry section of WBHM.org.

American Idol -- and classical music. The two don't seem to have much in common. But this weekend, at the Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, American Idol Ruben Studdard performs with full orchestra accompaniment. It's part of a concert called Gospel Goes Classical, featuring other big names like preacher and singer Juanita Bynum, and jazz musician Jonathan Butler. Now you may be asking yourself - how do you marry two seemingly divergent musical styles like gospel and classical? Conductor Henry Panion of UAB tells WBHM's Tanya Ott, it's really not that far-fetched.

Hanry Panion on "Gospel Goes Classical"

UAB's Dr. Henry Panion conducts the Gospel Goes Classical concert Sunday night at the Alys Stephens Center. We've got more information on the concert on the Tapestry page of WBHM.org.

To hear the audio portion of the Community Calendar from Tapestry, click here.

Want to know more? Activeculture.info is a one-stop source for finding out what's going on in the Birmingham metro area.

If you like the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Government Mule, and Yonder Mountain String Band - chances are you'll like Birmingham band Looney Mill. The group formed last year around a sound that mixes heavy jams, reggae, funk, rock, rap and everything that might make you dance. This is "Fall Back" from the new self-titled CD. Percussionist Quinn Collins and bass player Dirk South stopped by our studios this week. (AUDIO MONTAGE)

Looney Mill is Quinn Collins on drums, Dirk South on bass, and John "machine gun" Hugunin and Marcus Buckner both taking up the guitar. Kyndle Buckner is "The Voice". Looney Mill plays Marty's May 12th and Do Dah Day May 20th. We've got more of their music available for download on the Tapestry page of WHBM.org.

Tapestry is produced by Tanya Ott and Michael Krall. Hunter Bell produces the musician profiles and Francesca Rosko tracks community events. Additional reporting this week from Rosemary Pennington. Next week, creepy, crawly ZOMBIES! A local film crew makes good...I'm Greg Bass. Thanks for joining us.