Ozarkian Folk Chronicles - Your Podcast About the Ozarks

The 1970s were a, uh, magical time for music and musicians, and Sid Pierce had a front row seat for the spectacle. From drumming with his band, Levi Walker, to touring with Roy Clark, Sid was full throttle all the time, and he has the stories to prove it. Join us for this fun episode (Sid forbade us from calling it "special") with Sid. Maybe you'll recall some memories of your own, or if you're too young, you'll know what to ask your parents!

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Daniel Woodrell published nine novels, most of which were set in the Ozarks, and in the process created a genre he called "country noir." Woodrell's books are gritty, dark, and often despairing, yet he gave a voice to the most marginal of Ozarkers: the dispossessed poor. His novel Winter's Bone was made into a movie that faithfully captured Woodrell's characters and launched the career of a young Jennifer Lawrence. Dr. Brooks Blevins, Noel Boyd professor of history at MSU, has taught Woodrell's novels and brings his own distinctive voice and insights to the works of Woodrell. Join the Chronicles as we pay homage to one of our own, Daniel Woodrell.

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When Mark and his brother and cousins formed Big Smith, they were following in the long tradition of Bilyeu family musicians. Bob Bilyeu, the patriarch of the family, and his Southern Gospel group, the Waymakers, preceded Big Smith, and preceding the Waymakers was even older musical tradition. This special Christmas episode includes an interview with Bob and Mark, songs performed in Bob's living room, and Christmas songs from the archives featuring the Bilyeu family.There's nothing like Christmas in the Ozarks! The Chronicles wish you a very Merry Christmas!

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Ozarks historian, Dr. Brooks Blevins, discovered an excerpt from a diary of Vance Randolph and passed it along to Curtis. The entry recalls a 1932 trip that Randolph took with Thames Williamson, author of The Woods Colt, from Fayetteville to Mountain View, Arkansas. While in Fayetteville, the two men met up with Charles Morrow Wilson and Charles Finger, both prolific and highly regarded Ozarks authors. Join the Chronicles for this special road trip through the Ozarks of a century ago!

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Jacob McIntosh is a ninth-generation Ozarker who's been fish gigging since his grandpa took him out at the age of 14. Jacob brings his extensive experience and knowledge to the Chronicles on what is perhaps the most Ozarkian sport of all, gigging suckers. Then Curtis, Crystal, and Hayden join Jacob on the James River to take a turn at fish gigging themselves. At twenty-eight degrees, the river air was chill, but the experience was fantastic! Warning: Gigging and cleaning suckers is not pretty, but the eating sure is good!

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Travis Holt, Ozarks author and blogger, returns to the Chronicles with a Pope County, Arkansas, story, this one about the lay-in-wait shooting of a peddler. Drawing from meticulous research, Travis shares this true crime tale and ponders exactly who did what on that fateful day. What we do know is this: The hills harbor thousands of stories that are profane, profound, preposterous, and impressive, and we, along with many others including Travis, are doing our best never to let them slip into oblivion.

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In 1859, a group of Irish Catholics led by a dynamic and resourceful priest, Father John Hogan, attempted to create a settlement in the southeastern Ozarks. Of course, the clouds of war were already gathering on the horizon, and all too soon those clouds broke with all the ferocity of a hurricane. Situated as it was between Union and Confederate forces--not to mention its vulnerability to bushwhackers and other opportunists--the little colony was destined for extinction. Crystal and Leland Payton poured their hearts and labor into learning all they could about Father Hogan and his ill-fated flock. Join the Chronicles for a look at another "Movement on the Margins," the fascinating story of the Irish Wilderness.

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After the notorious bushwhacker Alf Bolin was killed, soldiers decided to take his body to Ozark. On the way, however, they decapitated Bolin and buried his body. No one knows exactly where the grave site is, though a description of the site was recorded by Doug Mahnkey, a prominent Taney County lawyer. Join the Chronicles as Jeff Michel and Tammy Morton, both experienced grave dowsers, take their dowsing rods into the field in search of Bolin's body. Do they succeed? That's for you to decide! In any case, we know you'll enjoy this fascinating intersection of history, folklore, and the ancient practice of dowsing.

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May Kennedy McCord is an Ozarker of legendary status, a beloved defender of hillbillies, and a gentle Renegade of Folk. From collecting ballads to sticking up for Vance Randolph to sharing the story of the Ozarks across the country, May Kennedy McCord promoted, protected, and persistently loved all things Ozarks. Dr. Kris Sutliff is well-situated to talk about May because she is co-author with Patty McCord, May's granddaughter, of May's biography: May Kennedy McCord: Queen of the Hillbillies published by the University of Arkansas Press. May was an author, radio personality, and ballad singer, and we know you'll enjoy getting to know her better!

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The Chronicles is not only interested in learning about our Ozarks past but also learning about the exciting, creative things Ozarkers are doing today! Brandon Moore is a wonderful example of that creativity; he is a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist who has poured his life and talent into the "Springfield sound," and in this episode, he brings that talent as well as his open-hearted enthusiasm to the podcast! Rounded out with another "Story about the Storytellers," this is another episode we know you'll enjoy!

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