Mitch Gran’Daddy June Bug Capel

Mitch Capel / “Gran’daddy Junebug” is a master storyteller, recording artist, published author and poet. He is mesmerizing as he brings stories to life, while plucking the string with just the touch the human heart craves. He has been described as a “word magician”, a “national treasure”, “unexpectedly powerful” and a “transformer of lives.” Mitch first began writing and performing skits at the age of 12 and has over 35 hours of stories stored to memory. He has been featured at numerous schools, libraries, museums and festivals since 1985 including DuSable in Chicago; The Kennedy Center in DC; The National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN; the Smithsonian’s 2009 Folklife Festival on the National Mall and the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. He has been the Artist-In-Residence at the International Storytelling Center and has received accolades and awards from local, state and national organizations for his work with youth.

Elnora Leak Capel, (his grandmother) read to Mitch at the tender age of three from “The Life & Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar”(1872-1906) and the rhythm of the story was planted like a seed. The genius of Dunbar’s work coupled with the joy in his grandmother’s eyes and the passion of her delivery left an indelible impression in Mitch’s heart. Later, Mitch and his brothers were encouraged by their parents to memorize the works of great poets to recite at church and civic events. It wasn’t until Mitch finished college that Dunbar would re-enter his life. His father, Felton Capel, shared stories of his youth and “creek talk”(a term he used to describe the dialect of his hometown of Windblow, NC) and one day gave Mitch the same Dunbar book that had been used by his grandmother and the source of his family’s entertainment for generations. His father said, “If you love that ‘creek talk’ you’ll love this…”and he handed over the book. Mitch’s father was right…the next seven years he studied that book, examining every word, every nuance, every moral and every intention of the author.
After re-discovering “A Cabin Tale”, Mitch started reading the story poem to his kids every night and memorized it. He told a friend the story one day, was invited to tell it at a banquet where there were teachers in the audience, who subsequently invited him to their school. The seed that was planted over twenty-seven years earlier was being nourished and beginning to sprout. Using make-up and baggy clothes, he developed the older character “Gran’daddy Junebug” to deliver the words because he felt a young man (such as himself) wouldn’t be as convincing. The character is a tribute to his own grandfathers who passed when he was young, two elderly gentlemen he adopted to fill the void and a way to pay respect to the elders. The “blossoming” was evident when Mitch’s grandmother reached a point where her memory was failing her…he sat on her bed and started reciting “A Cabin Tale” at which point she started reciting with him…then laughed and said, “boy, you remembered that story!” Not only did he remember, he is now one of the most sought after storytellers in the world!