Podcasts about Jean Ritchie

Over the last 5 years, we have had the privilege of bringing you stories of Pioneering musicians such as Bill Monroe, Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, Lead Belly, Dolly Parton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie and so many more.However, a recently shift was forced upon the American Songcatcher program. Our distributor, Spotify for Podcasters/Creators, has taken down 1/4 of our episodes on all platforms, with more likely to follow, as they have began to crack down on the rights and usage of songs. Although this program is strictly education-based, and we don't sell products or produce any notable revenue from these episodes, they don't see what we do as fair use. It's a big blow, as over a year's worth of our work is now gone from the convenient places to listen to them.And so, our standstill for the last 5 months has been one of great pondering, and a lot of work with our nonprofit ReString Appalachia, where we have just surpassed 700 instruments given to those who had them taken away from natural disasters. It's been decided that from now on, American Songcatcher will strictly focus on traditional song history, field recordings, and interviews. We embrace our new direction, and we hope you will too. All of the episodes will be available on our website, AmericanSongcatcher.com in the next month. We'll be back with some new content soon, thank you for your patience, see you next time on American Songcatcher.__Support Educational Programming:⁠Tax-Exempt Donations⁠Join the⁠ Patreon Community⁠One-time donations:⁠ Venmo⁠ or⁠ PayPal⁠Follow ⁠American Songcatcher⁠ on ⁠Instagram⁠ Credits: Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, editing, recording and distribution

Welcome to Get Up in the Cool: Old Time Music with Cameron DeWhitt and Friends. This week's friend is Shanice Richards! We recorded this on Monday in Baltimore. Tunes in this episode: * The Girl I Left Behind (0:59) * New Jordan (7:12) * Jenny on the Railroad (30:26) * Three Forks of Cheat (46:05) * Jubilee (56:09) * Bonus Track: Snake's Wild Tune Visit The Little Mercies' website (https://thelittlemercies.com/) Follow them on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/little.mercies.band/) Buy their album on Bandcamp (https://thelittlemercies.bandcamp.com/) Buy tickets for my April duo bill tour with Morgan Harris (morganharrisguitar.com/live) Support Get Up in the Cool on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/getupinthecool) Send Tax Deductible Donations to Get Up in the Cool through Fracture Atlas (https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/get-up-in-the-cool) Sign up at Pitchfork Banjo for my clawhammer instructional series! (https://www.pitchforkbanjo.com/) Schedule a banjo lesson with Cameron (https://www.camerondewhitt.com/banjolessons) Visit Tall Poppy String Band's website (https://www.tallpoppystringband.com/) and follow us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tallpoppystringband/)

Today we tell the story of Jean Ritchie, the "Mother of Folk."  Born in the small town of Viper, Kentucky, Jean captivated audiences worldwide, influencing legends like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash along the way. Join Steve and Rod as they tell the story of her remarkable life, from her roots in the mountains to her role in the folk revival of the mid-20th century.  Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite app to catch all our episodes. You can also support our storytelling journey and gain access to exclusive content by becoming a patron here: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-appalachia--5553692/supportThanks for listening!

Hosts Nate Wilcox and Dave Thompson continue their mini-series discussing Dave's book An Evolving Tradition: The Child Ballads in Modern Folk and Rock Music -- buy the book to support the show. This episode covers the collision of the Child Ballads with the leaders of the first American popular Folk Revival featuring leaders of the movement like Alan Lomax, Pete Seeger, Josh White and Jean Ritchie. GO TO THE LET IT ROLL SUBSTACK TO HEAR THE FULL EPISODE-- The final 15 minutes of this episode are exclusively for paying subscribers to the Let It Roll Substack. Also subscribe to the LET IT ROLL EXTRA feed on Apple, Spotify or your preferred podcast service to access the full episodes via your preferred podcast outlet. We've got all 350+ episodes listed, organized by mini-series, genre, era, co-host, guest and more. Please sign up for the email list on the site and get music essays from Nate as well as (eventually) transcriptions of every episode. Also if you can afford it please consider becoming a paid subscriber to support the show. Thanks! Have a question or a suggestion for a topic or person for Nate to interview? Email letitrollpodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook. Let It Roll is proud to be part of Pantheon Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Appalachian dulcimer is now a core instrument in the American tradition, but styles performed by modern dulcimer enthusiasts run the gamut from traditional folk music through popular and experimental forms. This week we'll hear new and classic recordings by Jean Ritchie, John McCutcheon, Sally Rogers, Malcolm Dalglish, Claudia Schmidt and Ken Kolodner. Hear the heart of the dulcimer … this week on The Sing Out! Radio Magazine.Pete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer”(excerpt) / Songs of Hope and Struggle / Smithsonian FolkwaysTachyonmetry / “Invention #13 in A minor” / Sunset Waterfall / Self-producedJean Ritchie / “Pretty Polly” / Jean Ritchie & Doc Watson at Folk City / Smithsonian FolkwaysThe Fuzzy Mountain String Band / “Bonaparte's Retreat” / The Fuzzy Mountain String Band / RounderJohn McCutcheon / “St. Anne's Reel-Cricket on the Hearth-Kitchen Girl-Mississippi Sawyer” / Wind that Shakes the Barley / RounderWalt Michael / “Prince William's Medley” / Hammered Dulcimer Retrospective / Flying FishBruce Cockburn / “Vagabondage” / In the Falling Dark / ESDJoni Mitchell / “Carey” / Blue / RepriseSally Rogers / “A Knock on the Door” / The Unclaimed Pint / Flying FishClaudia Schmidt / “Rooster” / Slow Steady Heart / Self-producedTachyonmetry / “Concerto in D-Allegro” / Sunset Waterfall / Self-producedTibetan Institute of Performing Arts / “Nang-ma Ta-la Shi-pa” / Dhama Suna / DetourMalcolm Dalglish & the Ooolites / “Quil O'Quay” / Pleasure / OooliticBrave Old World / “Waltz Roman A Clef” / Beyond the Pale / RounderCathy Barton & Dave Para / “When I Went for to Take My Leave” / Sweet Journeys / RoustaboutKen & Brad Kolodner / “Richmond Blues-Possum on a Rail” / Stony Run / FenchurchPete Seeger / “If I Had A Hammer”(excerpt) / Songs of Hope and Struggle / Smithsonian Folkways

Here's a tune that has touched the hearts and minds of more than a hundred years' worth of Flood heroes.At the very start of the 20th century, it was one of the best-loved numbers in the repertoire of jazz legend Buddy Bolden down in the hot, dark streets of New Orleans.A couple decades later up in Memphis, W.C. Handy co-opted it, copyrighting a variation after he heard an old guy singing it in a railroad station.It was one of the first songs waxxed when the recording revolution began in the 1920s. Bessie Smith and a kid named Louis Armstrong had a huge hit with it in 1925.After that, it was recorded by … well, by everybody from Lula Jackson and Lonnie Johnson to Jack Teagarden and The Mills Brothers, from Kid Ory and Baby Dodds to Bunk Johnson and George Lewis.Country versions were done by The Texas Rangers, The Dixie Ramblers and by Riley Puckett, blues versions by Big Joe Turner and Josh White, straight-up jazz takes by Sidney Bechet and Billie Holiday, early rock and pop renditions by Fats Domino and Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and Nat “King” Cole, earnest folk treatments by Jean Ritchie and Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Dave Van Ronk.The Song's OriginsThe origins of “Careless Love” are obscure indeed, though it is thought to be essentially British, re-made in America with new stylistic influences. In the US, for instance, folklorist Vance Randolph collected a version in 1948 that he was told was learned in 1880.In Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy's 1941 autobiography, the composer acknowledged that the song he copyrighted as “Loveless Love” was “based on the ‘Careless Love' melody that I had played first in Bessemer (Ala.) in 1892 and that has since become popular all over the South.”Meanwhile, uh, What About the Murders? ...Handy's autobiography also introduced a curious twist when a notorious double-murder case glommed onto the “Careless Love” story.While living in Henderson, Ky., with his new wife, Elizabeth, “I was told that the words of ‘Careless Love' were based on a tragedy in a local family,” Hardy wrote, “and one night a gentleman of that city's tobacco-planter aristocracy requested our band to play and sing this folk melody.”The tragedy in question was the April 1895 shooting death of one Archibald Dixon Brown, who happened to be the 32-year-old son of Kentucky Gov. John Young Brown. Newspapers across the country reported the scandal, how the jealous husband of Archie's 28-year-old lover, Nellie Gordon, caught the two of them in a bedroom in a disreputable neighborhood in Louisville and shot each of them to death. Fulton Gordon was captured by police several blocks away, where he confessed to the murders. Soon balladeers were hard at work, singing the news.Our Take on the Tune“Man, I love those chords you found!” Joe Dobbs used to say whenever The Flood played “Careless Love.” It's true that the country version of the song Joe grew up hearing — with its simple I-IV-V structure — made for a pretty boring tune to solo on. That's why when The Flood started doing the tune a couple of decades ago, Charlie Bowen dug around to find what Joe like to call “those Nawlins chords,” the changes favored by early jazz bands when they performed the song.And since then, each iteration of the band over the years has found lots of space for ad-libbing in those roomy chords inherited from the song's sweet Dixieland roots. Just listen, for instance, to all the ideas that Sam St. Clair, Danny Cox and Randy Hamilton come up with in this latest rendition from last week's rehearsal.The FakebookOh, and by the way, if you'd like to pick along on this or other songs in The Flood catalog, visit the band's Fakebook section on its website.There you'll find chord charts for dozens of tunes in The Flood songbag, along with links to the band's renditions over the years. Click here to check it out. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for July 28, 2024 is: dulcet • DUL-sut • adjective Dulcet is a formal word used to describe sounds that are pleasant to hear. It is often used in the phrase “dulcet tones.” // Jolie recalled warm memories of falling asleep to the dulcet tones of her grandmother's lullabies. See the entry > Examples: “It's an understatement to say that Paris Is Burning was everything to me. Seeing it finally put a name on what I had somehow known existed perhaps through family conversations, run-ins in the city, and pop cultural dots connected over a couple decades of life—BALLROOM. I was finally able to say, ‘There it is!' My takeaways from that cult classic are numerous: The dulcet tones of Pepper LaBeija, draped in silk in a lamplit corner, chain-smoking and unravelling the yarn of how she became the next mother of the very first house in Ballroom, the House of LaBeija.” — Ricky Tucker, And the Category Is… : Inside New York's Vogue, House, and Ballroom Community, 2021 Did you know? Some of the most dulcet tones in American folk music are said to come from the dulcimer, a fretted stringed instrument traditionally played on the lap and integral to the work of such sweet-voiced musicians and song collectors as Jean Ritchie, Loraine Wyman, and Margaret MacArthur. The essence of dulcet, after all, is sweetness; the word has been in use in English since the 1400s describing not only desserts and other confections that are pleasing for their literal sweetness, but figuratively sweet things such as smiles and even balmy weather. Dulcet is today used most often, however, to describe sounds, including melodies, voices, and especially tones with a notably honeyed quality. Fittingly, dulcet comes from the Latin word for “sweet,” dulcis, an ancestor of many musical English words, including the musical direction dolce (“to be played sweetly”), Dulciana (a type of pipe organ stop), dolcian (a small bassoon-like instrument), and, of course, dulcimer.

This week, Hindman, Kentucky writer, educator, vocalist and world champion mountain dulcimer Jedi Sarah Kate Morgan recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, a special performance by the 2024 Ozark Folk Center Mountain Dulcimer Contest winner Melinda McMillan of Martinsville, IN. “Born of Appalachian soil in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, Sarah Kate Morgan sings, plays, and writes like she's been in these hills since the dawn of time. She's had plenty of varied influences, beginning with hearing a classical music CD belonging to her family and going on to discover old time music through a dulcimer built by her grandfather. She began playing dulcimer at age 7. This proved to be a pivotal moment. At 18 years old, Sarah Kate placed 1st at the 2012 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships in Winfield, Kansas. She's gone on to build a unique personal style which honors mountain dulcimer giants such as Jean Ritchie while working across genres to build something new. Her dexterous approach to the instrument is one that only masterful artists can bring to the table; much like Bruce Molsky and the fiddle, having been a dedicated student of the dulcimer's complexities Morgan is able to distill them into a beautifully polished package. Well-known and widely respected as one of the leading experts of the mountain dulcimer, Sarah Kate is also a first-rate singer and songwriter. Her earthy and poetic lyrics embrace the highs and lows of southern Appalachian life while her voice does the same – moving between alto and soprano parts with ease. Her crystal-clear but rootsy vocal style combines the best of country, old time, bluegrass, and gospel influences who, like Morgan, foreground their cultural roots. All of this goes hand in hand to create a musical experience akin to a sonic baptism.” - https://www.sarahkatemorgan.com/bio-1 In this week's “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1981 archival recording of Country Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry member Ramona Jones fiddling out a square dance on the traditional tune “Liberty,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In his segment “Back in the Hills,” writer, professor and historian Dr. Brooks Blevins profiles self-promoting Ozark folk artist and entrepreneur L.L. Broadfoot.

Send us a Text Message.Irene Kelley's love of music has been imbued in her memory practically from the very beginning. She became wholly entranced by it while hearing it for the first time in her dad's basement TV repair workshop as a young girl. After hearing it around the house, the music became so imbued in her that she began writing music early on and joined her first band at the age of 15.In 1981, she made her big career leap when she was invited to join the bluegrass band Redwing as lead singer. She soon found herself performing at any number of major festivals and gaining major traction in the process. Her move to Nashville in 1984 added increased momentum and she was soon signed to MCA Nashville for whom she recorded her first album which also featured an all-star line-up in the persons of Sam Bush, Carl Jackson and Mark O'Connor.  She also found success as a songwriter, penning songs for the likes Alan Jackson, Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White, Loretta Lynn and Trisha Yearwood. Nevertheless, despite her accomplishments, her devotion to the basics of bluegrass remained first and foremost. With early influences that include Jean Ritchie, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, Rodney Crowell, Pete Goble, Greg Allman, Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.These days, Irene is carrying the torch forward, not only through her own efforts, but that of her daughters as well, all of whom joined her for her recent holiday LP Kelley Family Christmas.My Backstage Pass recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ms. Kelley in a sit-down face to face interview which found her sharing her musical journey and her fervent belief in bluegrass past and present. Learn more about Irene Kelley at https://www.irenekelley.comHost Lee Zimmerman is a freelance music writer whose articles have appeared in several leading music industry publications. Lee is a former promotions representative for ABC and Capital Records and director of communications for various CBS affiliated television stations. Lee recently authored the book "Thirty Years Behind The Glass" about legendary producer and engineer Jim Gains.Podcast producer/cohost Billy Hubbard is an Americana Singer/Songwriter and former Regional Director of A&R for a Grammy winning company. Billy is a signed artist with Spectra Music Group  and co-founder of the iconic venue "The Station" in East TN. Billy's new album was released on Spectra Records 10/2023 on all major outlets! Learn more about Billy at http://www.BillyHubbard.comMy Backstage Pass is sponsored by The Alternate Root Magazine! Please subscribe to their newsletter, read the latest music reviews and check out their weekly Top Ten songs at this link http://www.thealternateroot.com

A third of a millennium ago, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary about a New Year's party at which he hear the “little Scotch song of Barbary Allen….”Scholars often cite that Jan. 2, 1666, entry as evidence that this famous ballad — which tells the tale of a beautiful woman who denies a dying man's love, then dies of grief soon after his untimely demise — already was hundreds of years old by the time Francis Child collected it in the late 19th century.Barbara's Other LifeIn fact, ethnomusicologists Steve Roud and Julia Bishop described it as "far and away the most widely collected song in the English language — equally popular in England, Scotland and Ireland — with hundreds of versions collected over the years in North America.”Roud and Bishop wondered if the ballad was originally written for a stage performance. Supported that, they point out that Pepys' diary entry mentions hearing a professional actress name Elizabeth Knepp singing the song at that notable New Year's party.However, folklorists Phillips Barry and Fannie Hardy Eckstorm dispute that idea.The ballad "was not a stage song at all,” they say, “but a libel on Barbara Villiers and her well-publicized adulteries with King Charles II.” Fellow folkie Charles Seeger liked that theory, adding that Pepys' delight at hearing a libelous song about the king's mistress would be perfectly in character for him.Print and Recordings“Barbara Allen” was frequently published in Britain throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, but it was not until 1836 that it appeared in America. After that, many variations were printed in broadsides in the United States through the 19th and 20th centuries.The earliest recording of the song probably was a 1907 wax cylinder made by Lincolnshire folk singer Joseph Taylor. The first vinyl recordings were Vernon Dalhart's in 1927 and Bradley Kincaid's the following year.Since then, some 500 traditional recordings have been indexed by the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library.Where, Oh Where?The song usually begins with a variation on the line, “In Scarlet Town where I was born there was a fair maid dwelling….”Don't bother looking; there is no such place as Scarlet Town, at least not in the geographical world recorded in the Britannica Atlas or in Google Maps. An invented name, it might be, some speculate, an ancient metaphor for a home of scarlet women. However, Wikipedia is curious if “Scarlet Town" might be a punning reference to Reading, the town on the Thames and Kennet rivers in southern England. Supporting that theory is the fact that a 1790 version of the song has a reference to “in Reading town, where I was bound.”Folk RevivalistsIn the 1950s and ‘60s, most folk revivalists — Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie and Joan Baez leading the list — recorded versions of the ballad.Famously, Bob Dylan noted that folk songs are highly influential in his work. As he wrote in a poem, “Without ‘Barbara Allen' there'd be no ‘Girl from the North Country.'” Early on, Bob performed an eight-minute rendition of the original ballad, which was subsequently released on his Live at The Gaslight 1962 album.Our Take on the TuneCharlie Bowen brought us our version recently after revisiting his own favorite rendition, Tom Rush's 1963 pressing of the song (calling it “Barb'ry Ellen”) on Prestige/Folklore. Like Rush, Charlie cultivates a slightly different melody line. He also brings in his resonator guitar and slide to give the tune a slightly bluesy quality. Then Danny Cox and Sam St. Clair add beautiful solos and Randy Hamilton provides the perfect subtle vocal harmonies along with his bass lines. Here's the result. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Interview begins at 1:16. To stay up to date and learn more about the Hall of Fame, visit www.farhof.org. 

Jean Ritchie (1922-2015) was the mother of folk music. She was an instrumental voice in the American folk music revival of the 1940s and 60s, and introduced a traditional dulcimer sound to a wider audience.  For Further Reading: Jean Ritchie, Lyrical Voice of Appalachia, Dies at 92  Library of Congress: Jean Ritchie 1922-2015 Jean Ritchie Interviews Her Family, With Documentary Recordings Mountain Born: the Jean Ritchie Story by Kentucky Educational Television This month, we're talking about Women of Sound. These women dominated the airwaves: innovating, documenting, and creating the audio landscape we live in today. History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn't help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we'll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures. Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones and Abbey Delk. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.Follow Wonder Media Network: Website Instagram Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Ozark original ACMA nominated and rising national bluegrass sensation The Casey Penn Band recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with Casey Penn. As a bonus, music and commentary from Ozark original prodigies and Mountain View's very own Ozark Strangers. Based in Central Arkansas, Casey Penn is an Arkansas Country Music Award-nominated songwriter and a performing bluegrass and Americana artist. She's represented by Mountain Fever Records, for which she has released three singles and a debut album (One Step Away / February 2023). Her newest single, "We Go Together Like a Guitar and a Fiddle," is available now and is climbing the Bluegrass Unlimited Top 30 charts. Her full album is climbing the Top 15 Album Chart for Bluegrass Unlimited as well. Casey is a former founding member of the Americana duo Lee Street Lyrical. Now dissolved, the band was signed to MFM's Travianna Records and was a repeat ACMA nominee for Acoustic Act of the Year. “I'll Never Be A Mountain Girl,” written by Penn and Irene Kelley, reached #8 on Bluegrass Today's Weekly Grassicana chart. Casey is joined in this performance by: her husband Will Penn on acoustic bass; singer-songwriter Roger King on guitar, dobro, and vocals; Gravel Yard band member Titus Turner on mandolin; and Titus' sister, multi-instrumentalist Tiffany Turner on banjo, guitar, and vocals. Although the Ozark Strangers are young, they're by no means novices. Born out of the Ozark Folk Center State Park's Music Roots program, these young men have built a name for themselves in the local bluegrass scene. Ranging in age from 13 to 19, the Strangers have already been performing professionally for years. Under the tutelage of Music Roots educator and renowned bluegrass producer Crystal McCool, the Ozark Strangers have competed at the Silver Dollar City KSMU Youth in Bluegrass Contest and have released a live album. The band's roster includes: Sugar Foot Gordon Parker on mandolin; Jordan Brannon on guitar; Truett Brannon on fiddle; Zach Ledbetter on acoustic upright bass; and Jake Ledbetter on banjo. In this week's “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1981 archival recording of Ozark original bluegrass band Gospel Grass performing the traditional song “Everlasting Arms” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In this week's guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater pays homage to folk icon Jean Ritchie, featuring the song “Sings the Soldier.”

 Nominally, this is a traditional song about abandoned love, but back in the 1960s when she reworked it, the late Jean Ritchie wrote new lyrics that went well beyond that to the larger theme of loss in general. Because of those deeper expressions, The Flood has often thought of this tune in times of our darkest grief, and we've even sung it at more than one graveside. So, it's only natural for us to be thinking of it again these days with death of our own dear companion, Doug Chaffin. He absolutely loved playing this song. So, here's to you, Doug.

Most of the world heard “My Dear Companion” when it was featured on the 1987 Trio album released by superstars Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, with songwriting credits going to Kentucky balladeer Jean Ritchie.That creation story for the song is accurate, as far as it goes. Ritchie wrote her tune in 1963, and 10 years later it was among the first things The Flood played when the band started coming together. The Kentucky ConnectionOlder members of the band often talked about being at folk festivals — like those at Kentucky's Grayson Lake and Carter Caves state parks — at which Jean Ritchie was the star attraction.In fact, some of us remember sitting with Nancy McClellan at the festivals — or in her living room in Ashland — listening to Jean tell stories of her early days when as a young girl she made her way from Viper, Ky., to New York City in the 1950s when the folk music boom was just beginning.The Song's Pre-Jean HistoryBut the roots of “Dear Companion” go deeper than 1963. Jean never made any secret of the fact that she patterned her piece after a traditional song that English folklorist Cecil Sharp collected in early 20th century America. Sharp later recounted how he collected the song in1916 from Rosie Hensley of Carmen, NC. The following year Sharp moved on to Kentucky to collect more songs, many of them from Jean Ritchie's aunts and cousins.In 1956, Jean herself recorded that original song, which opens with the lines: I once did have a dear companion, Indeed I thought his love my own, Until a dark-eyed girl betrayed me And then he cared no more for me…A quick aside: In the 1970s, Flood co-founder Roger Samples recalled his mother, Velva Kennedy Samples, back home in Clendenin, WV, singing that same song. This was long before Ritchie copyrighted her composition. Quite likely, Velva was singing some version of the original Cecil Sharp find.Meanwhile, that traditional version also was sung by Peggy Seeger, who recalled learning it in 1960 at a Canadian club from fellow folkie Bonnie Dobson, who recorded it in 1963. Dobson's version used a haunting Bob Coltman melody.Today if you YouTube the Dobson recording, you can hear the homage that Jean Ritchie pays to that Coltman tune when she crafts her own melody. (We think Jean's is imminently more hum-able, though, so it's little wonder hers is pretty much the only version anyone knows nowadays.)Our Take on the TuneWhat makes Ritchie's rendition special — besides her lovely melody — is her wonderful re-crafting of the lyrics. Like the original, Jean's song is nominally about abandoned love, but then she goes far beyond that to a larger theme of loss in general.And it's because of those deeper expressions — with lines like, I wish I was a sparrow flying / I'd fly to some high and lonesome place / And join those little birds in their crying, / Remembering you and your dear face — that we in The Flood have often thought of this song in times of our darkest grief.For instance, when our old friend Harvey McClellan died in the fall of 2004, the Bowens traveled with Nancy to Harvey's Henderson, Ky., birthplace, where Charlie sang the song at the burial. Nine years later, at Nancy McClellan's own funeral, Charlie, with bandmates Randy Hamilton and Michelle Hoge, sang the same song at her graveside.So, it was only natural for us recently to think of the song again at the first rehearsal after the death of our own dear companion, Doug Chaffin, last month. He absolutely loved playing that song. So, here's to you, Doug.On the AlbumSpeaking of Doug, you can hear him soloing and playing soulful, tasteful fills behind the solos of Joe, Dave and Sam on “My Dear Companion” on The Flood's 2013 Cleanup & Recovery album.These days the entire album can be heard online on our free Radio Floodango music streaming service. Click here to reach the disc. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Born of Appalachian soil in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, Sarah Kate Morgan sings, plays, and writes like she's been in these hills since the dawn of time. She's had plenty of varied influences, beginning with hearing a classical music CD belonging to her family and going on to discover old time music through a dulcimer built by her grandfather. She began playing dulcimer at age 7.   This proved to be a pivotal moment. At 18 years old, Sarah Kate placed 1st at the 2012 National Mountain Dulcimer Championships in Winfield, Kansas. She's gone on to build a unique personal style which honors mountain dulcimer giants such as Jean Ritchie while working across genres to build something new. Her dexterous approach to the instrument is one that only masterful artists can bring to the table; much like Bruce Molsky and the fiddle, having been a dedicated student of the dulcimer's complexities Morgan is able to distill them into a beautifully polished package. Well-known and widely respected as one of the leading experts of the mountain dulcimer, Sarah Kate is also a first-rate singer and songwriter. Her earthy and poetic lyrics embrace the highs and lows of southern appalachian life while her voice does the same – moving between alto and soprano parts with ease. Her crystal-clear but rootsy vocal style combines the best of country, old time, bluegrass, and gospel influences who, like Morgan, foreground their cultural roots. All of this goes hand in hand to create a musical experience akin to a sonic baptism. None of this is lost on the giants of roots music. Sarah Kate has performed and/or recorded with artists like Tyler Childers, Alice Gerrard, and Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones. In addition to her musical prowess, Sarah Kate is an accomplished scholar who graduated from Morehead State University with degrees in Traditional Music, Appalachian Studies, and Arts Administration. Currently based in Hindman, Kentucky, she practices, cultivates, teaches, and preserves Appalachian folk traditions in her role as the Hindman Settlement School's Traditional Arts Education Director. Whether calling square dances, playing the mountain dulcimer, or making music and creating art with Appalachian youth, Sarah Kate Morgan's work centers on a lived belief that art and tradition are living, breathing tools that foster hope, build community, and create change.

Small Frights: Terror in the Music Room On this episode, a Lantern calls in to tell us about a disturbing tradition his music teacher embraced every Halloween. We also take a call filled with trick-or-treat memories and read a ghost story from the UK! Mentioned in the episode:Jean Richie's Skin and BonesPrimary Sources for Musical Learning: Skin and Bones for Halloween - The Library of Congress blog Be featured on a Small Frights episode! Submit all Halloween queries, advice, recommendations, or memories via telephone to the All Hallows Hotline at (802) 532-Dead! or write an EEEEKmail to itsalwayshalloweenpodcast@gmail.com ⁠Scare your fellow lanterns this season! Submit your haunting tales, photographs, art pieces, and/or recipes to Lantern's Way #2: There's a G-G-G-Ghost! Email all submissions to ⁠thelanternsway@gmail.com⁠   Submission deadline: 8/25 ⁠Pre-Order The Lantern's Way #2⁠ ⁠Order The Lantern's Way #1⁠ IAH Spotify Playlist ⁠Subscribe to It's Always Halloween on Patreon ⁠ ⁠Support It's Always Halloween with a One Time Donation⁠ ⁠Follow It's Always Halloween on Instagram⁠ ⁠Join the Local Lantern Society⁠ Music for this episode was provided by Alex Productions, Jean Ritchie, Alexander Nakarada, Dark Music Su and Pete Byrnes.

Americans know “Pretty Polly” as the short, tragic story of a young woman who is lured into the forest and murdered by her brutal lover, who then buries her in a shallow grave and runs away.Actually, though, the oldest versions of this song — which has its origins almost 300 years ago in Great Britain — needed up to 36 verses to tell its grim story.In the original English ballad — called “The Gosport Tragedy” or “The Cruel Ship's Carpenter” — the murderer is a sailor who promised to marry the girl he seduced, but then changes his mind when he learns she is pregnant.  After he dumps her savaged remains in a forest grave, the killer returns to sea where he is haunted by his dead lover. In some versions, the sailor is murdered by her angry spirit; in others, he is driven to madness and/or to suicide.And as is often the case with ballads, the story probably is based on fact.Back in 1979, Professor David Fowler of the University of Washington published research in The Southern Folklore Quarterly arguing that the events of the song actually took place in 1726 and involved a ship's carpenter by the name of John Billson, who died at sea. First printed around 1727, the ballad tells the tale of Billson's murder of his pregnant girlfriend and of his fleeing aboard a ship called the MMS Bedford.Coming to AmericaBy the time the ballad migrated to North America (where British folklorist Cecil Sharp collected versions in the early 20th century), the song had been whittled down to half dozen verses, all without losing any of its emotional impact.  In the United States in the mid-1920s, the song had gained new life as a banjo tune by the time of its earliest recordings, including Eastern Kentuckian John Hammond's "Purty Polly" of 1925 and the "Pretty Polly" versions of B.F. Shelton and Dock Boggs, both in 1927.Curiously, Shelton and Boggs' versions both begin in the first person ("I courted Pretty Polly..."), then switch to the third person for the murder ("he stabbed her to the heart….”)Later, when a couple of first ladies of the 1960s folk revival recorded the song — Jean Ritchie in 1963, Judy Collins in 1968 — their versions featured alternating verses, switching back and forth between Polly and Willie's perspectives. Our Take on the TuneOur version of the song follows the well-established narrative of Polly and Willie's fatal night, but we take a lot of liberties with the traditional melody. Our rendition, in fact, is built on a musical idea that dates back a half century to the pre-Flood days. When Charlie Bowen and David Peyton were just starting out as a duo in the early 1970s, they found that a repeated scale descending from an opening minor chord resonated nicely on the guitar-Autoharp accompaniment to their voices. Since those salad days, every configuration of Floodifaction has found something to contribute to that basic original arrangement. And it's still happening. Just listen to what Sam St. Clair and Danny Cox have brought to the song with their solos on this take from last week's Flood rehearsal.More Song StoriesBy the way, some fans of this newsletter tell us they really enjoy these deep dives into the history of the songs we sing. If you'd like more, click here to browse our growing archive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

Bruce. Jean Ritchie. Ballads & Train songs. New releases. A musical trip to Mexico. And more. Or less.Playlist: Rachel Cambrin - Me and Bobby McGeeBill Callahan - CoyotesBooth Shot Lincoln - John HardyGinalina, featuring Diu Diu Deng - Taiwanese Train SongHazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard - Long Black VeilSam Bush - DownJeanne Ritchie - There Lived An Old Lord (Child #10)The Local Honeys - The L&N Don't Stop Here AnymoreJohn Hewitt - Man of Constant SinAbigail Lapell - Halfway To MexicoBow Thayer - Lil MexicoOrkesta Mendoza - MisterioHermanos Gutiérrez - Los Chicos TristesLos Hermanos Ballumbrosio - Hatajo de Negritos (Pasacalle/Paloma Ingrata)Tamarack Cunningham - Bus TicketsAlhaji Waziri Oshomah - Okhume Ukhaduame

 The weekly Flood rehearsal has always been an eclectic affair. A typical night will travel from old jazz standards of the 1930s and ‘40s with their flurry of quirky chords to little-known jug band tunes and blues. Maybe we'll stop along the way to sample a few Flood originals that are still busy being born. And often, after all that musical wandering, we'll end up back at some simpler folk song of our youth. Last week, for instance, the last tune of the evening was this haunting Perry County, Ky., composition that the great Jean Ritchie built on just two well-considered chords.

About a year after she wrote this moving Appalachian song in 1965, folk legend Jean Ritchie came back to Kentucky from her New York home to perform it in a solo concert at Ashland Community College in Ashland, Ky. Some of the earliest members of the Family Flood were lucky enough to be sitting in the front row that night. Memories of Jean's cool-as-crystal-water voice singing a cappella on those mountain ballads still send shivers down our spines. On that particular autumn evening in 1966, we also remember Ritchie introducing her newest song by saying, "It's nice to play this tune for people who don't need to be told what the L&N is or why we care when it doesn't stop anymore."Ritchie, who by then had been on the national folk music scene for 20 years, grew up in Viper, Ky., and the Louisville and Nashville tracks ran right through of the mouth of Slabtown Holler near her family home. Difficult times began when the local coal mines closed, and the trains stopped coming. Ritchie typically eschewed controversial topics, but in the mid-1960s, the plight of impoverished coal miners in her native Perry County moved her to write this, perhaps her best known song.Even then, though, she considered the subject touchy enough that she originally released "L&N" in 1965 under her maternal grandfather's name. “Than Hall” was named as the composer; it was the same name she used for the credit on another of her original songs of that period, “Blue Diamond Mines.”But in the last decades of her life, Ritchie became increasing political. For instance, in 2008 — seven years before her death — she still owned the family farm in Viper, and she publicly fought against mountaintop removal, the form of strip mining that she called simply “a sin.”Both Michelle Shocked and Kathy Mattea have covered “L&N” over the years, but the song was made famous when country music icon Johnny Cash published his own cover of the ballad after hearing his wife, June Carter Cash, sing it.Our Take on the TuneThe weekly Flood rehearsal has always been an eclectic affair. A typical night will travel from old jazz standards of the 1930s and ‘40s with their flurry of quirky chords to little-known jug band tunes and blues. Maybe we'll stop along the way to sample a few Flood originals that are still busy being born.After all that musical wandering, we often end up back at some simpler folk song of our youth. Last week, for instance, the last moments of the evening were spent on this haunting tune that Ritchie built on just two well-considered chords.Meanwhile….If you'd like to hear more of our eclectic musical meandering this year, be sure to drop into The 2022 Channel of our free Radio Floodango music streaming service for a playlist of tunes we've flirted with starting in January of this year. Click here to turn us on. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 1937flood.substack.com

This week, It's Dulcimer Jamboree! A whole host of mountain & hammered dulcimer national champions recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with the some of these interesting and eclectic musicians. For over 35 years, Ozark Folk Center State Park has hosted the annual Dulcimer Jamboree. The annual event takes place in mid-April and features three days of specialized instruction and performances from the country's top mountain and hammered dulcimer players. The mountain dulcimer remains one of the more popular folk instruments today. Its celebration in the Mountain View, Arkansas area as a core folk instrument has never waned over the years, with an active community of players and instrument makers. With origins dating back to Biblical times, the hammered dulcimer is an unique instrument in the percussion family. Like the mountain dulcimer, it found a home in the Ozark region among folk musicians and instrument makers alike. Music this week includes performances by Ted Yoder, Rick Thum, Bing Futch, Jeff Hames, Tull Glazener, Jess Dickinson, and Judson Steinback. In this week's “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original dulcimer master craftsman Lynn McSpadden and his wife Catherine performing the traditional tune “Castle Grand,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Renowned folk musician Aubrey Atwater profiles influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, exploring the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode focuses on Jean Ritchie's introduction of the mountain dulcimer to the New York City folk revival of the 1960's, and features Jean Ritchie performing an haunting version of the traditional song “Pretty Saro.”

Bob Dylan, Jean Ritchie, and forgiveness.

Here's a quick bit of Halloween fun from Hank's Granny, aka Jeanie Murphy, that we love to play in our home and sing along with as well! Jeanie played this old traditional song—that she learned and loved from Jean Ritchie—for and with her kids (that's Hank's mom & uncle) when they were little, so it's a great fun to pass it along to another generation. We hope you enjoy it, too! If you love old songs and sing-alongs, we hope that you will check out Jean Ritchie! Here's a recording housed at the US Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/afc9999005.3966/ You can find out more about our show and send us jokes at www.powerdogadventures.com This podcast was made possible, in part, by a grant from The Regional Arts & Culture Council in Portland, OR. It was made more possible by listeners like you! Thank you for your support! Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/powerdog https://www.patreon.com/powerdogadventures We are proud members of Kids Listen, an organization dedicated to high-quality audio content for kids and families. The Adventures of Power Dog in Dogland is created in the ancestral lands of the Multnomah, Wasco, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Cowlitz, bands of Chinook, Tualatin Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other Tribes of the first people who made their homes along the rivers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/powerdogadventures/support

Barbara Allen is the most widely travelled ballad in the English speaking world and exists in many different versions. In today's show we follow the story of this remarkable ballad, finding its roots in colonial America, Transylvania and Ancient Greece, and listening to just a few of its many versions.Ancient lyre music is included by kind permission of Michael Levy. Do visit his website at https://michaellevy.bandcamp.com/ Music Intro music is a version of Barbara Allen from Goathland, North Yorkshire, found in Kidson, Traditional Tunes (1891) pp.36-40Rondo Minuet in G minor by PurcellBarbara Allen tune from the Roxburghe collection: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/33316/recording Scottish version by Ewan McColl, which he learned from his mother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYpwMGCd5pw Norma Waterson's version of Barbara Allen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpw7bx4NcyM  Clifton Hicks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4C50atG_Tc Instrumental version based on the version collected and recorded by Jean Ritchie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihit0mpmz7o An Ozark version of Barbara Allen sung by Kyla Cross: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HV3wT0tgFkA Kentucky version of Barbara Allen sung by Sarah Wood: Sarah Wood - Barbara Ellen - Jim's Birthday Old Time Jam - YouTube The music for King Arthur's court is “En amours n'a si non bien”, an anonymous 15th Century French song.The final Barbara Allen was arranged by John Pearse in “Saturday Night, 20 Tabulated Folk Songs for Guitar”, and imperfectly remembered by me after 35 yearsA traditional version of Kadar Kata: https://m.zeneszoveg.hu/m_dalszoveg/89311/muzsikas/kadar-kata-balladaja-zeneszoveg.htmlOther referenceshttps://mainlynorfolk.info/shirley.collins/songs/barbaraallen.html https://mudcat.org/ http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/ballad/30145/image https://www.pepysdiary.com/ https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C084.html https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48601012.pdfDavid Atkinson (2014) The Anglo-Scottish Ballad and its Imaginary Contexts: https://library.oapThe Bonny Brown Girl: http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/C295.htmlhttps://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/71970029.pdf https://muse.jhu.edu/article/441468 https://www.folkschool.org/ AcknowledgementsThank you to Stones Barn, Cumbria, and the wider Stones Barn community for starting me on this journey and encouraging me along the way.  Find out more at http://stonesbarn.co.uk 

The songs of "Forgotten Folklore" are a window into the overlooked stories of Americana. Vocalist Joshua Banbury and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Sherwin create a musical journey through a curated selection of texts and tunes, in striking new arrangements. The songs offer hope, contemplate nature, reminisce on love, and much more. Banbury and Sherwin also contribute wholly original songs, evoking the story-like essence of American folklore. Web: http://kevinsherwin.com/forgotten-folklore/ The soundscape of "Forgotten Folklore" draws on the fragility and vitality of America's legacy of folk singers. Joshua and Kevin's passion for the early recordings of singers such as Jean Ritchie (1922-2015), Edna Ritchie (1918-1978), Vera Hall (1902-1964), and many others, served as a foundation. Their continued research also led to the prolific transcriptions and field recordings of folklorist Alan Lomax (1915-2002). Banbury and Sherwin's partnership with the Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings led to the detailed study of recordings and texts by these luminaries, among many other American musicians from the early and mid-1900s. The final selection of 5 traditional folk texts offered stories from Texas, Appalachia, and beyond. In re-interpreting these tunes, Banbury and Sherwin draw on their own musical imaginations, infusing traditional Carnatic music, American orchestral music, and elements of Jazz. This personal approach led them to realize new connections between folk traditions across the world. For Joshua, singing this music gave him a new appreciation for his own ancestors, who have inhabited Texas since the 1830s. About the show: ► Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Need Goli Gummies? https://go.goli.com/1loveash5 ► For $5 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://www.lyft.com/ici/ASH584216 ► Want the ‘coldest' water? https://thecoldestwater.com/?ref=ashleybrown12 ► Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ► Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ► SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ► Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ► Newsletter: manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863http://ashsaidit.us11.list-c8&id=a6f43cd472 #atlanta #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, iHeart Radio & Google Play. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!

The songs of "Forgotten Folklore" are a window into the overlooked stories of Americana. Vocalist Joshua Banbury and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Sherwin create a musical journey through a curated selection of texts and tunes, in striking new arrangements. The songs offer hope, contemplate nature, reminisce on love, and much more. Banbury and Sherwin also contribute wholly original songs, evoking the story-like essence of American folklore. Web: http://kevinsherwin.com/forgotten-folklore/ The soundscape of "Forgotten Folklore" draws on the fragility and vitality of America's legacy of folk singers. Joshua and Kevin's passion for the early recordings of singers such as Jean Ritchie (1922-2015), Edna Ritchie (1918-1978), Vera Hall (1902-1964), and many others, served as a foundation. Their continued research also led to the prolific transcriptions and field recordings of folklorist Alan Lomax (1915-2002). Banbury and Sherwin's partnership with the Yale Collection of Historical Sound Recordings led to the detailed study of recordings and texts by these luminaries, among many other American musicians from the early and mid-1900s. The final selection of 5 traditional folk texts offered stories from Texas, Appalachia, and beyond. In re-interpreting these tunes, Banbury and Sherwin draw on their own musical imaginations, infusing traditional Carnatic music, American orchestral music, and elements of Jazz. This personal approach led them to realize new connections between folk traditions across the world. For Joshua, singing this music gave him a new appreciation for his own ancestors, who have inhabited Texas since the 1830s. About the show: ► Website: http://www.ashsaidit.com ► Need Goli Gummies? https://go.goli.com/1loveash5 ► For $5 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://www.lyft.com/ici/ASH584216 ► Want the ‘coldest' water? https://thecoldestwater.com/?ref=ashleybrown12 ► Become A Podcast Legend: http://ashsaidit.podcastersmastery.zaxaa.com/s/6543767021305 ► Review Us: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/ash-said-it/id1144197789 ► SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/c/AshSaidItSuwanee ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1loveash ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/1loveAsh ► Blog: http://www.ashsaidit.com/blog ► Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/1LoveAsh/ ► Newsletter: manage1.com/subscribe?u=2a2ca3b799467f125b53863http://ashsaidit.us11.list-c8&id=a6f43cd472 #atlanta #ashsaidit #ashsaidthat #ashblogsit #ashsaidit® Ash Brown is a gifted American producer, blogger, speaker, media personality and event emcee. The blog on AshSaidit.com showcases exclusive event invites, product reviews and so much more. Her motivational podcast "Ash Said It Daily" is available on major media platforms such as iTunes, iHeart Radio & Google Play. This program has over half a million streams worldwide. She uses these mediums to motivate & encourage her audience in the most powerful way. She keeps it real!

Billy talks with Jason Wilber who was John Prine's guitar player for over 20 years. They discuss Jason's first time meeting John in Bloomington, Indiana, joining John's band, songwriting, the pursuit of the perfect gift (which included a cuckoo clock), Dairy Queen lunch stops on tour, and John's love of meatloaf. More about Jason: Jason Wilber is an American singer, guitar player, songwriter, and recording artist. In addition to his work as a solo recording artist, he is also known as the long time lead guitar player for singer-songwriter John Prine. Other artists Jason has accompanied live or in the studio include Iris Dement, Greg Brown, Tom Russell, Sheryl Crow, Mary Gauthier, Todd Snider, Simrit, Hal Ketchum, Tim Grimm, Krista Detor, Greg Trooper, Carrie Newcomer, Kim Fox, Bill Wilson, and Over the Rhine. Jason Wilber's solo albums include Lost In Your Hometown (1998), Behind the Midway (2000), King For A Day (2004), Lazy Afternoon (2006), Live and Otherwise Volume 1 (2006), Ghost of Summers Past (2009), Live and Otherwise Volume 2 (2009), Secret Window (2014), Echoes (2016) and Reaction Time (2017). Jason Wilber's work with John Prine includes the Grammy Award winning CD Fair & Square, and the Grammy nominated CDs Live On Tour and In Spite of Ourselves (which spent 32 weeks on the Billboard Country Charts). In addition to playing guitar on John Prine's 2017 album For Better or Worse, Jason also served as a Co-Executive Producer. Jason has accompanied John Prine on duet recordings with Iris Dement, Allison Krauss, Susan Tedeschi, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, Kathy Mattea, Amanda Shires, Fiona Prine, Lucinda Williams, Josh Ritter, Patty Loveless, Lee Ann Womack, Connie Smith, Melba Montgomery, Morgane Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, and Sara Watkins. From 2006-2016, Jason Wilber hosted the syndicated radio series, In Search of a Song, which featured long form interviews with singers, songwriters, musicians, and producers. Jason Wilber served as C0-Executive Producer on the compilation CD Coal Country Music featuring Willie Nelson, Gillian Welch, Ralph Stanley, Jason and the Scorchers, Kathy Mattea, Justin Townes Earle, Natalie Merchant, Diana Jones, Tom T. Hall, Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Jean Ritchie, and other artists, who all contributed their talents to benefit the Alliance for Appalachia's work to stop Mountain Top Removal in rural Appalachia. Jason Wilber's past TV and radio appearances include The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Colbert Report, Sessions At West 54th Street, The Grand Ole Opry, Live with Regis and Kathy Lee, CNN Entertainment Week, The Road, Mountain Stage, E-Town, Austin City Limits, and The Late Show with David Letterman.

In this powerful 8-minute program, union organizer and widow from the Mannington/Farmington Mine Disaster tells Michael Kline of the last day she spent with her husband. In 1968, 78 miners needlessly died in a West Virginia coal mining tragedy. For a deeper understanding of what really happened and how it could've been avoided, read The Memo, a chapter in Written in Blood: Courage and Corruption in the Appalachian War of Extraction https://www.folktalk.org/merchandise/books/written-in-blood-courage-and-corruption-in-the-appalachian-war-of-extraction/ Set to the music of coalfield songwriters and performers Jean Ritchie and Hazel Dickens, with a taste of ballroom dance music, this incisive narrative performance brings home searingly the true cost of coal, borne for almost 150 years and still today, by the people of Appalachia.

We take a special look at a couple traditional ballads and some literary ballads.Works for this episode:"John Henry" traditional ballad performed by Pete Seeger from his Smithsonian Folkways album American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1"Barbary Allen" traditional ballad performed by Jean Ritchie from her Smithsonian Folkways album Jean Ritchie: Ballads from Her Appalachian Family Tradition"Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by William Butler Yeats"La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad" by John KeatsTo submit your work to be heard on a future episode or seen on our blog site, email James at james@deertrackspodcast.blog

We take a special look at a couple traditional ballads and some literary ballads. Works for this episode:“John Henry” traditional ballad performed by Pete Seeger from his Smithsonian Folkways album American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1 “Barbary Allen” traditional ballad performed by Jean Ritchie from her Smithsonian Folkways album Jean Ritchie: Ballads from Her Appalachian Family…Read more Apples in Bloom

Episode 39 finds your host, Frozen Lazuras, spinning choice tracks from The Chills, Love Tractor, Jean Ritchie, Datblygu, Lunchbox, and a whole bunch more. Pudding On The Wrist: Giving you what the algorithm won't since February 2020.

It's road trip day #45 of our epic audio adventure!  50 states. 50 top-notch independent record stores. 50 songs to make life with kids a little less evil.LOCATION: LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKYRECORD STORE: UNDERGROUND SOUNDSARTIST: JEAN RITCHIETRACK: Gotta listen to the episode to find out!JOIN THE MUSICAL REVOLT. WWW.BIPBOPBOOM.LIVE/JOINNO ADS. NO ELSA. NO BRAINER.PIRATE RADIO FOR PARENTS

Hosts John Fenn and Stephen Winick are joined by staff member Jennifer Cutting to discuss and play some of their favorite ballads and songs about ghosts, goblins, fairies, and elves—not to mention the Devil himself. Songs include “The Unquiet Grave” sung by Jean Ritchie; “Polly Vaughan” sung by Albert Lancaster “Bert” Lloyd; “The Three Babes” or “The Wife of Usher’s Well” sung by Isaac Garfield “Ike” Greer and accompanied by Willie Spainhour Greer on a mountain dulcimer; “Bolakins,” also known as “Lamkin” or “Long Lankin,” sung by Lena Bare Turbyfill; “The Stolen Bride” or “A Bhean Úd Thíos (The Woman Of The Fairy Mound)” sung by Séamus Ennis; and “Tom Devil” sung by James Carter, Ed Lewis, Henry Mason, Johnny Lee Moore. All the recordings are from the American Folklife Center archive at the Library of Congress, and the hosts and guests talk about the songs, the singers, and the archive.

Daniel Dutton, Hellier, Somerset, The Stone Man, The Secret Commonwealth, Ballads of the Barefoot Mind, Child Ballads, Francis Child, 21C Museum, paintings, trance singing, altered states, The Sorcerer of Trois-Freres, Jean Ritchie, the Art of Memory, Memory Palace, magic, fey, Queen of Elphame, Faerie Queen, True Thomas, Thomas the Rhymer, initiation, Ancient Mysteries, spellcraft, pagan world, John Henry, Ballads Weird and Wonderful. storytelling, myth-making, Clan Fraser of Lovat, Elizabeth Fraser, Song of the Siren, Cocteau Twins, Jeff Buckley, Teardrop, Massive Attack

When we were growing up, the undisputed queen of Kentucky folk music was the extraordinary singer/songwriter Jean Ritchie. Memories of her cool-as-crystal-water voice singing a cappella on some mountain ballad still send shivers down our spines. Now Jean typically eschewed controversial topics, but in the mid-1960s, the plight of impoverished coal miners in his native Perry County moved her to write perhaps her best known song, one we’ve been playing for decades now. Here’s a recent rendition from one of our recent minimalist rehearsal with Doug Chaffin on lead guitar and Danny Gillum standing in on upright bass. The highlight of the track is Paul Martin’s haunting solos and fills, first on mandolin, then on acoustic guitar.

Her father, Don West, was likely a big influence on her as she grew up. He had been a southern poet and a coal mine labor organizer. This is episode 17 of Caffe Lena: 60 Years of Song. Thank you to Sarah at the Caffe for compiling the list of artists and songs for this feature. Her family's politics were a lifelong influence. Hedy West wrote liner notes for 1967's Old Times and Hard Times, from self-imposed exile in London. They were a personal statement on the corrosive effect of the Vietnam War. She wrote "We'll be controlled by manipulated fear". While living in Stony Brook, New York, in the late 1970s, she donated her time and talents to numerous benefit concerts for unfashionable causes — as did her fellow Appalachian-on-Long-Island, Jean Ritchie. And in 1976, she made her way north to share her music in Saratoga Springs. Recent Caffe Lena discovery, Kaia Kater comes to us from Canada. She grew up around folk music, her mother produced many music festivals while Kaia was growing

In this episode we bring you stories on regional history, and innovative new approaches to meeting the healthcare needs of east Kentuckians. First, from Ohio Valley Resource Reporter, Brittany Patterson, we look back on Two Decades Of Resistance to Mountain Top Removal with the Coal River Mountain Watch. Then, WMMT's Sydney Boles brings us an interview with Bella Black about a project that gave young people in Letcher County, KY cameras to document potential causes of lung disease. And finally, Parker Hobson brings us the second in his series on diabetes and prediabetes in eastern Kentucky. Music on this episode features Jean Ritchie with a tune called Stream of Time from her album Sweet Rivers. Sweet Rivers was released by Appalshop’s own JuneAppal Recordings in 1981.

PODCAST: 15 Dec 2019 01 Gobby’s Christmas Hornpipes – Steamchicken – 20 Years 02 Sing We All Merrily – Lady Maisery, Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith – Awake Arise: A Winter Album 03 Merry Xmas Everybody / Bloomer’s Birthday Strathspey – Broom Bezzums – Winterman 04 Sunny Bank – Kate Rusby – The Frost Is All Over 05 Here We Come A-Wassailing – Watersons – Frost And Fire: A Calendar Of Ritual and Magical Songs 06 The Huron Indian Carol – Carol Duveneck – Wassail! Wassail! 07 Christmas Day In Da Mornin’ / Christmas Day In The Morning / Mug Of Brown Ale – Broom Bezzums – Winterman 08 One More Xmas – O’Hooley & Tidow – Winterfolk 09 Family Christmas – Roaring Jelly – Golden Grates & The Rampin’ Cat 10 Silent Night – Churchfitters – A Christmas Wassail  11 The Seven Rejoices Of Mary – Oddfellows – Oddfellows 12 I Saw Three Ships – Simon Mayor – Winter With Mandolins 13 Christmas Eve 1914 – Artisan – Paper Angels 14 Bethlehem – Michael Morpurgo / Coope Boyes & Simpson 15 While Shepherds Watched / Chime On – Michael Morpurgo, Coope Boyes & Simpson – On Angel Wings 16 Sleigh Ride – Sam Bush – Our Favorite Christmas Tunes 17 X-Mas On The Isthmus – Terry Allen  & Guy Clark – Our Favorite Christmas Tunes 18 There Are No Lights On Our Christmas Tree – Cyril Tawney – Man  19 Merry Christmas To All And Goodnight – Emily Smith – Songs For Christmas  20 Christmas In Kandahar – Fred Smith – Dust Of Uruzgan  21 Christmas In The Cookhouse – Billy Bennett – Almost A Gentleman  22 A Christmas Childhood – Tom Sweeney – Favourite Irish Poems With Music  23 Up In The Morning Early / Awake Arise – Lady Maisery, Jimmy Aldreidge & Sid Goldsmith – A Winter Album 24 A Connemara Christmas (Mick’s Tune) – Johnny Coppin – All On A Winter’s Night  25 The Twelve Days Of Christmas – Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker 26 Christmas Is Coming – Lead Belly – Blues Blues Christmas Volume 3, 1927-1962  27 Christmas In Australia – Roaring Jelly – Nowt So Funny As Folk 28 Merry Christmas – Malcolm Holcombe Feat. Iris Dement – Come Hell Or High Water  29 Christmas Landscape – Laurie Lee & Johnny Coppin – Edge Of Day  30 The Holly Bears A Berry – Watersons – Frost And Fire: A Calendar Of Ritual And Magical Songs  31 A Christmas Tale / Christmas Day In The Morning – Magpie Lane – The 25Th 32 Christmas Day In The Morning – Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra – Song Of Solstice  33 Fire & Wine – O’Hooley & Tidow – Winterfolk  34 Christmas At Sea – Sting – If On A Winter’s Night  35 Weihnachten 1914 (Christmas 1914) – Kerstin Blodig & Ian Melrose – Schneetreiben 36 The Coppers’ Christmas Song – Coope, Boyes & Simpson – Hindsight 37 Coventry Carol – O’Hooley & Tidow  – Winterfolk  38 The King – Steeleye Span – Please To See The King 39 Fairytale Of New York – Christy Moore – Smoke & Strong Whiskey 40 The 12 Folk Days Of Christmas – The McCalmans – Scots Abroad  41 I Saw Three Ships (Arr. J. Ritchie) – Tudor Choir, The – An American Christmas: Shapenote Carols From New England & Appalachia 42 Cherry Tree Carol – Jean Ritchie – Ballads From Her Appalachian Family Tradition 43 The Arrival Of The Wren Boys – The Chieftains – The Bells Of Dublin  44 The Dingle Set Dance – The Chieftains – The Bells Of Dublin  45 The Wren In The Furze – The Chieftains – The Bells Of Dublin  46 The Boar’s Head Carol – The Voice Squad – Concerning Of Three Young Men  47 Sans Day Carol – Maddy Prior & The Carnival Band – Carols At Christmas  48 Jogging Along With Me Reindeer – John Kirkpatrick – Going  49 O Little Town Of Bethlehem – Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker – Midwinter  50 Christmas Market – Mike Harding / The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band – Available From The Website 51 Joy To The World – Tudor Choir, The – An American Christmas: Shapenote Carols From New England & Appalachia 52 The Kerrry Christmas Carol – Tim Dennehy – Between The Mountains And The Sea 53 I Am Christmas Time – Magpie Lane – The 25Th 54 All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth – The Once – This Is a Christmas Album By The Once  55 Three Ships From Sussex – Chris Newman and Máire Ní Chathasaigh – Christmas Lights

Stephen Marshall and James Yorkston chat away, with music by Rozi Plain, Van Morrison, Josephine Foster, The Memory Band, Jean Ritchie and plenty more x --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/46-30/support

Episode # 30 of 46-30 with Stephen Marshall, James Yorkston and Phill Jupitus, featuring a mix by Vince Clarke, Essendon Airport, On-U Sound, The 3 Johns, Jean Ritchie, Vic Goddard and plenty, plenty more --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/46-30/support

Jean Ritchie's classic lament to the death of a way of life

Jean Ritchie's classic lament to the death of a way of life

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, songs out of style performed by various artists recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Songs can transcend musical styles and those styles can also transcend their traditional songs. “Songs out of Style” explores the movement of great songs, both old and modern, across musical genres. We’ll hear traditional songs made new again, and modern songs remade in the old ways. Artists featured on “Songs out of Style” include bluegrass sensation The Barefoot Movement, experimental acoustic ensemble Jayme Stone & The Lomax Project - featuring Moira Smiley, amazing sibling duo The Vogts Sisters, renowned traditional music explorers Anna & Elizabeth, internet star & hammered dulcimer Jedi Ted Yoder, mountain dulcimer world champion Jeff Hames, mountain dulcimer guru & musical mad scientist Bing Futch & Co, Red Wing Roots Music Festival founders & old-time supergroup The Steel Wheels, as well as old-time music masters, comedians, and all-around hooligans The Hogslop String Band. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of a very young Ozark original, Dwight Moody, performing the song “In the Pines,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. “In the Pines” is a traditional American song that was remade into a modern hit in 1993 by the grunge rock band Nirvana as “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.” In this week’s guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater explores the peregrination of a song, following the journey of traditional song “Loving Hannah” from Ireland to America and back again. Aubrey presents various artists’ versions of the song including herself, Mary Black, Carrie Norris, and Jean Ritchie with her son Jon Pickow.

Letting the women do the talking (or singing) this week Enjoying the show? Please support BFF.FM with a donation. Playlist 0′00″ Double Down by Slothrust on The Pact (Dangerbird Records) 4′22″ New Year's Eve by Mal Blum on Every Time You Go Somewhere (Don Giovanni Records) 10′26″ Little Sadie by Hedy West on Hedy West Accompanying Herself On The 5 String Banjo (Vanguard) 13′23″ Let The Sun Shine Down On Me by Jean Ritchie on Mountain Hearth & Home (Elektra) 15′50″ Windy City Blues by Ruth Ladson on Chicago Blues Vol. 2 (Document) 18′40″ Let Me Down Easy by Bettye LaVette on Nearer To You (n/a) 21′52″ High & Wild by Angel Olsen on Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar) 25′43″ Are you Looking After yourself by Courtney Barnett on A Sea of Split Peas (Marathon Artists) 31′05″ Wayside/Back in Time by Gillian Welch on Soul Journey (Acony Records) 34′52″ One Way Street by Ann Peebles on I Can't Stand the Rain (Hi Records) 37′48″ Sweet Little Angel by Big Mama Thornton on Ball And Chain (Arhoolie Records) 45′05″ When You Die by Lala Lala on The Lamb (Hardly Art) 48′21″ Heartache by The She's on All Female Rock and Roll Quartet (Empty Cellar Records) 52′02″ Cinnamon by Girl K on Cinnamon (n/a) 56′31″ New Red Pants by Slothrust on The Pact (Dangerbird) 59′06″ Sing Sung Saing by Penny Honeywell on Faint Humms (n/a) 62′31″ Treat Me Right by Norma Tanega on Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (Rhino) 65′34″ Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You by Joan Baez on In Concert (Vanguard) 69′13″ People Talkin' by Lucinda Williams on World Without Tears (Lost Highway) 75′11″ Just a Heart by Hurray For The Riff Raff on My Dearest Darkest Neighbor (This is American Music) 77′53″ Last Kind Words Blues by Geeshie Wiley on American Primitive Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants (1897-1939) (Revenant) 80′35″ Livin' With The Blues by Odetta on Odetta Sings (Universal (MT)) 83′14″ Nine Hundred Miles by Barbara Dane on Livin' With the Blues (Fresh Sound Records) 86′07″ In My Own Dream by Karen Dalton on In My Own Time (Paramount Records) 90′48″ Careless Love by Madeleine Peyroux on Careless Love (Rounder) 94′19″ Wandering Star by POLIÇA on Give You The Ghost (Mom + Pop) 99′50″ Pantheon Punk by Idgy Dean on Ominous Harminus (n/a) 104′03″ Born, Never Asked by Laurie Anderson on Big Science (Warner Brothers) 109′42″ All Apologies by Sinead O'Connor on Universal Mother (Chrysalis Records) 113′12″ Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers on Motion Sickness (Dead Oceans) 115′18″ Sextet in C Minor by Louise Farrenc (n/a) Check out the full archives on the website.

Letting the women do the talking (or singing) this week Enjoying the show? Please support BFF.FM with a donation. Playlist 0′00″ Double Down by Slothrust on The Pact (Dangerbird Records) 4′22″ New Year's Eve by Mal Blum on Every Time You Go Somewhere (Don Giovanni Records) 10′26″ Little Sadie by Hedy West on Hedy West Accompanying Herself On The 5 String Banjo (Vanguard) 13′23″ Let The Sun Shine Down On Me by Jean Ritchie on Mountain Hearth & Home (Elektra) 15′50″ Windy City Blues by Ruth Ladson on Chicago Blues Vol. 2 (Document) 18′40″ Let Me Down Easy by Bettye LaVette on Nearer To You 21′52″ High & Wild by Angel Olsen on Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar) 25′43″ Are you Looking After yourself by Courtney Barnett on A Sea of Split Peas (Marathon Artists) 31′05″ Wayside/Back in Time by Gillian Welch on Soul Journey (Acony Records) 34′52″ One Way Street by Ann Peebles on I Can't Stand the Rain (Hi Records) 37′48″ Sweet Little Angel by Big Mama Thornton on Ball And Chain (Arhoolie Records) 45′05″ When You Die by Lala Lala on The Lamb (Hardly Art) 48′21″ Heartache by The She's on All Female Rock and Roll Quartet (Empty Cellar Records) 52′02″ Cinnamon by Girl K on Cinnamon 56′31″ New Red Pants by Slothrust on The Pact (Dangerbird) 59′06″ Sing Sung Saing by Penny Honeywell on Faint Humms 62′31″ Treat Me Right by Norma Tanega on Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (Rhino) 65′34″ Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You by Joan Baez on In Concert (Vanguard) 69′13″ People Talkin' by Lucinda Williams on World Without Tears (Lost Highway) 75′11″ Just a Heart by Hurray For The Riff Raff on My Dearest Darkest Neighbor (This is American Music) 77′53″ Last Kind Words Blues by Geeshie Wiley on American Primitive Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants (1897-1939) (Revenant) 80′35″ Livin' With The Blues by Odetta on Odetta Sings (Universal (MT)) 83′14″ Nine Hundred Miles by Barbara Dane on Livin' With the Blues (Fresh Sound Records) 86′07″ In My Own Dream by Karen Dalton on In My Own Time (Paramount Records) 90′48″ Careless Love by Madeleine Peyroux on Careless Love (Rounder) 94′19″ Wandering Star by POLIÇA on Give You The Ghost (Mom + Pop) 99′50″ Pantheon Punk by Idgy Dean on Ominous Harminus 104′03″ Born, Never Asked by Laurie Anderson on Big Science (Warner Brothers) 109′42″ All Apologies by Sinead O'Connor on Universal Mother (Chrysalis Records) 113′12″ Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers on Motion Sickness (Dead Oceans) 115′18″ Sextet in C Minor by Louise Farrenc

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, music by family, for family, and about family, performed by various artists recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Family life and ties are a big part of Ozark folk culture and music. Come on home with us to the Ozarks as we enjoy a little “family time,” celebrating the joy of familial bonding through song. Featured on this episode are a variety of artists including A.J. Croce, The Purple Hulls, Thom Bresh, Lukas & Eden Pool, The Gordons, The Honey Dewdrops, The Creek Rocks, The Lazy Goat String Band, The Weide Family, The Vogts Sisters, Love Hollar, and the Grandpa Jones Family Band. We’ll hear songs by, for, and about family, many of them written by the artists themselves. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers a 1981 archival recording of Ozark originals, husband & wife team Jim & Denise Lansford performing the song “Are You From Dixie” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In this week’s guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater explores the strange tradition of “counting songs,” songs that feature counting numbers as part of their lyrics and meaning. This episode includes, among other examples, the song “Bluebird,” written by folk music legend Jean Ritchie for her young sons.

Michael Ned Holte is a writer, curator and educator living in Los Angeles. This set takes the blues as its point of origin — the blues as form, content and inheritance. The episode features: Doc Watson and Jean Ritchie, Rev. Edward G. Clayborn, Fred Frith, Gastr del Sol with Tony Conrad, Roscoe Mitchell, Alice Coltrane, K. Curtis Lyle, Toshirô Mayuzumi with Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, Howlin’ Wolf, John Fahey and Charley Patton.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, award winning actor, playwright, singer-songwriter, and traditional Ozark folk musician Willi Carlisle, recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this dynamic talent. In addition, a featured performance by Arkansas True Folk singer-songwriter Carolyn Carter. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of guitar designer, builder, & player Stu Mossman performing the traditional tune “Red Haired Boy.” Writer, musician, and traditional dancer Aubrey Atwater relates legendary folk singer Jean Ritchie’s childhood experience of meeting her mysterious “Uncle Jason.” Willi Carlisle is, according to The Washington Post, "powerful...both down-home and brainy."  With years of collecting folklore, playing or calling square dances, and working in the avant-garde, Willi Carlisle Goehring is a multi-faceted writer, performer, and instrumentalist.   With a style forged in the fire of Ozark oldtime music and his ever-growing collection of antique music, Carlisle’s musical stories hoot, stomp, and saunter through joys and troubles uniquely southern and timelessly true. Equally comfortable on banjo, fiddle, and guitar, Carlisle has earned accolades for his versatility with performances at the Ozark Folk Center, the Fayetteville Roots Festival, Thacker Mountain Radio, and Fringe Festivals across the country, where he has been lauded with awards like "Best Show" (Orlando Fringe) and the "Meryl Streep Acting Award" (Portfringe).   While his big frame and expressive voice draw comparison to old balladeers and bluesmen, Willi sings new songs for the oldest reasons: love, heartache, and joy. People who watch and listen will find that he laughs and sheds a tear onstage almost as often as his audiences do, fire- and-brimstone proof of larger-than-life songs and stories. - http://www.willicarlisle.com Carolyn Carter is a Stone Country, Arkansas native and a regular performer at the Ozark Folk Center State Park.  Carolyn is a gifted songwriter and singer, whose talents are now becoming apparent to a larger audience, outside of Arkansas. Blessed with a songbird’s voice, Carolyn’s original compositions can be both haunting and heartwarming, reflecting her experiences growing up in the Ozarks. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers a 1979 archival recording of guitar designer, builder, & player Stu Mossman performing the traditional tune “Red Haired Boy,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. In this week’s guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater relates legendary folk singer Jean Ritchie’s childhood experience of meeting her mysterious “Uncle Jason,” from whom she learns of her own family’s music and history.

James Yorkston and Stephen Marshall chat some nonsense and play music of no particular abode or genre. This one includes foraging, Jean Ritchie, Mississippi John Hurt, some awful art-school New York stuff, Malagasy sounds, Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Watersons and SO much more - --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/46-30/support

In the second and final episode of the story of Harold Shipman, we find out how the police went about investigating his murders. A suspicious will led to questions regarding prominent citizen, Kathleen Grundy's death and the exhumation of her body. A local doctor had become suspicious of the sheer amount of cremations being performed at Shipman's Surgery, and so, these taken together, an investigation into recent deaths of Shipman's patients was launched. Soon, 12 women's bodies had been exhumed. This week, we find out a little about these women, the investigation of the police, Shipman's lengthy trial, and the public inquiry that followed. Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mensreapod/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/MensReaPod) ! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! If you would like to support the podcast, head on over to Patreon.com (https://www.patreon.com/MensReaPod) . Podcast Promos: All Crime No Cattle (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-crime-no-cattle/id1327729036)   and Blood on the Rocks Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sources: Brian Whittle and Jean Ritchie, Harold Shipman: A prescription for murder (London: Sphere Books, 2004) Purchase here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TZ3EHA/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0) "Shipman compensation could run into millions" in Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/shipman-compensation-could-run-into-millions-6136.html 9 March 2001  Caroline Mortimer “Harold Shipman timed suicide to ensure his wife got £100k pension pay out” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/harold-shipman-timed-suicide-to-ensure-his-wife-got-100k-pension-pay-out-a6943316.html 20 March 2016  The Shipman Inquiry website, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090808155005/http://www.the-shipman-inquiry.org.uk/home.asp

Harold Frederick Shipman was born near Nottingham in 1946. While attending the prestigious grammar school, High Pavement,  he took care of his ailing mother and was there when she passed away quietly from incurable cancer. His was deeply affected by her death, and by the morphine that had eased her way. He went on to become a doctor, and met and married Primrose Oxtoby name, having 3 children. Today he is known as Doctor Death, and as Britain's most prolific serial killer. But what events led to this discovery in 1995? In the first of a two-part series, we look at Shipman's early life, his medical career and the beginning of his murder spree and what brought him to Hyde to set up his Surgery, where he betrayed an entire community. Who doesn't trust their doctor? Find us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mensreapod/) or Twitter (https://twitter.com/MensReaPod) ! With thanks to our supporters on Patreon! If you would like to support the podcast, head on over to Patreon.com (https://www.patreon.com/MensReaPod) . Podcast Promos: Lustmordia and Dark Poutine (https://darkpoutine.com/) Podcasts Theme Music: Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Sources: Brian Whittle and Jean Ritchie, Harold Shipman: A prescription for murder (London: Sphere Books, 2004)  Purchase here (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TZ3EHA/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0) "Shipman compensation could run into millions" in Irish Examiner https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/shipman-compensation-could-run-into-millions-6136.html 9 March 2001  Caroline Mortimer “Harold Shipman timed suicide to ensure his wife got £100k pension pay out” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/harold-shipman-timed-suicide-to-ensure-his-wife-got-100k-pension-pay-out-a6943316.html 20 March 2016   The Shipman Inquiry website, http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20090808155005/http://www.the-shipman-inquiry.org.uk/home.asp

Host Bill Goodman is joined by actress Rachel Rogers who portrays beloved Kentucky folk musician Jean Ritchie. Rogers discusses her background in theatre and English, her experience sharing the fascinating life of Jean Ritchie across the state, and the importance of building upon the arts community in Kentucky. Rogers also plays the dulcimer in renditions of her favorite Jean Ritchie songs.

We're starting 2018 off right here at WMMT with this re-broadcast of an hour long program of stories and songs of the late great Jean Ritchie! Jean Ritchie was a folk musician, ballad singer and songwriter - well known for her dulcimer playing. Ritchie was born and raised just up the road from WMMT in Viper, KY. She is dearly missed, but we're grateful her legacy lives on through recordings and words such as those in this week's edition of Mountain Talk.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, Christmas songs both traditional & rare, performed by an interesting array of folk musicians, recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Hosts Dave Smith & Mark Jones present these festive archival holiday recordings. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of his father, Country Music Hall of Fame legend Grandpa Jones reciting a poem called “The Christmas Guest.” Aubry Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile the story of folk music royalty Jean Ritchie’s first family Christmas tree. Musicians at the Ozark Folk Center State Park have been putting on Christmas music shows for over four decades. As with most music performed at the park, the Christmas music represented here is not your normal collection of holiday standards. You’ll hear a few songs that you know and love, as well as many others that you’ve likely never encountered before. The eclectic range of musicians performing on this edition of Ozark Highlands Radio include Grandpa Jones, Randall Hylton, The Dowden Sisters, The Lonesome Cowboys, Joni Bishop, Bob Olivera, The Heritage Quartet, and more. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of his father, country music legend Grandpa Jones, reciting a poem called “The Christmas Guest,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode relates Jean Ritchie’s own childhood memories of an early Ritchie Family Christmas.

This weeks Mountain Stage with Larry Groce is a special that honors the memory of many great artists who appeared on the show over the years. Hear archived performances from trailblazers including Buckwheat Zydeco, Allen Toussaint, Guy Clark, Odetta, John Hartford, Warren Zevon, Suzzy and Maggie Roche, John Trudell, Alex Chilton, Bill Monroe, Doc Watson, Jean Ritchie, Ralph Stanley, David Morris, Hazel Dickens and Larry Coryell. Hosted by Mountain Stage host/artistic director Larry Groce and assistant producer Joni Deutsch.

This week on StoryWeb: Jean Ritchie’s book Singing Family of the Cumberlands. If you’re looking for bona fide old-time mountain music – the real deal, before bluegrass, before the Carter Family even – then look no further than Jean Ritchie. Perhaps more than any other performer of her generation, Jean Ritchie gives us the traditional old-time stories and songs and the story of the lived experience of growing up in a family in the Cumberland Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. Many Americans know Jean Ritchie from her singing and songwriting career. In addition to songs she wrote (such as “The L & N Don’t Stop Here Anymore”), Ritchie took special delight in preserving, performing, and passing down traditional ballads and other old-time songs. She sings “play party” game songs, she sings murder ballads, and of course, like any mountain balladeer worth her salt, she has her own version of “Barbary Allen.” In her performances, she both told stories and sang songs, accompanying herself on lap dulcimer. I had the great fortune of hosting Jean Ritchie at Shepherd University’s Appalachian Heritage Festival in 1997. That October I got to not only see and hear her perform (complete with “Skin and Bones,” a spooky game song), but I also had the privilege of spending time with her backstage. I found her to be shy, quiet, soft-spoken, completely unassuming. She seemed to know she was “the” Jean Ritchie, but she was remarkably humble about that – both proud of her heritage and her ability to share it and receptive to meeting new folks who appreciated that heritage. If you want to experience Jean Ritchie as a performer, I highly recommend the following CDs: Jean Ritchie: Ballads from Her Appalachian Family Tradition; Jean Ritchie: The Most Dulcimer; Mountain Hearth & Home; Jean Ritchie: Singing the Traditional Songs of Her Kentucky Mountain Family; British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains, Volumes 1 and 2 (both recorded for Smithsonian Folkways); and her fiftieth anniversary album, Mountain Born, which she recorded with her sons. Collaborations include Jean Ritchie and Doc Watson at Folk City; A Folk Concert in Town Hall, New York, featuring Ritchie along with Oscar Brand and David Sear; and American Folk Tales and Songs, recorded with Paul Clayton. Recordings of carols and children’s songs are also available. If you want to try your hand at singing mountain ballads and playing dulcimer, check out Ritchie’s instructional album, The Appalachian Dulcimer, as well as The Dulcimer Book. A book/CD combo, Traditional Mountain Dulcimer, also provides instruction. Once you’ve gotten the hang of the dulcimer, you’ll want to buy the collection by famed folklorist Alan Lomax: Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians as Sung by Jean Ritchie. The second edition of this volume features eighty-one songs, including “the Child ballads, lyric folksongs, play party or frolic songs, Old Regular Baptist lined hymns, Native American ballads, ‘hant’ songs, and carols” as passed down through the famous American ballad-singing family, the Ritchie family of Perry County, Kentucky. To go deeper in your exploration of Jean Ritchie, consider reading her 1955 book, Singing Family of the Cumberlands, part autobiography, part family songbook. Born in 1922 as the youngest of fourteen children in the Singing Ritchie Family, Jean Ritchie tells the stories behind the songs, the rich family context that gave life and meaning to these songs. Be forewarned: once you pick up Singing Family of the Cumberlands, you won’t be able to put it down. Ritchie’s writing voice is engaging, sweet, light-hearted, even light-spirited in a way. She invites you in to share her world in the Cumberland Mountains. Though she hailed from Kentucky, Jean Ritchie spent most of her adult life living in New York, both in New York City and in Port Washington. She was married to photographer and filmmaker George Pickow, who hailed from Brooklyn. Together, they raised two sons. George, too, was warm and unassuming – and completely devoted to Jean. In the 1950s, she began to record albums and became friends with Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Alan Lomax, each of whom had an immense impact on American folk music. By the early 1960s, Greenwich Village was the site of a lively folk music revival. Alan Lomax gathered many of the leading musicians in 1961 and invited them to his apartment on West 3rd Avenue to swap songs. Ritchie’s husband, George Pickow, filmed the impromptu jam session. Of course, you’ll find Jean Ritchie in this rare film, but you’ll also see Roscoe Holcomb, Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Memphis Slim, Willie Dixon, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Guy Carawan, and the New Lost City Ramblers. And if you look closely in the film’s opening moments, you’ll spy Bob Dylan clogging in the audience. In the 1960s, Jean Ritchie won a Fulbright scholarship to collect traditional songs in the United Kingdom and Ireland and to trace their links to American ballads. In preparation, Ritchie wrote down 300 songs she had learned from her mother. During her Fulbright travels, she spent eighteen months recording and interviewing British and Irish singers. Some of these recordings are collected on Field Trip. In 2015, Jean Ritchie died at age 92 in Berea, Kentucky – and by that time, she had accumulated numerous awards and accolades, including a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship, the United States’ highest honor for folk and traditional artists. A wonderful tribute to Jean Ritchie – including many outstanding recordings as well as photographs by George Pickow – is featured on the Library of Congress’s American Folklife Center website. Also notable are the New York Times and NPR obituaries. Widely known as “The Mother of Folk,” Ritchie had an immeasurable impact on other musicians who came after her, as evidenced by the 2014 two-CD set titled Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie, which features Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, Janis Ian, Kathy Mattea, Tim O’Brien, John McCutcheon, Suzy Bogguss, and others. Her songs have also been recorded by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and Johnny Cash. Awards, honors, and tributes aside, in the end it all comes back to Jean Ritchie singing a spare, simple ballad like “Barbary Allen.” Take my advice, and check out Jean Ritchie’s recordings and writing. You won’t be disappointed. Visit thestoryweb.com/Ritchie for links to all these resources, to listen to recordings of Jean Ritchie singing “Barbry Allen,” “Shady Grove,” and “Skin and Bones,” and to listen to her talk about writing Singing Family of the Cumberlands. Listen now as Jean Ritchie talks about and sings the song “Nottamun Town.”

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, Minnesota Old Time quartet “The Roe Family Singers” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with the Roe Family Singers, Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present a discussion on African roots in American folk music, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Barbara Sanders. The “Roe Family Singers” are led by the husband and wife duo of Quillan and Kim Roe. With traditional old time instrumentation (guitar, auto harp, and claw hammer style banjo,) the group performs a wide variety of traditional old time tunes. What separates them from similar bands are the exceptional vocal harmonies and high energy of their song interpretations. Prolific folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode offers a discussion on African roots in traditional American folk music. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording of Ozark original Barbara Sanders performing the song “Gypsy’s Warning,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, East Tennessee all-girl stringboard “The Poor Valley Girls” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, Interviews with The Poor Valley Girls, Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present “Women Warrior Ballads,” and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Jay Round. The “Poor Valley Girls” hail from the hallowed musical grounds of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. “Poor Valley” refers to the geographical region that both Heather Pace and Madison Brown call home in Virginia. This region of the United States also includes Bristol, TN, which is known for the “sonic-boom” of country music recordings, on the Victor Record label in the early 1920’s (Jimmy Rogers and The Carter Family, among others.) For their performance at the Ozark Folk Center State Park, Heather and Madison are joined by friend and musician, Colleen Trenwith. This recording is a wonderful example of how the traditional sounds of their region have moved seamlessly to the next generation of musicians. Prolific folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode offers a presentation of “Women Warrior Ballads.” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording of Ozark original Jay Round performing the traditional song “Soldiers’ Joy,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, Arkansas True Folk singer/songwriter Carolyn Carter and Bluegrass prodigies “The Cobb Brothers” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, Interviews with Carolyn and the Cobbs. Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present seafaring songs of the Ozarks & Appalachia, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Lynn Young. Carolyn Carter is a Stone Country, Arkansas native and a regular performer at the Ozark Folk Center State Park.  Carolyn is a gifted songwriter and singer, whose talents are now becoming apparent to a larger audience, outside of Arkansas. Blessed with a songbird’s voice, Carolyn’s original compositions can be both haunting and heartwarming, reflecting her experiences growing up in the Ozarks. “The Cobb Brothers” (Caleb-fiddle/guitar/banjo/piano, Samuel-mandolin/guitar, and Nathan-guitar/bass) spent their youth in their hometown of McCrory, Arkansas, and learned their love of music from their father, Carl. A later move to Mountain View, AR gave the trio an active and supportive music community, where their skills could flourish. Individually, their skill on each instrument take a back seat to no one, and the trio of brothers helped usher in the latest generation of notable musicians into the Stone County region. Prolific folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode offers a presentation of seafaring songs of the Ozarks & Appalachia, influenced by the English, Irish, and Scottish heritage of these mountain settlers. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording of Ozark original Lynn Young performing the song “San Antonio Rose,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, world renowned finger style and harp guitar phenom Muriel Andersen performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile authentic Ozark balladeer Almeda Riddle, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Grand Old Opry and Hee Haw star Grandpa Jones. Muriel Anderson is a former National Thumbpicking Guitar Champion, a fine 6 string picker, and practitioner of the many stringed harp guitar. Creating a sound like no other, the harp guitar incorporates a multitude of strings that cover a wide sonic range. The result can be both ethereal and otherworldly, or just downright mind blowing. Muriel’s repertoire includes traditional folk music, world music, and original compositions. Prolific folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode offers a profile of authentic Ozark balladeer Almeda Riddle, and features an archival recording of Almeda singing the traditional ballad “Will the Weaver.” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording of Grand Old Opry and “Hee Haw” star Grandpa Jones performing his song “Mountain Dew,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, comedian, banjo prodigy, Grand Old Opry star and HeeHaw alum Mike Snider performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly discuss the cultural cross-pollination of traditional folk music, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of original Ozark musician Floyd Holland. Mike Snider plays banjo, and has a great sense of humor. So much so, we’ve dedicated an entire program to his recent performance at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Mike is a long tenured member of the Nashville music scene, having performed on “Hee Haw” and the Grand Ole Opry among other notable venues. He’s a former national champion banjo picker (3 finger style,) but has converted to the more traditional claw hammer style in recent years. Mike is joined by a wonderful backing group of musicians for this performance. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode offers a discussion of cultural cross-pollination of traditional folk music, as illustrated through the traditional song “Red Rocking Chair.” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording of original Ozark musician Uncle Floyd Holland, performing the tune “My Darling Nellie Grey,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, North Carolina insurgent country folk singer/songwriter Malcolm Holcombe performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile legendary banjo ingenue Lily Mae Ledford, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of original Ozark dulcimer master craftsman Lynn McSpadden. Malcolm Holcombe may not be a household name to music fans, and that probably suits him just fine.  Among his peers however, he’s respected and revered. Holcombe has shared the stage with Merle Haggard, Richard Thompson, John Hammond, Leon Russell, Wilco and Shelby Lynne. Though his instrumentation is nothing new to the singer/songwriter genre (guitar and vocals), Malcolm sets himself apart with honest and touching songs, arranged and crafted from his unique perspective. Malcolm is joined by longtime collaborator Jared Tyler on various stringed instruments and vocals. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode profiles legendary banjo ingenue Lily Mae Ledford. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording of original Ozark dulcimer master craftsman Lynn McSpadden, performing the traditional tune “Castle Grand,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, Nationally recognized clawhammer banjo prodigy and Stone County native Lukas Pool with his band “The Moonlight Ramblers” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Lukas, Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly relate Jean Ritchie’s childhood recollections of a real old fashioned mountain Christmas, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of original Ozarker Horance Smith. Lukas Pool has done quite well, playing claw hammer banjo. After honing his craft in the fertile musical grounds of Stone County, AR, Lukas went on to win a few national banjo championships, and study at the Berklee College of Music. He later went on to become the first dedicated instructor at Berklee in the claw hammer style. In recent years, Lukas performed with Steve Martin (yes, the actor AND banjo player) among other notable gigs. Along with his partner, Eden Forman, Lukas began building instruments under the Ozark Banjo Co. moniker. Lukas and Eden (fiddle) are joined in this recorded performance by John Mailander on mandolin and fiddle, and Nick DiSebastian on guitar. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode relates Jean Ritchie’s own childhood memories of an early Ritchie Family Christmas. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of original Ozarker Horance Smith performing “Hobo’s Meditation,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, Nashville based neo-folk stringband “Locust Honey” performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with “Locust Honey,” Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present a history of the “Play Party,” and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of original Ozark fiddler Red Gillihan. “Locust Honey” features the guitar, fiddle, and harmony singing of Meredith Watson and Chloe Edmonstone. After forming a musical partnership in Asheville, NC, the two have been touring the US and abroad since 2012. Their 2014 release, “Never Let Me Cross Your Mind” was in the top ten on the Folk DJ Charts for much of that year, and earned them an international audience. While their musical backgrounds are quite diverse, it’s easy to hear traditional old time and classic country influences in their music.   Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode focuses on the history of “play parties,” a type of traditional party game that originated in Batesville, Arkansas, and became common in 19th Century North America. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of original Ozark fiddler Red Gillihan performing his very own “KBTA Waltz,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, the Original Ozark Stringband “The Leatherwoods” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with “The Leatherwoods,” a performance from “The Apple Brothers,” Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present memoirs of Jean Ritchie, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark musician Freeman Thomas. “The Leatherwoods” have been a mainstay in the Arkansas music scene for years. Their songs and musical traditions have been passed down through many generations of Ozark families. Lead by Pam Setser on vocals, guitar and mountain dulcimer, “The Leatherwoods” features some of the area’s finest musicians including Roger Fountain on fiddle, Teresa Johns on bass/vocals, and the omnipresent Danny Dozier on guitar and mandolin. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode focuses on Jean Ritchie’s memories of her family’s first radio, and her impressions of how “Hill Music” was presented in that media. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of Ozark original Freeman Thomas performing the true folk song “Cowboy Wheel,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, radio & television legend, and Country Music Hall of Fame member Grandpa Jones performs with his wife, Grand Old Opry star Ramona, live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews and a live performance from the Jones Family. Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present “The Mother of Folk Music” Jean Ritchie, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of original Ozark musician Jim Bullard. Grandpa Jones was a performer during the golden age of radio, and later found success as a cast member on the syndicated television program, “Hee Haw.”  After years of living near Nashville, TN, Grandpa moved to Mountain View, Arkansas in the early 1980’s. Along with his wife Ramona, they ran the Grandpa Jones Dinner Theater. The theater employed many musicians, many of whom are still around the Ozarks today including their son Mark and guitarist Danny Dozier. We’ll dig deep into the archives this week for a set of music, featuring some of Grandpa’s finest performances at Ozark Folk Center State Park. “The Jones Family Band” features a cast of all-star musicians, including Alisa and Mark Jones. This performance from the Jones Family Band was the last one recorded at the Ozark Folk Center State Park before Ramona passed in late 2015. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode focuses on Jean Ritchie as a songwriter, and features Jean’s performance of her original song “Black Water.” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of Ozark original Jim Bullard, performing the traditional song “Glory Land,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, the unconventional folk-blues-rock-bluegrass trio “The Howlin’ Brothers” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with “The Howlin’ Brothers,” Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly present memories of Balis Ritchie, and Mark Jones offers an archival recording of original Ozark musicians Aubrey Richardson & Mike McGee. “The Howlin’ Brothers” are Ian Craft, Ben Plasse, and Jared Green. The trio has a wide ranging appeal as evidenced by their popular performance at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Combining banjo, fiddle, guitar and upright bass, they perform traditional and original music with a sound familiar to fans of old time, roots, and Americana styles. Of note is fiddler and banjo player Ian Craft, as he could be creating a new style of hybrid banjo playing. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode focuses on memories of Balis Ritchie, and features Aubrey & Elwood’s performance of the traditional song “I've Been a Foreign Lander.” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of Ozark originals Aubrey Richardson & Mike McGee performing the traditional folk song “Cluck Ole Hen,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, multi-instrumentalist and mountain dulcimer champion Duane Porterfield performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Duane, Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile the influential folk musician Jean Ritchie, and Mark Jones presents an archival recording of his mother, Grand Ole Opry star Ramona Jones. Duane Porterfield is a retired law enforcement officer from Kansas…and no, he won’t be checking your tags for current registration. Like many others, Duane moved to Mountain View to enjoy the laid back lifestyle and welcoming music community. In 2014 Duane was attending the annual Walnut Valley Music Festival and was poked, prodded, and otherwise coerced into competing in the mountain dulcimer contest. Not necessarily prepared or planning to compete, he had to borrow an instrument from a local vendor. Turns out, he won first prize! He’s a fine fellow to boot and we are happy to feature him. Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon. This episode focuses on Jean Ritchie’s introduction of the mountain dulcimer to the New York City folk revival of the 1960’s, and features Jean Ritchie performing an haunting version of the traditional song “Pretty Saro.” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of Mark’s mother, Grand Ole Opry star Ramona Jones, performing the traditional song “Roving Gambler,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Song by Jean Ritchie.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Ark. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments carry listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, traditional American folk music and dance power couple Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Aubrey & Elwood, folklorist and author Charley Sandage offers an historical peregrination into Ozark culture, and Mark Jones presents an archival recording of Ozark folk originals Dave Newburn and Charley Sandage. Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly are regular contributors at a number of Ozark Folk Center State Park workshops as well as numerous traditional and old time music gatherings across the United States. The husband and wife team were heavily influenced by Kentucky folk musician, Jean Ritchie. Both are multi instrumentalists but Aubrey takes it one “step” further with her incredible rhythmic dancing ability. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and an enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode features a perspective on how the founding of the very first Arkansas Folk Festival affected the Stone County, Arkansas region. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a rare recording of Ozark folk originals Dave Newburn and Charley Sandage performing the song “Going Back to the Red Clay Country,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Remembering the Legendary American folk singer Jean Ritchie who died in June 2015 with contributions by Irish singer Mary McPartlan and Jean's son Jon Pickow. The programme was first broadcast on 22 December 2014

The same number of tracks as usual, squeezed into a tight 56 minute podcast. The main cause is Anthony’s desire for punchy, danceable music this week, although that’s not the impression you’d get from the opener - the blinding, epic Mirrors Fold from the brilliant Gum Takes Tooth. Elsewhere we’ve got the new one from Pye Corner Audio, we’ve also got the latest from Polish digidub producer Dreadsquad, a haunting tribute to the wonderful Jean Ritchie and much more

JEAN RITCHIE is the songwriter many refer to as "The Mother of Folk" and the Princess of Appalachia. She was born in Viper, Kentucky, the youngest of 14 children. Ritchie grew up immersed in the traditional songs of the region and moved to New York in the 1940s where, as a social worker, she taught music to children. �She launched the folk movement of the 1960's along with Pete Seeger, Oscar Brand, Woody Guthrie and Alan Lomax.� Ritchie's songs have been recorded by a variety of artists including Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash and Judy Collins. Over the course of her career, her song collecting and song writing has helped to preserve the musical legacy of her Kentucky home, as well as expand awareness of its challenges through her continued support of the grassroots environmental organization Appalachian Voices and politically pointed songs such as "The L & N" and "Black Waters". Our friends at Compass Records have released a new multi-artist CD in honor of Jean, who now lives in Berea. 'Dear Jean: Artists Celebrates Jean Ritchie' is a double album featuring performances from an impressive array of Ritchie's fans and admirers. Many of these artists will be performing on this Special Event Broadcast of WoodSongs incluinge: Jon Pickow (traditional folk musicians and Jean's son), Dan Schatz (producer and folksinger), Elizabeth LaPrelle (mastery of the ancient and deep-art of Appalachian unaccompanied singing), Al, Alice and Ruth (from the McLain Family Band) and other surprise guests. It will be an evening of stories, art and music ... and surprises ...� to honor the living legacy of this Kentucky-born singer/songwriter and folk icon.

Jean Ritchie: a Celebration with her son Jon Pickow and Irish singer, Mary McPartlan as well as archive contributions by Seamus Ennis and Jean Ritchie

PODCAST: 07 Dec 2014   01 - The Breaking Of Omagh Jail - Damien O’ Kane - Summer Hill 02 - Rock Island Line - Karla-Therese Kjellvander & The Rockridge Brothers - Dance, Monster, To My Soft Song! 03 - Salt Of The Earth - Chris King And Hotel Radio - Light Nights 04 - Jigs - Frances Wilkins And Claire White - Blyde Lasses 05 - The Final Trawl - Archie Fisher - Windward Way 06 - Bonnie Light Horseman - Annie Patterson - Meet Me By The Moonlight 07 - The Devil And The Farmer’s Wife - Crows - Crows 08 - Ragged Shoreline - Naomi Bedford - Frack Free Sussex 09 - Bogie’s Bonny Belle - Archie Fisher - Archie Fisher 10 - Hangman - Jean Ritchie - Ballads From Her Appalachian Family Tradition 11 - The Banks Of The Bann - The Voice Squad - Many’s The Foolish Youth 12 - March Of The Kings Of Laoise / The Train Journey North - Kirsten Alstaff - Gallowglass 13 - Star Of Belle Isle - Archie Fisher - Windward Way 14 - Bilingua - Eithne Ni Uallachain - Bilingua  15 - The Shipyard Apprentice - Malinky - Fire And Iron

The co-producer of the chart-topping new folk compilation helped assemble an all-star cast, including Judy Collins, Pete Seeger, Janis Ian and some Michigan faves.

JOHN JACOB NILES is considered one of our nation's most influential musicians. This Kentucky native is called the "Dean of American Balladeers" and Niles's dedication to the folk music tradition lives on in generations of folk revival artists such as Bob Dylan, Jean Ritchie, Joan Baez, and Oscar Brand. At the age of sixteen Niles wrote one of his most enduring tunes, "Go 'Way from My Window," basing it on a song fragment from a black farm worker. This iconic song has been performed by folk artists ever since and may even have inspired the opening line of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe." As a composer and balladeer, Niles drew inspiration from the deep well of traditional Appalachian and African American folk songs. The show will feature Dr. RON PEN, associate professor of music and director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music and the Appalachian Studies Program, who just published the first full-length biography of Niles called I Wonder as I Wander: The Life of John Jacob Niles. Other artists performing on the show include: The Reel World String Band, The Niles String Quartet, Carla Gover, Dennis Bender & vocalist Monica Dewey.

Shortly before he died in 1986, my father was interviewed I think by the Today Show on NBC. At that time, he justified his policy of never withdrawing a record title from the complete two thousand plus collection by saying: “would you take the letter J out of the dictionary merely because it is used less frequently than the letter S?” Well, I thought I would base this show on that idea. Here we have a show in celebration of the letter J. We will cover songs, music from countries, artists, instruments and sounds which all begin with the letter J.