This month Steven Chats with Dave Ragland...

Dave Ragland is the founder and Artistic Director of Inversion Vocal Ensemble. Dave is a vocalist, arranger, composer, and pianist. He was a Finalist for the 2013 Valley City State University Composers Competition. Dave has served as Minister of Music for Dixon United Methodist Church and the Wesley Center at Tennessee State University, and is a frequent music director for the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts.

Today, Steven Lewis chats with Dr. Paul Kwami. In 1994, he was named Musical Director of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, becoming the first African to hold this position.  He served as the Chairman of the Fisk Music Department from 1996 to 2003.

Carlos DeFord Bailey is a third generation music maker. His father made a name for himself with R&B in the clubs up and down Jefferson Street in Nashville. His grandfather was the legendary DeFord Bailey, the first person to ever play on the The Grand Ole Opry. 

This month, Steven chats with Carlos about his heritage, his personal inspirations and how Nashville has changed over the years.

Dr. Portia Maultsby, Ph.D. is a leading ethnomusicologist who is well respected internationally for her expertise in popular music, African American music and the music industry. She will develop the translation of the museum’s script into an aesthetic interpretation designed to feature the many genres created, impacted and influenced by African Americans.

Ben Hunter & Joe Seamons are songster revivalists who perform acoustic blues, field hollers, fiddle & banjo breakdowns, and early jazz that delights audiences in concerts and workshops nationwide. For seven years, their tours have extended their work as teachers and community organizers in their home of Seattle, Washington.

Today, Ben & Joe chat with Steven about their music, influences and the importance of tough conversations in the time we live in.

Kaia started her career early, crafting her first EP Old Soul (2013) when she was just out of high school. Since then, she’s gone on to release two more albums, Sorrow Bound (2015) and Nine Pin (2016).

Her most recent album weaves between hard-hitting songs that touch on social issues like the Black Lives Matter movement (“Rising Down,” “Paradise Fell”) and more personal narratives speaking to life and love in the digital age (“Saint Elizabeth”).

Today, Steven chats with Keb' Mo.' Album after album, 14 in total, garnered him 4 GRAMMY awards and a producer/engineer/artist GRAMMY Certificate for his track on the 2001 Country Album of the Year, Hank Williams Tribute – Timeless.

Steven joined Keb' backstage at the Grand Ole' Opry just minutes before Keb' took the historic stage.

Gwendolyn Brown is the Assistant Professor of Voice at Fisk University. 

Professor Brown grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Fisk University and became part of the legendary Fisk Jubilee Singers. She completed her masters at The University of Memphis and American Conservatory of Music. 

Professor Brown is also an accomplished opera singer, performing at opera houses around the world, including; Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Washington National Opera, The New Orleans Opera, and many others.

Grammy Award winning Dom Flemons is a co-founder of The Carolina Chocolate Drops and renowned musician. Recently, Dom released "Black Cowboys" for the Smithsonian Legacy Recordings. 

Steven joined Dom backstage at the Grand Ole Opry on May 11th 2018. There, the spoke of Dom's early influences, the Smithsonian project, and founding The Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Steven Lewis chats with Dr. John Fleming who serves as the Director-In-Residence for the National Museum of African-American Music. 

Dr. Fleming discusses his involvement with the civil rights movement, his desire to pursue the clergy, and his decades of work in education and museum development.