Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Florence, Alabama for a conversation with rapper GMANE (a.k.a. Geoffrey Keith Robinson). Music and hip-hop rap have been an integral part of GMANE’s life since he was a kid in rural Alabama. Making his mark in the 1990s, on the independent Slave Kamp Music label, GMANE’s popularity led him on a European tour to Sweden and Denmark. He’s been featured in Forbes.com and performed live at SXSW in Austin, Texas. One of GMANE’s viral hits, produced with the group G

In the third podcast installment exploring Nashville’s Big Back Yard, we’ll stop in at the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Sheffield, Alabama. The studio opened in 1969 and was quickly marking up the charts with number one hits by the Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Wilson Pickett, Linda Rondstadt, Rod Stewart, Paul Simon and many more legendary recording artists. Next up is a visit with Sandra Burroughs, executive director of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Florence, Alabama for a conversation with two key players in the Shoals’ regional economic development . Afterwards we’ll visit with Rodney Hall, the son of Rick Hall, founder of the legendary Fame Studios . We'll also meet up with Spencer Coats, Hall’s studio manager.

Nashville’s Big Back Yard , an economic and tourism initiative focused on a natural watershed region wending through the Natchez Trace National Parkway , features 12 rural communities. Leiper’s Fork is the northern anchor, not too far from Nashville. The Big Back Yard journey traverses Tennessee’s southwest quarter down into Alabama’s legendary Shoals region —the mother ship of American music.

Discover why the midst of winter is a popular time to visit the Uppper Peninsula town of St. Ignas, Michigan. Tubing, sledding, skating, pond hockey, and snowmobiling are passionate pastimes with the locals and visitors alike. This show was originally broadcast January 20, 2018 and is reposted as a “best-of-the-best” podcast in celebration of Journeys of Discovery’s 30th anniversary producing on-air and digital media podcasts featured on KCBX and NPR One. Throughout the year people come to St.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer on the island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia for a conversation with Christophe Maudet, assistant general manager at the 5-star Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa . Maudet talks about engaging and empowering island youth and the nuances of life in Tahiti in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Antoine Torricella, assistant food and beverage manager at the resort shares cool insights about a unique Tahitian winery.

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer as he voices Balarama, an Indian elephant in Bhaskar Khrisnamurthy’s award-winning children’s book, " Balarama’s Story: An Elephant’s Journey ." Elephants have long been an intrinsic element in India's mythology and folklore. "Balarama’s Story" is the biography of an elephant uprooted from his natural home in the forest, who subsequently attains mythic status as a royal elephant in India’s Dasara Festival. The book is included in school curriculums in India, the

Back in 1946, six-year-old Jimmy Hawkins played the role of Tommy in "It’s a Wonderful Life." Decades later the film was voted the most inspirational movie of all time by the American Film Institute. When it hit silver screen for Christmas season in 1946, the movie was a box-office flop and lost $500,000, even though it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Join Hawkins as he recalls his role as Tommy and shares insights about Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed and

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Cayo Espanto , a tiny Belizean isle with just seven luxury villas. The accommodations are so discretely distanced from one another that when Tiger Woods spent a week here, the neighbors had no clue until he was spotted departing on the shuttle boat. Cayo has been humming along since 1999, attracting honeymooners, celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates and Jennifer Lawrence, as well as just plain folk seeking a once in a lifetime adventure on a

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland --the land of reindeer, husky dogs and snowmobiles where he meets up with Santa Claus. Wilmer arrived at Santa Park on the outskirts of Rovaniemi to witness Santa’s arrival to prepare for Christmas. Santa pulled up behind the wheel of a vintage Lincoln Continental. More than a 1,000 little people gleefully cheered and clapped as Santa gave a short “queen” wave and slipped into his headquarters.