Introduction
Chris Rodrigues, born June 7, 1989 in Asheville, North Carolina, is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who began street performing in 2012 and teamed up with Abby the Spoon Lady in spring 2013.
Abby Roach—better known as Abby the Spoon Lady—was born October 29, 1981 in Wichita, Kansas. A former radio personality turned free-speech activist, she’s been championing street performance and storytelling since the early 2000s with nothing more than a pair of spoons and her unshakable spirit.
“I Done Died” is a traditional gospel song reimagined by the duo, whom they describe as “working with these old gospel songs for a while” to bring fresh life to a timeless message. The lyrics speak of triumph over hardship—“I done died, don’t die no more, I’m goin’ to cross on the other shore”—reminding listeners that every ending can be a doorway to hope.
Captured in an unvarnished live session for WDVX’s Blue Plate Special, the video showcases the duo in a simple setting where every note and spoon strike rings clear. There’s no studio polish—just Chris seated with his resonator guitar and Abby wielding her spoons like castanets, creating a hypnotic interlude that holds your gaze .
In a world saturated with production, this performance reminds us of music’s raw power to connect and uplift, tapping into the ancient roots of gospel and folk traditions. It’s a conversation between two musicians and their audience, asking: have you ever felt a simple rhythm heal your soul?