Appalachian Imagination

Joe Tolbert Jr is an organizer, executive, minister, writer, and commentator whose work and passion lie at the intersection of art, culture, spirituality and social justice.

Joe T. was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, but had a balanced mix of urban and rural upbringing. His Father's family in Georgia were a tight nit group of people who always gather around Grandma's house. Being out in the country at Grandma's, Joe T's cousins would always want to rouse him by calling him the city cousin. A really nostalgic memory that he shares is; His dad would load him and his siblings up in the car and go on long road trips, spending quality time together.

Leaving Knoxville, to attend graduate school in New York City, then returning to Knoxville, Joe struggles to adjust to the rapid growth of his home town.

Joe for a long period of life never considered himself to be Appalachian, until some friends with the Stay Project, pointed out the fact that he indeed lives in the Appalachia Mountain range. He is now proud to represent a wider understanding of what it means to be Appalachian ( or Affrilachian ).

In 2023, Joe was named Waymakers Collective's first Executive Director, driven by his personal belief that art and community can be a powerful force that can create real change.

Waymakers Collective- waymakerscollective.org

Be sure to check out their website and find out more about Waymakers and what they do.

Appalachian Futurism is equitable justice, creative cooperation, and sustainable stewardship.

We thank God for all of our people across the Appalachian region!!

We thank you for your ongoing support and listening!

We thank our sponsors- The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com WWAG 107.9fm www.wagoncountry.com and John Caywood in Oklahoma.

You can email us at [email protected]

STAY AWESOME APPALACHIA!!!

Kenneth Boshers was born Febuary 6, 1938 and passed away March 17, 1989.

Jason shares several memories of his papaw in this episode.

Hunting squirrel and ground hog with his dog Black Jack.

Catching bluegill at the May’s Place.

Sleigh riding on an old refrigerator panel (The Crash).

The slaying of a big Tom Turkey with a Plumb hatchet.

Meatloaf (his uncle eating canned dogfood).

His papaw was always sure to have him out doing things like hunting, fishing, swimming and several other things that you'll hear in this episode.

He also shares memories of Kenneth battling with alcoholism and being a drifter of sorts. Kenneth at one point in time was a moonshiner as well.

With the good and the bad, Kenneth loved his grandkids and they loved him as well.

If you have memories of a loved one who has passed on that you’d like to share with the world reach out to us and we will take care of the recording and put it out there for you at no cost. Just email us at [email protected]

We thank God for the good memories!

We thank You for listening and your support!

We thank our sponsors- WWAG 107.9fm www.wagoncountry.com

The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com

John Caywood, in Oklahoma.

John sent an email checking on our people in Kentucky after the I75 shooting incident. Thank You John!

Focus more on making memories and Stay Awesome Appalachia!!

James is a well established singer/recording artist who hand picked by Randy Travis and his wife to be the stand in guy for Randy after he suffered a stroke and is no longer able to preform.

James discusses the power and abilities of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and how it has made it possible for Randy to release new music. The new single out now is titled 'Where That Came From'. James Dupre done the singing, then with the power of AI pulling samples from Randy's vocals from previous material the song was built. https://open.spotify.com/track/6vNJDp8znmaQp2vAXHRPGd?si=cU3MF9FxTae-e3eKm_FJ_g

Later in the episode Mr. Dupre shares stories of his own personal experiences in the music industry. He was featured on season 9 of the Voice, receiving a four chair turn. James also has a successful YouTube channel that we highly recommend you check out-

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=RDEM_N_9r0qPU0A0Ohf-CeB9nQ&playnext=1&si=aW99aPl08Zv4BhTy

We thank God for all things!

We thank you for listening!

We thank our sponsors-The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com WWAG 107.9fm www.wagoncountry.com and our friend in Oklahoma, John Caywood

You can email us at [email protected]

STAY AWESOME APPALACHIA!

Clayborn is everything you think of when you here the phrase Country Boy. Growing up in Harlan County, he was always on the hip of his grandpa James Clayborn who was a coal miner.

Brian shares a story of his grandpa's mining days-James was putting roof jacks in to secure the ceiling of the mine one kicked out and broke his back. The incident left him paralyzed for a period of time, and the day after he was able to get back up and walk again, he returned to work.

Brian credits his grandpa as his biggest influence in life. A man full of grit, determination, and love for his family.

Clayborn, Meathead and Jason cover several topics throughout this conversation. Coonhunting being a big one! They talk about their favorite dogs and some wild things they have saw happen while on a hunt. Brian's best coonhound was out of (Boots on a Tree) stock.

One thing that any country boy is good at is eating and they are always sure to tell the best places to do it. Brian tells us of a couple places out in Harlan County that he would always frequent. Christine's Store is one he highly recommends and The Variety Store is another. So if you find yourself in Harlan County, Kentucky be sure to stop in at either and get you a bite to eat. Another great place to eat that all three guy agree on is Momma D's out on highway 2004 in Jackson County.

They also touch on the topic of Hog Killin'. in days gone by, it was a big event that was necessary for survival to sustain families through the winter months in Appalachia. Have you ever had roasted pig snout?

At 25 years of age Brian Clayborn is a dedicated family man, who loves and cherishes his darling wife and their young daughter.

We thank God for instilling a sense of family throughout Appalachia!

We thank you for listening and your ongoing support!

We also thank our sponsors and friends at The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com WWAg 107.9fm www.wagoncountrty.com and our good friend in Oklahoma, John Caywood.

You can email us at [email protected]

STAY AWESOME APPALACHIA!!!

Born and raised in New Jersey, Scott is a very talented singer/songwriter who left the trades to pursue his musical career. Now residing in Nashville, Tennessee he is living his dream by playing all through the southern United States.

Scott shares the story of how he and his newly wed wife met- While attending a show at the magical, Ryman Auditorium they both had tickets sitting beside each other. He invited her to his show the following night and the rest you will have to gather from listening to the full episode.

Jason while scrolling TikTok happened up on a video with the title Free Bird at the top for a headline. Thinking it could be a cover of the very popular song of the same title, he decided to give it a listen. With being a musician as well, Jason has heard countless folks from audiences yelling out Free Bird. Scott's song in no way pokes fun at the original, it is a clever song telling a story, that we are sure many folks will appreciate. The link is provided below

https://open.spotify.com/track/03KwxXJxOzoMlZibakXrgS?si=jNIyvhARQkuUDpKtQMzRIw

A great song that hasn't been released yet from Scott and a couple of his friends is titled (I'm Alive) Be on the lookout!!

The episode contains a lot of the influences that have helped develop Scott's taste and style of music.

We also found out that his go to guitar for the stage is a Martin OOO-15.

We thank God for music being a release from every day life that connects people together!

We thank you for listening and your love and support!

We thank our sponsors for all of their help on keeping this thing going- The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com. WWAG 107.9fm www.wagoncountry.com and our good friend in Oklahoma, John Caywood.

You can email us at [email protected]

STAY AWESOME APPALACHIA!!!

Alex Wilson conducts this interview with his grandmother and former Kentucky State Representative, Marie Rader.

Coming from humble beginnings on Horse Lick Creek in Jackson County, Marie has always been one to defy all odds stacked against her. She shares a story of her childhood telling about how her mother would pin her dress tail under a table leg while working in their family's store, before the family moved up to Sand Gap.

She has made it a point to involve herself with anything she could to better the community, and has never shunned hard work. Playing a key role in getting the road established up to Rocky Hill (McCammon Ridge Road).

After the passing of her husband and her being 52 years of age, Marie decided to run for State Representative. With most of the State politicians being men, and her being one of only three women in the Republican Party, the odds were definitely not in her favor. She worked hard, traveled from county to county and developed good relationships with everyone she possibly could. With a heart for the people and a drive to get things done, Marie held her position for 22 years before retiring.

In her time as State Rep. Marie had a huge role in the new road up Big Hill and also the new Highway 30 on the south end of Jackson County.

Though Alex conducted the interview, we here at Appalachian Imagination found it an honor to be a part of preserving a conversation between a man and his grandmother.

IF YOU HAVE A FAMILY MEMBER THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW, REACH OUT!!! We will do our best to set it up and help you preserve some of your family's history. You can reach us via email [email protected]

We thank God for folks, who truly love our region!

We thank you for listening and your ongoing support!

We thank our sponsors- The Jackson County Sun www.jacksonsunky.com WWAG 107.9 www.wagoncountry.com and our good friend in Oklahoma, John Caywood.

If you see negative in your world, we encourage you to be the difference.

STAY AWESOME APPALACHIA!!!

School is back in session! All the bus drivers are back on the road hauling the most precious cargo in the world. The first few days of school are always the most hectic, with getting settled to new teachers, figuring out where classes are and trying to get back in the groove. We here at Appalachian Imagination ask you to please be aware of the buses on the roads and children waiting at their pickup/drop off locations.

We felt it was fitting to repost this episode with Flash as he is one of the hardest working bus drivers that you’ll ever meet and he is loaded with stories of growing up in northern Jackson County.

Teaser-A very special guest has scheduled to be on the show with us next week! Y’all stay tuned!

Flash is a hometown guy, who is a treasure to his community. He has worked on the farm all but five years of his life, during which, he served in The United States Army. He now works as a school bus driver for The Jackson County Public School System, equipment operator at the transfer station, part time dog catcher, and still tends his cattle on the farm.He tells of watching his grandmother doing things the old way. Things like raising a garden, canning, quilting, and making lye soap. If you have ever ordered a Flossie (a fried bologna sandwich) you will hear who gave it that name.Carrying a few whippings through life he shares the reason for a couple of them, and how he got the nickname Flash. (Not the reason, I would have thought.)We thank God for all of our Appalachian people and the beautiful place we live in.We thank our sponsors-WWAG www.Wagon Country.com Living Stone Outreach, in Sand Gap.-The Jackson County Sun. www.jacksonsunky.com 606-287-7197-WWAG wagoncountry,comWe thank YOU for taking the time to listen!Be sure to follow and give us a 5 star rating! It helps us to grow and share our people's stories with the world.For more stories,pictures,history and accounts of personal adventures visit appalachianimagination.comb to sponsor an episode or to become an advertiser email us at [email protected] Remember to stay humble, be kind, and no matter what, Stay Awesome Appalachia!

Thank you for being patient while we took a little break through the month of July!

We hope you enjoyed listening back to some of the older episodes. It is truly an honor and privilege to do each and every interview with our wonderful friends and neighbors.

In this short ad free episode, Jason talks about logging and harvesting trees. From the very first European settlers, logging and harvesting timber has been a crucial part of shaping the world we live in. The pioneers would happen up on the place they chose to settle, cut and hew logs, and build homes and other buildings to raise their families in. Dragging the logs with oxen or horses and mules, then they would soon raise a house.

Logging became more industrial after the invention of the saw mill, and also saw a big boom with railroads. Though it saw somewhat of a decline during the Civil War, it never stopped. In the early 1900's the boom continued, then had a big increase during WW2.

We challenge you to look around your home one day, and see how many wood items that you spot in your home. Anything that you find made of wood at some point in time was brought out of the forest by loggers. If you would like to share with us all that you found, tell us about it in the Questions section of this podcast.

We thank God for his wonderful bounty, that we should be good stuarts of!

We thank all the people who through the years who have had part in building the world we live in!

Thank you for taking the time to listen and your continued support!

We thank our sponsors- WWAG 107.9fm www.wagoncountry.com and The Jackson County Sun www.thejacksonsunky.com and our friend John Caywood in Oklahoma.

You can Email us for any reason at [email protected]

Until next week, Stay Awesome Appalachia!

While the great.State of Kentucky is currently in the process of updating the roads, on the north end of Jackson County. We thought it would be fitting to repost this episode with Rob. He shares a bunch of stories on the history of Sand Gap during the time when it was really thriving, and it now seems to be coming back to life (somewhat). With all the gravel trucks in our area it takes a toll on the roads rather quickly. Though it is aggravating waiting in traffic, it is well worth it to have good passable roads to travel on.

We will be back next week with a brand new episode! Thank y'all for your patience and kindness during our little break.

Rob Williams, Papaw Paul, and Jason sit down for a conversation that is a true adventure through the history and life in Sand Gap, Kentucky. Though you can't tell it now in the 1940's Sand Gap was a booming town! With several mining companies and multiple coal temples, all businesses were doing really well back in the day. They talk about the Moore Holler~ it had electricity while most of Jackson County was still without.

Since the original air date of this episode Paul has retired from driving a school bus, however he is still working as a volunteer reading to the kids at Sand Gap Elementary through the Save The Children Project. He and his wonderful wife Debbie have also opened an Air B&B called The Mayapple Cabin, it is located right on the Sheltowee Trace, near McKee, Ky. If you happen to be in the area and need a place to 'hole up for the night' be sure to check it out on airb&b.com.

Paul is somewhat of a celebrity around Jackson County especially among the children he has met and made friends with, during his time in the educational system. He greets each one of them by name or by a nickname that he has given them and is sure to hand them a soft peppermint candy that he conveniently carries in his shirt pocket. Speaking as a bystander it is always a joy to watch the kids light up and start the familiar chant of "Papaw Paul-Papaw Paul".

Paul really paints a picture with his story telling and I would recommend this episode to anyone!

If you have already listened to it, listen again and show our good friend, co-host and neighbor that we all appreciate all he has done and is still doing in our community.

Paul shares his story of growing up in the city of McKee KY. He drives a school bus and works as a volunteer for the Save The Children Foundation, reading to the kids at Sand Gap Elementary. Paul mentions so many things that most people in the area never knew existed. Jane the train being one.