Many times the way and artist finds their way onto this podcast is from their publicist or someone else on their team reaching out to me, or vice versa. Sometimes I might bump into an artist at a show or festival and hit them up for an impromptu interview then and there, but that is rare. Rarer still is the scenario where I came in contact with western Kentucky artist Kelsey Waldon, which was through writer and editor Garret Woodward, who acted as go-between to ask about an interview. Kelsey was on tour in our region and hoped to get some coverage for the WNCW audience, and I immediately jumped on the opportunity. After speaking her on a video call from her hotel room in Chattanooga TN, I took the first part of her interview and aired that on my show on radio; the bulk of that conversation comes to light here in this episode.

Kelsey Waldon (photo: ©Alysse Gafkjen 2025)

There is a deep well of emotion and a complex tapestry of experience that Kelsey Waldon draws from in her singular style of country music. Rooted firmly in her native western Kentucky, she calls the Nashville area home now, and in our conversation we talk about how her rural upbringing in an unusual setting shaped her, her longtime friendship with fellow Kentuckian S.G. Goodman, her often overlooked college degree in songwriting, and we go into detail about some of her latest songs, sampling many from her latest album Every Ghost.

Songs heard in this episode:

“Ghost Of Myself” by Kesley Waldon, from Every Ghost

“Ramblin’ Woman” by Kelsey Waldon, from Every Ghost, excerpt

“Nursery Rhyme” by Kelsey Waldon, from Every Ghost, excerpt

“A Robin Built A Nest On Daddy’s Grave” by Ralph Stanley, from While the Ages Roll On, excerpt

“Hello Stranger” by Kelsey Waldon featuring S.G. Goodman, from There’s Always A Song, excerpt

“Comanche” by Kelsey Waldon, from Every Ghost

Thank you for stopping by, and we hope you can spread the word about this series and help us reach more music fans just like yourself. Please take a moment and give us a top rating on your podcast platform of choice, and where you can, a review. Doing either, and especially both, boosts the ranking and therefore the visibility of this series to all the other music fans who also follow podcasts. This is Southern Songs and Stories, where our quest is to explore and celebrate the unfolding history and culture of music rooted in the American South, and going beyond to the styles and artists that it inspired and informed. - Joe Kendrick