American Songcatcher

Season 1, Episode 9 // Twas in the Merry Month of May

Featured in this Episode:

Lead Belly - “Goodnight, Irene’” (11:39)

Joan Baez - “Silver Dagger” (37:50)

Tony Rice - “New River Train” (59:35)

Colter Wall- “Diamond Joe” (1:13:14)

Teaser:

For the last 400 years, the most widely collected ballad from the British Isles is still being recorded today, born out of a unique and puzzling story. A larger than life figure, rumored to have been released from prison due to the diverse musical prowess he carried, and not only became friends with legends like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, he was one of their main influences. her supple soprano voice is one of the most distinct in any genre, she’s graced nearly every traditional ballad with it, and used it during every major civil rights movement moment of the 60’s and 70’s, and continues to do the same today. Responsible for completely altering the confines of bluegrass music, expanding the genre to breathe in folk, jazz, blues and popular music, and is one of the most highly regarded guitarists of the century.  When you hear the deep, husky and timeless voice of this 25 year-old legend-in-the-making, singing folk ballads, westerns and cowboy tunes and dragging them over the plains of his home near the Canada-Montana border, it likely will never leave your memory.

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"Shine A Light":

Basic Folk Podcast - https://cindyhowes.net/basicfolk/

Source Credits:

#1: American Songwriter | Library of Congress | Lizlyle Blog | Native Ground

#2: Cultural Equity | NPS | Houston IA Mag

#3: GQ | Washington Post | Notable Biographies | Rolling Stone

#4: Tony Rice Story | Rolling Stone | NY Times

#5: American Songwriter | Rolling Stone | The New Yorker | The Globe and Mail

Today on the program, I'm delighted to share a conversation I had with the Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist and preservationist Dom Flemons. Branded The American Songster from his diverse catalogue of tunes, Dom's not just a songwriter, he's a multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor, music scholar, historian, and record collector who is proficient on banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones.⁠

We talked about his early life, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, music preservation and the journey to becoming a historian and musicologist. He also played a few tunes and shared some stories about a few essential folk and blues artists, and the current folk and blues revival.⁠

Dom's Links:

Official Website - https://www.theamericansongster.com

Instagram @DomFlemons - https://www.instagram.com/domflemons

Join the AS Patreon Community - https://www.Patreon.com/AmericanSongcatcher

Season 1, Episode 8 // Shine That Ever Loving Light On Me

Featured in this Episode:

Memphis Jug Band - “Stealin’, Stealin’” (13:30)

Etta Baker - “Railroad Bill” (26:13)

Big Bill Broonzy - “Glory of Love” (40:55)

Charley Pride - “Roll on Mississippi” (1:01:32)

Teaser:

When the light of the train hits the cell windows of inmates at Mississippi’s infamous Parchman Farm prison, they feel a release and comfort from their captors. Find out what made jug bands so popular in the 1930’s, and the Tennessee natives at the helm of that movement. Yet another fingerpicking legend, left in obscurity until later in life, though she still managed to inspire generations of guitar players. The Ambassador of the Blues left behind a life cloaked in mystery, but this Chicago legend by way of the South left a massive mark as he carried old styles of blues through the 1950’s. For far too long country music has cast aside its African American roots, but one musician blended the color lines and became one of the most decorated country musicians of the century.⁠

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"Shine A Light":

Dust to Digital

Source Credits:

#1: Vera | NAACP | WordsMusic&Stories  | Smithsonian Folkways | Songfacts

#2: Jugstore | Memphis Music HOF | UCSB Library | American Blues Scene | NPS

#3: Story by Glen C Herbert - The Bluegrass Situation | Music Maker | Blue Ridge Heritage Center | OurState.com

#4: Cultural Equity |  Broonzy.com | NPR | People’s World | MS Writers & Music

#5:  Story by Cody Uhls - Official Website |  NPR |  Rolling Stone |  Country Music Hall of Fame

Season 1, Episode 7 // She's Gone With The Gypsy Davy

Featured in this Episode:

Traditional - “Gypsy Davy” (:20)

Son House - “Grinnin’ in your Face” (9:02)

Merle Travis - “Nine Pound Hammer” (24:07)

Dolly Parton - “Jolene” (40:30)

Sierra Ferrell - “Elk River Blues” (59:60)

Teaser:

Who were the original gypsies, and why are so many songs sung about them? Hear the man who inspired Robert Johnson and set the standard for the Delta blues slide guitar. A boy born out of the Kentucky coal mines and creating the epitome of guitar fingerpicking styles known today as “Travis Picking”. Perhaps the most decorated country singer, philanthropist and unifying voice, a woman who has led countless other country artists and musicians for 50 years, still going strong. A young troubadour who is changing the timbre of country music, mixing it with eclectic roots while transporting listeners to another time.

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"Shine A Light":

Folk Alley | Instagram

Source Credits:

#1 Contemplator | Mainly Norfolk | Lizlyle | History Today | Harvard magazine | Second hand Songs | Enacademic

#2 Louder Sound | MS Blues Trail | New World Encyclopedia | MS Writers & Musicians | Black Past | Democrat and Chronicle | George Lamplugh | Digital NEPR

#3 Story by Glen C Herbert + NY Times | Alan Cackett | Oldies

#4 Official Site | The List | PBS | Britannica | Tennessee Encyclopedia | Library of Congress | The New Yorker | NY Times

#5  Wide Open Country | WV Gazette | Saving Country Music | Official Site | Wautauga Democrat | HonkyTonkBadonkaDonk

Season 1, Episode 6 // I'll Die With That Hammer In My Hand

Featured in this Episode:

Traditional - "The Ballad of John Henry" (:25)

The Mississippi Sheiks - "Sittin On Top of the World" (11:09)

Pete Seeger - "If I Had a Hammer" (22:05)

Hank Williams - "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (44:32)

Tyler Childers - "Rocks, Salt and Nails" (1:05:35)

Teaser:

Was the greatest African American folklore hero based on a true story? The most popular old time and blues string band in the 30's that all started with one insanely talented family. One of the hardest working advocates and activists who spent many years carrying old songs forward and getting audiences to sing together, banned from performing by the US government. The King of Country music, who lived perhaps one of the most paradoxically tragic and successful lives ever documented in American music. A Kentucky native born in the home of bluegrass revives and redefines country music today and reclaims its soul.

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"Shine A Light":

History of Country Music

Source Credits:

#1: ABAA | National Park Service | LOC | Ibiblio

#2: Document Record Store | Old Time Party | Delta Blues Gospel

#3: Michael Hayes | Histclo | Folkways | LOC | ThoughtCo

#4: Hank Williams Story | Tennessean | Hankmuseum | Grunge

#5: (Written by Glen C Herbert) + Rolling Stone | Chicago Tribune | Official Website

Season 1, Episode 5 // I'm Just Going Over Home

Featured in this Episode:

Traditional - "Wayfaring Stranger" (:30)

Burl Ives - "Streets of Laredo" (11:45)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe - "Up Above My Head" (28:50)

John Prine - "In Spite of Ourselves" (44:27)

Charley Crockett- "That's How I Got To Memphis" (1:06:40)

Teaser:

Did it come from a hymn? An old ballad? Was it born in Scotland, or America? Navigate these questions with me for one of the most enduring and well known traditional songs in Bluegrass, Folk, and Old Country music. Entrenched in the old ballads passed on to him before the age seven, a man becomes one of the most beloved preservationist folk singers. A queer evangelist and powerhouse vocalist and guitarist is named the "Godmother of Rock and Roll" influencing Chuck Berry, Elvis, and Eric Clapton. A Chicago mailman finds himself at the right place at the right time to share his timeless and instantly relatable songs, staying out of the mainstream, yet dubbed an American icon. From Texas, by way of New Orleans, a young man defines hard, transient living and grows into one of the finest true country musicians performing today.⁠

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"Shine A Light":

Western AF

Source Credits:

#1: Jopie Bopie Blog | Manhattan Beach Music | Library of Congress

#2: Cultural Equity | Independent | Info Please | Cowboy's Lament

#3: NPR | Richmond Mag | Girlboss | Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe

#4: Billboard.com | Rolling Stone | JP Shrine.org | NY Times | Blue Railroad

#5: Long Reads | Rolling Stone | The Guardian | Chron.com | The Boot

Season 1, Episode 4 // Hang Your Head and Cry

Featured in this Episode: Traditional - "Tom Dooley" (:27)

Blind Blake - "Diddie Wa Diddie" (12:23)

Woody Guthrie - "Ramblin Around" (23:46)

Doc Watson - "Blue Railroad Train" (49:00)

Justin Townes Earle - "Lone Pine Hill" (1:08:23)

Teaser:

A North Carolina murder ballad turned folk tale withstands the tests of time, the true story is still up for debate today. The most distinct blind guitar player to take sounds from ragtime piano and transfer it to guitar, though his life was a short mystery. A folk singer from Oklahoma becomes the voice of social justice, poverty and failed politics for generations after him. A flat picking blind Appalachian turns the guitar from a background rhythm instrument into a lead in bluegrass, country and folk music during the 60's, and becomes a pioneer of country blues. Born in the shadow of his father, a young man rises into Americana stardom on his own from a lyrical conviction that many songwriters never acquire, another gone too soon.

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"Shine A Light": David Holt's State of Music on PBS

Source Credits:

#1: True West Magazine | NPR | Kronsell.net - Legend and Facts

#2: Oldies | All About Blues | Slim Pickens & Dr. Baz

#3: WoodyGuthrie.org | The New Yorker | Texas Observer

#4: Docs Guitar | NC History | NY Times

#5: Westword | First Avenue | Rolling Stone | GQ

I'm so pleased to have my first guest on the podcast, the incredibly gifted multi-instrumentalist, teacher, musicologist and songster Mr. Andy Cohen. You may remember Andy from a mention in Episode 2 of American Songcatcher, as he was the mentor of my mentor, Joan Crane. Once a lead boy soaking in the shadow of Reverend Gary Davis, Andy's been playing music for 72 years. He's a virtuoso finger-style guitarist and pianist who has been described as "a walking, talking folk-blues-roots music encyclopedia." He has devoted his entire life to studying, performing, and promoting traditional blues and folk music, specializing in the pre-World War II era. Country Blues Magazine says, "One thing is for sure, the boy can play. There are few people around today who had a chance to pick it all up from the old generations, get this good at it, and continue to cherish and preserve the old traditions."⁠

Before we started, I had a load of questions for Andy, but as you'll hear, he holds the conversation without them. I took a backseat for this history lesson, so there's not many words from me. Andy plays a few tunes, tells how his librarian set him on a course, about his vast knowledge of many lesser known blues artists, and shares stories about the Reverend Gary Davis that I was unaware of. Fair warning, the audio from our Zoom chat isn't the best quality, I'm new at this.

More on Andy Cohen: Website | Videos | Discography | Biography

Riverlark Music Site

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Host Links:

Nicholas Edward Williams

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Season 1, Episode 3 // They Call The Rising Sun

Featured in this Episode:

Traditional - "Rising Sun Blues" or "House of the Rising Sun" (1:37)

Bessie Smith - "Tain't Nobody's Business" (16:46)

The Carter Family - "Wildwood Flower" (40:30)

Townes Van Zandt - "Pancho and Lefty" (1:04:17)

Blind Boy Paxton - "Nobody Cares For Me" (01:22:42)

Teaser:

Was there ever a "house of the rising sun" in New Orleans or elsewhere, or was it a myth brought from the UK? Raised by her sisters in deep poverty, a Chattanooga girl rises to be known as "Empress of the Blues" right before The Great Depression, gone too soon. How did one family become responsible for making mountain and country music mainstream in America? A Texas songwriter whose life paralleled the tragically poetic songs he wrote. Today, a young man who grew up in LA transports audiences to soundscapes of the 20's and 30's.

Supporting independent programs!

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"Shine A Light":

www.BalladofAmerica.org

Source Credits:

#1: American Blues Scene | The Vintage News | LA Times

#2: My Black History | NNDB | History.com

#3: NPR | Encyclopedia Virginia

#4: Traces of Townes | Texas Monthly

#5: The Bluegrass Situation | Village Voice

Season 1, Episode 2 // I Could Root That Mountain Down

Featured in this Episode:

Traditional | Bascom Lamar Lunsford - “I wish I was a Mole in the ground" (:27)

Mississippi John Hurt - “Spike Driver Blues” (13:50)

Reverend Gary Davis - "Slow Drag” (28:23)

Norman Blake - "Church Street Blues” (42:26)

Willie Watson - "James Alley Blues” (56:08)

Teaser:

A North Carolina mountain banjo player dubbed the "Minstrel of the Appalachians" helps create America’s first folk festivals and preserves history as one of the country's earliest song collectors. A sharecropper is discovered as one of the founding fathers of folk blues, nearly 40 years after his first recordings. A blind virtuoso has a hard upbringing, turns into a reverend, and goes on to teach generations of some of the finest guitar players. A 16 year old boy quits school to pursue music and becomes one of the most decorated guitar players in history, with wife equally as talented. After landing success with Old Crow Medicine Show, a man goes alone and discovers his path of preserving old songs.

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"Shine A Light":

Pickin’ for Progress

Web Source Credits:

#1: Ballad of a Mountain Man | NCpedia | Blue Ridge Heritage

#2: MJH Foundation | MS Blues Trail | MJH: His Life, His Times, His Blues

#3: Cultural Equity | NCPedia 

#4: The Bluegrass Situation | NPR

#5: Lyric Magazine | OCMS | Red Line Roots | Chicago Tribune