There are so many incredible musicians in this world, and the majority of them aren’t famous. The chances of landing a record deal are almost as slim as buying a winning lottery ticket – so many musicians take to YouTube in the hopes of finding an organic audience that will one day fund their passion.
While some YouTube musicians blend into the background, The Spoon Lady is not one of them.
As her name suggests, The Spoon Lady – real name Abby Roach – plays an unusual instrument: the spoons.
She started playing when she was hitchhiking across the United States. She had no skills at the time, but she needed money to fund her travels. After trying out various jobs, including working at state fairs and carnivals, she stopped off in Savannah with $100 to her name.
On the road, Abby met different travelers, including musical travelers. She realized that playing music on the street, or busking, would be a good way for her to make some money. One of her fellow travelers “borrowed” some spoons from a restaurant and taught Abby how to hold them in her hands and run them down her fingers.
Abby decided that playing the spoons was her best chance of earning some money. But it was far from easy to begin with.
She’d spend many hours in the library, watching videos of famous spoon musicians. She tried to mimic their moves, but when she practiced on the streets, she didn’t have many fans.
In a video shared to her YouTube channel, she talks about how people would pay her to move on, recalling:
“They would say, ‘Hey, you’re underneath my office building, will you please get out of here? I can’t concentrate. Here’s some cash.’ I’d be wandering off on my way, still better off than I was before.”
Eventually, Abby’s skill improved, and people started to appreciate her music. She got in with the right crowd, and played alongside some incredible folk musicians. Fast-forward a few years, and she became one of the most recognized spoon musicians in the US, with more than 300,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel.
Abby has collaborated with many different artists on YouTube, but one of her most popular videos sees her perform alongside bluegrass musician Chris Rodrigues, who she met at a community group called Asheville Buskers Collective.
The music performed by Abby and Chris is called “Angels in Heaven”, and is an original developed by Chris back in 2017.
There’s nothing fancy-schmancy about the music video for “Angels in Heaven”. Filmed on Abby’s front porch, the two musicians sit with their instruments – Abby with her spoons and Chris with his guitar, a foot-tambourine and a Cajon.
Chris has a unique singing voice, gruff but higher than expected. He sings his own penned lyrics while playing his own instruments, and Abby plays her spoons alongside him.
If you thought that Abby’s spoons would be a background accompaniment, you’ll be surprised at the effect her contribution has on the music.
The performance wouldn’t be half as good without Abby’s spoon percussion. She plays along at an alarming rate, putting on a show with both her sound and her movements.
With 37 million views, Chris and Abby’s collaboration shot them to heights of fame that they never could have expected. But it’s easy to see why their performance has proven so popular. Their enthusiasm combined with the novelty of Abby’s spoon-playing makes for an addictive watch.
If you’re keen to understand how spoon playing could possibly sound good, you need to watch this video of Abby and Chris doing their thing. Scroll down and click play to listen to The Spoon Lady in action.
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