In Part 1 of this wide-ranging conversation, Charlie sits down with Ketch Secor, co-founder and current frontman of the band Old Crow Medicine Show, to explore the deep musical roots of Mississippi. Though not a Mississippi native, Ketch shares personal stories that connect him to the state, from learning to walk in McComb to organizing a pickup baseball game in William Faulkner’s backyard. Along the way, he reflects on the “rub” between black and white musical traditions, the legacy of Doc Watson and Mississippi John Hurt, and why Mississippi remains the spiritual crossroads of American music.

Mississippi places mentioned in this episode: Rowan Oak, Pharr Mounds, McComb, Mississippi Delta, Booneville, Pontotoc, Bolton, Tupelo, New Site.

People and groups mentioned in this episode: Ketch Secor, Old Crow Medicine Show, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Doc Watson, Chuck Berry, Merle Travis, Marty Stuart, Mississippi John Hurt, Charlie Patton, Gus Cannon, Papa Charlie Jackson, Leake County Revelers, Hoyt Ming and the Pep Steppers, Mississippi Sheiks, Elvis Presley, Charlie Pride, DeFord Bailey, Enrico Caruso, William Faulkner, Hernando de Soto.