The Wild South

“I was taught you’re not worth much if you don’t have the courage of your convictions,” says Rosanne Cash, and in her work as a singer, songwriter, author, and activist, it’s easy to see that the message stuck. On the latest episode of G&G’s Whole Hog, host John Huey speaks with Cash about storytelling; the influence of her father, Johnny Cash; speaking up politically; and the ability of songs to mean something different to each listener.*This episode contains explicit language.

Host John Huey sits down for a wide-ranging conversation with author and screenwriter Lolis Eric Elie. In a frank discussion that touches on race, cultural traditions, and American history, Elie talks about the influence of his father, civil rights attorney Lolis Edward Elie, and "the difference between symbols and substance." Elie, a New Orleans native, also reveals how he found a touch of the Crescent City out West, talking with chef Marcus Christiana-Beniger, who co-founded a restaurant in Los Angeles' Historic Chinatown called the Little Jewel of New Orleans.

In the mountains of western North Carolina, one radio station reigns supreme: WNCW, a public broadcasting station owned by Isothermal Community College in Spindale. We’re so obsessed with the station that we’ve devoted a whole episode to it. Host John Huey is back for the Season Two premiere to catch up with WNCW’s music director, Martin Anderson, about the station’s devoted following and the eclectic sounds—old and new—that go out over its airwaves.

For more than 40 years playing with the Allman Brothers Band to the Rolling Stones, Chuck Leavell has made rock-and-roll his career. But the legendary keyboardist is equally passionate about land conservation and forestry (he's not a bad shot either). We catch up with Leavell on his musical legacy, Gregg Allman's passing, and life as a Georgia tree farmer.

From whistling in the Oval Office to eating supper under the stars, in this episode you'll meet four-time national and international whistling champion Chris Ullman, have dinner with James Beard Award-winning chef Steven Satterfield, and enjoy the stories behind Julia Reed's favorite Southern songs.

Join master tracker Dwight McCarter on the trail of missing children in the Great Smoky Mountains and get to know Nashville singer-songwriter Brandy Clark.

We catch up with Brian Reed, the producer and host of S-Town to discuss his experience in the Alabama town and the making of this epic Southern story, then we'll dissect the dialect and accents of S-Town's characters with linguistics professor Dr. Walt Wolfram, and chef Duane Nutter answers the question, "What's for supper?"

Author Bruce Feiler takes us back to his hometown of Savannah, Georgia, head into the kitchen with Charleston, South Carolina-based pasty chef Cynthia Wong, and G&G assistant editor Jed Portman shares his family's secret for perfect fried chicken.

Join us on a trip to Spain with John T. Edge and cure master Allan Benton, catch up with author and dog lover Bronwen Dickey, and explore bluegrass' new sound.

We continue our conversation about the real story of Steel Magnolias with Julia Reed and Robert Harling, meet Kentucky’s first female master bourbon taster, head out on a father-and-son road trip in the Mississippi Delta, and hear from some of country music’s newest outlaws.