LOCALS
the STREET GENIE Sax player Freddy Greene has honed his soul-searching groove on downtown Raleigh sidewalks words & photographs by TYLER CUNNINGHAM
“I
t’s on the street where I feel like I’m actually living,” says Freddy Greene. “I’m not boxed in at all.” You’ve probably encountered Greene on Fayetteville Street or at his favorite Raleigh perch, in front of the Memorial Auditorium as a
performance lets out. The 63-year-old harvester of sounds leans into a relaxed boldness with piercing hazel eyes, often hidden behind his signature shades, and locs falling well below his shoulders. Nicknamed the “Street Genie” for his ability to make the melodies of his beloved saxophone dance and bend, some
say Greene is Raleigh’s longest-running street musician. While Greene has played with the likes of gospel greats Shirley Caesar and Percy Sledge — and even graced the stage of Harlem’s legendary Apollo Theater twice — street playing is his sacred space. Here, he has found a raw and powerful connecThe Art & Soul of Raleigh | 31
