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 True Folk & Americana singer-songwriter Brian Martin, recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Brian. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Pam Branscum performing the traditional tune “Goodbye Liza Jane.” Writer, musician, and traditional dancer Aubrey Atwater discusses the concept of percussive singing in traditional as well as modern musics.

“While keeping one foot planted firmly in the roots of American music, singer/songwriter Brian Martin is forging a distinct path into its future as well. Interweaving old-time country blues and mountain folk music with southern soul, funk and gospel, Martin seamlessly creates a style that he simply refers to as "front porch soul." His burly voice and down home witty tales result in music that is both alluring and enduring for generations young and old. 

 

Hailing from southern Arkansas, Martin begin the journey of a full time performing musician in 2004. He spent years crafting new songs and developing his sound through constant touring around Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, while building a devoted fan base along the way. He released his solo debut album "No Rider" in 2011. Offering many of his fan favorite songs, "No Rider" highlights Martin's gritty soulful voice and intricate acoustic guitar finger picking, resulting in a theme collection of intimate, and at times, haunting folk songs. 

In addition to his solo performances, Martin also performs with Sad Daddy, a popular folk swing band he co-founded in 2010 with Melissa Carper on upright bass and Joe Sundell on the banjo. The trio recorded their self titled debut album in 2010 and toured extensively over the next few years, before taking a hiatus to work on other projects. The band has since added violinist Rebecca Patek to the lineup and released their follow up album "Fresh Catch" in 2016. With the new lineup intact, Sad Daddy has been out and about, sharing the new songs with old favorites, while keeping fans singing and dancing along the way.” 

https://www.brianmartinmusic.com/home

In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers a 1979 archival recording of Ozark original Pam Branscum performing the traditional tune “Goodbye Liza Jane,” 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 discusses the concept of percussive singing in traditional as well as modern musics. She offers examples of how this odd musical phenomenon has, and continues to pervade music from all over the world.