Get your raffle ticket here!
For just a moment, put yourself in the shoes of a person who plays music, whether they’re professional, amateur or just getting started. Imagine what it would be like to lose the instrument that helps you understand your life, to make sense of the world. Now, imagine losing it and most of what you own during the most traumatic event of your life. Who is going to help you get music back?
This is the mission of ReString Appalachia. An initiative that started with American Songcatcher after Hurricane Helene, ReString is now a 501(c)3 nonprofit who has given over 800 instruments to musicians from natural disasters in Appalachia and Los Angeles, and soon, the Texas Hill Country.
You can help us accomplish this by buying a raffle ticket to win a signed, one of a kind bluegrass banjo from world renowned banjoist Béla Fleck.
This fundraiser is in partnership with the Henhouse Prowlers, their nonprofit Bluegrass Ambassadors, ReString Appalachia, and American Songcatcher.
Raffle ends Sept 1st!
www.ReStringAppalachia.org
We’ll be back VERY soon with a few interviews, and we’ll have a very special field recording and feature on the Earl Scruggs Music Festival and his legacy. See you next time, on American Songcatcher.
Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with one of today’s most eclectic roots musicians, Buffalo Nichols. Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Carl, who goes by the name Buffalo Nichols has asked himself the same question: How can I bring the blues of the past into the future? A student of African traditions and its roots in the blues, as well as the black influence on “white” music in country, bluegrass, old time and folk, the depth and airy nature of his voice lends itself to all these traditions, as represented in his music. We talked about his trajectory as a musician early on, being picked up by labels, and now being independent, the misinformed music history narrative that’s been pushed on all of us since the 1920’s, and many things in between. Enjoy!
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Over the last 5 years, we have had the privilege of bringing you stories of Pioneering musicians such as Bill Monroe, Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, Lead Belly, Dolly Parton, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Pete Seeger, Jean Ritchie and so many more.
However, a recently shift was forced upon the American Songcatcher program. Our distributor, Spotify for Podcasters/Creators, has taken down 1/4 of our episodes on all platforms, with more likely to follow, as they have began to crack down on the rights and usage of songs. Although this program is strictly education-based, and we don’t sell products or produce any notable revenue from these episodes, they don’t see what we do as fair use. It’s a big blow, as over a year’s worth of our work is now gone from the convenient places to listen to them.
And so, our standstill for the last 5 months has been one of great pondering, and a lot of work with our nonprofit ReString Appalachia, where we have just surpassed 700 instruments given to those who had them taken away from natural disasters.
It’s been decided that from now on, American Songcatcher will strictly focus on traditional song history, field recordings, and interviews. We embrace our new direction, and we hope you will too. All of the episodes will be available on our website, AmericanSongcatcher.com in the next month. We’ll be back with some new content soon, thank you for your patience, see you next time on American Songcatcher.
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A few years back, we had the pleasure of partnering with Smithsonian Folkways for a special two part series on Folkways Records founder Moses Asch, who was born 99 years ago earlier this month. To honor his legacy, we combined these two pieces and re-releasing them today. We’ll traverse Moe’s early career, bankruptcy, and the tumultuous yet tantalizing 40 years of iconic recordings with pioneering and lesser known artists of Folkways Records. You’ll find out how what Moe accomplished became so woven with the cultural footprint of American Music as we know it today. Now… here’s the story of Moses Asch.
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Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, writing, editing, distribution
Collaboration Credits:
Full Moses Asch interview with Arhoolie Records’ founder Chris Strachwitz
Interviewees:
Richard Carlin - Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways - Book
Dom Flemons - Black Cowboys from Smithsonian Folkways
Websites:
Smithsonian | SF2 | NY Times | Redalyc | Arhoolie | Jstor.com | NPR | Routledge | AllPurposeGuru | NY TIMES 2 | University of Alberta | Haaretz | Folkworks
Videos:FAI
Folkways: World of Sound Documentary
Books:
Making people's music : Moe Asch and Folkways records - Peter D Goldsmith
Back in July of 2024, I had the pleasure of bringing the first LIVE American Songcatcher podcast experience to the historic Graham County Courthouse in Robbinsville, NC. This time, I can't edit out all of my stumbles.
The multimedia presentation traverses Western North Carolina music history starting with the native Cherokee, first settlers and immigration, African American influence on Appalachian music, and short stories of obscure and well known musicians from North Carolina. Attendees had visuals of photos and videos that you'll have to experience at the next live episode. The very end features a short concert with history behind a few songs that come from North Carolina.
This presentation was made possible by Graham County Travel & Tourism
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ReString Appalachia
www.americansongcatcher.com/ReStringAppalachia
ReString Appalachia is an initiative by American Songcatcher to get instruments that were lost due to Helene back in the hands of musicians throughout Appalachia. This effort is supported by over 125 roots musicians, including Bela Fleck, Rhiannon Giddens, Old Crow Medicine Show, The Infamous Stringdusters and many more, as well as several non profits, instrument makers, venues, festivals, actors, visual artists and media outlets.
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It's been nearly a month since Helene brought unfathomable devastation to Appalachia. I've honestly never been so consumed with grief after a natural disaster. I have countless memories of performing, camping and hiking... so many good times throughout Appalachia over the last 15 years. I got married in Swannanoa. I almost moved to both Brevard and Asheville. I also have dozens and dozens of dear, talented friends throughout East TN, WNC, SC, North GA, and FL. It's been hard to embrace that it'll never be the same, that so many are suffering.
Words fell short in a time like this. Action speaks, and I had to do something.
So, through the American Songcatcher network, I've been quietly building an initiative that will put instruments back in the hands of those who lost them due to the storm. The exact, or comparable instrument.
This effort is called ReString Appalachia.
Whether you're a professional, or picking for the love of it, the importance of continuing the living tradition of Appalachian music culture is paramount, and American Songcatcher aims to keep it that way.
Over the next month, you're going to see 100's of musicians, non profits, venues, festivals, actors, artists and media outlets post about ReString Appalachia.
If you, or someone you know lost an instrument due to Helene, if you have instruments to donate, or if you are seeking a tax-exempt donation to help us cover the costs, please visit the link in the show notes.
American Songcatcher will be back very soon with a very special live episode on Western North Carolina music history.
Thank you for listening. Here's to the songs of old, may they live on forever.
www.americansongcatcher.com/ReStringAppalachia
For Platform Distribution:
Today on the program, we’re proud to present the story behind the most widely recorded murder ballad in American history, the true St. Louis story of "Frankie and Johnny." Johnny’s real name was Albert, and though the phrase "He was doin’ her wrong” has been the constant refrain, the depiction of Frankie Baker has always been one of a vengeful murderess - rather than murder in self defense - and she fought nearly her entire life to change that narrative. For over 100 years, the song has continued to be recorded with many false depictions, and in this story, you’ll hear how it all unfolded and became such a hallmark murder ballad in American music history.
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Credits: Ryan Eastridge - Research, Writing
Teddy Chipouras - Editing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, editing, recording and distribution
References:
“A Brief History of St. Louis.” City of St. Louis.
Cellania, Miss. “The Story Behind ‘Frankie and Johnny.’” Mental Floss. May 3, 2016.
Demain, Bill. “Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed.” Mental Floss. May 2, 2011.
Edwards, Bill. “Rags and Pieces by Scott Joplin, 1895-1905.” June 6, 2009.
“‘Frankie’ of Famed Song Dies at 75.” Stockton Evening and Sunday Record. January 10, 1952.
“Frankie and Johnny (1966).” IMDB.
“Frankie and Johnny (1991).” IMDB.
Huston, John. Frankie and Johnny. 1930.
John, Finn J. D. “’Johnny’s’ Frankie lived in P-town, hiding from song.” Offbeat Oregon History website. April 1, 2021.
Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries & University Museums. “Frankie and Johnny, or, You’ll Miss Me in the Days to Come.” The Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection.
Kloppe, Adam. “Tom Turpin’s Rosebud Café.” Here’s History Podcast. October 16, 2023.
Knox, Martha. “Words on Woodcuts” blog. March 26, 2016.
Lomax, John A., Lomax, Alan. American Ballads and Folk Songs. The Macmillan Company, New York. 1934. pgs. 103-110.
Morgan, Stacey. Frankie and Johnny: Race, Gender, and the Works of African American Folklore in the 1930s. University of Texas Press. 2017. pg. 20.
“Murder Ballads (A Visit to a Bad Neighborhood part 2).” Riverside Blues Society.
New York Public Library for The Performing Arts, Archives and Manuscripts. “Jack Kirkland papers, 1928-1969.”
Oswald, Charles J.; Kurres, Richard. “It’s Frankie and Albert Instead of Frankie and Johnny.” Lakeland Ledger. May 29, 1975.
Polenberg, Richard. Hear My Sad Story: The True Tales that Inspired Stagolee, John Henry, and Other Traditional American Folk Songs. Cornell University Press. 2015.
Richardson, Ethel Park; edited and arranged by Sigmund Spaeth. American Mountain Songs. Greenberg Publishing, New York. 1927. pgs. 38, 107.
Sandberg, Carl. The American Songbag. Harcourt Brace & Company. 1927. pgs. 73-75.
Slade, Paul. “It’s a Frame-Up: Frankie & Johnny.”
Slade, Paul. Unprepared to Die: America’s Greatest Murder Ballads and the Stories that Inspired Them. Soundcheck Books LLP, London. 2015.
“Soundtrack: ‘Frankie & Johnny.’” Our St. Louis History. April 20, 2018.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 24, 1995. pg. 39.
Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with Grammy-nominated folk singer, storyteller, humanitarian, author and multi-virtuoso-instrumentalist John McCutcheon. During his five-decade career, John has released 44 albums spanning an eclectic catalog of ballads, historical songs, children's songs, love songs, topical satire, fiddle and hammer dulcimer instrumentals, and even symphonic works. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and jaw harp, and has received six Grammy Award nominations for his children’s songs. I got to know a bit of John’s story early on, his evolution as a preservationist and what its been like to be an ambassador for as long as he has, what he’s up to these days, and of course some geeking out on music history. Enjoy!
More on John:
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Today on the program, we present the story behind the Father of Soul, Sam Cooke. Growing up in the church, Sam knew he wanted to be a singer by the time he was five years old. There was a magnetic and infectious quality to this young Gospel singer, and he knew he was destined for bigger things than singing sacred music. The risk he took in becoming a pop singer was massive, but it produced the first records of what is now known as Soul music. Sam also was a pioneer when it came to being savvy about the music business, owning his own publishing company, negotiating contracts, and creating a container to nurture up and coming soul singers. At the height of the civil rights movement, and the pinnacle of his career, Sam’s life was cut short. Here is his story.
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Credits: Jonah Nordeen - Research, Writing
Teddy Chipouras - Editing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, Editing, Recording and Distribution
References:
Campbell, L. E. (2013, February 16). Jesus Gave Me Water. Archive. Today.
DeCurtis, A., Henke, J., & George-Warren, H. (Eds.). (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The definitive history of the most important artists and their music (3rd ed). Random House.
Guralnick, P. (2005). Dream boogie: The triumph of Sam Cooke (1st ed). Little, Brown.
James, E., & Ritz, D. (2003). Rage to survive: The Etta James story (2. ed). Da Capo.
Ritz, D. (2022). Sam Cooke. In Encyclopedia Britannica.
Robinson, L. (1964, December 31). Tragedy-Filled Life of Singer Sam Cooke. Jet, XXVII(13), 56–65.
Runtagh, J. (2021, January 21). Why Mystery Still Shrouds Singer Sam Cooke’s Shooting Death Nearly 60 Years Later. People.
Documentaries:
Two Killings of Sam Cooke - Netflix
The Sam Cooke Story. (2018, July 15). YouTube.
Wharton, M. (Director). (1996). Legend [Documentary]. Amazon Prime.
Today on the program, we’re proud to present the story behind the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. One of the most influential and iconic bandleaders and musicians of the 1930’s-1950’s, Bob came from a humble life of a poor sharecropping family, and was deeply influenced by old time and breakdown fiddle through his Texas state champion family of fiddlers in his father and uncle. Bob also loved all the turn of the century and 1920’s black music, and this confluence of cultures would help him create the craze that became Western swing, and the details of his journey to get there will surprise you.
Story by Brent Davis and Nicholas Edward Williams
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Story Credits:
Brent Davis - Research, Writing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, writing editing, recording and distribution
Homecoming: Reflections on Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1915-1973, Charles R.
Townsend.
The Life and Times of Bob Wills
Country Music, an Illustrated History, Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns.
Country Music, a PBS documentary by Florentine Films, Ken Burns, director; Dayton Duncan,
writer.
Life and Times of Bob Wills (TNN)
The Country Music Pop-Up Book, by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard, Marc Elliot.
Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with GRAMMY-NOMINATED American guitarist, composer, producer and bandleader Charlie Hunter. He first came on to the scene in the early 1990s, and simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, and melodies, on custom seven and eight-string guitars, as featured in trios and quintet projects, as well as Garage-A-Trois. Notably, Charlie is also a student of ragtime guitar, using the true two finger technique pioneered by Arthur Blind Blake and very different from what he’s known for. We talked about Charlie’s upbringing in a musical family, finding his own path, the groove and authenticity, all things Blind Blake, and as usual, we geeked out on some music history. Enjoy!
Charlie's Links:
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Today, we proudly present something a little different on American Songcatcher. Instead of the usual documentary podcast-style piece, this is a compilation of field recordings I did in Buncombe and Madison Counties just outside of Asheville, NC. Considered the mecca of the long held traditions in ballad singing and old-time mountain music, this area is also home to the “Minstrel of the Appalachians”, one of the most important yet lesser-known figures in folk and old time music, Bascom Lamar Lunsford - who was born on this day 142 years ago.
Over the last year, I was fortunate enough to visit North Carolina several times, to visit with Bascom’s old home and talk with head of the non-profit that now owns it, perform at the annual Lunsford Festival at Mars Hill University, and witness the return of filmmaker David Hoffman, who first filmed Bascom in the 1964, and was coming back to visit the area for the first time in the nearly 60 years since. This is a window into a living tradition.
GoFundMe for Bascom's Home Restoration (for the Pondering Bascom non-profit)
Documentaries mentioned:
Music Makers of the Blue Ridge - David Hoffman (1965)
Madison County, North Carolina - Where Music History is Alive (2023)
Special thanks to:
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Today on the program, we present the story of the father of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues, Mississippi Fred McDowell. From humble beginnings, Fred was inspired from the likes of Charley Patton, his neighbor Eli “Booster” Green and the sounds he gathered from guitarists in Memphis, Mississippi and the Delta, and defined the often overlooked nuances of the blues. Like many of the great Southern pre-war blues guitarists born around the turn of the century, Fred was “discovered” by Alan Lomax in 1959, and continues to inspire slide guitarists to this day, despite not being a household name in the blues realm.
Watch the full documentary “Shake Em On Down”
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Credits: Ryan Eastridge - Research, Writing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, editing, recording and distribution
References:
Shirley Collins Book | Alan Lomax Book | Laurence Cohn Book | UdiscoveredMusic |Allmusic| MS Blues Trail | KUNC | Mt. Zion Memorial Fund | John Szwed Book | Musicians Guide | Commercial Appeal | “Shake Em On Down”
Today on our program, we present the story of one of the most iconic American Folk songs, born from the lineage of 16th century ballads brought by immigrants from the British Isles, “Shady Grove”. Often used in both dance and courtship, the timeless melody was the backbone for countless ballads and folk songs that made their way into North America and took root in the Appalachian and Ozark Mountain ranges. To date, “Shady Grove” has been estimated to have amassed over 300 stanzas since it was first sung in the Cumberland Plateau region of Eastern Kentucky in the mid-nineteenth century. Story by Ryan Eastridge.
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Credits:
Ryan Eastridge - Research, Writing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, editing, recording and distribution
References:
Discography of American Historical Recordings | LOC | “Songs and Rhymes from the South.” Journal of American Folklore | Tunearch.org |Wayfaring Strangers: The Musical Voyage from Scotland and Ulster to Appalachia | Ship History | English Broadside Ballad Archive
Today, we proudly present the sixth installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, where we’re collaborating with artists around the country to share unique and lesser-known musical history. Our narrator today is Joe Makoviecki (mackavecky) who brings to the surface a near century-old lineage, the story of New Jersey's own first family of folk music, The Ridgeways, who settled in a territory deep in South Jersey known as The Pine Barrens, and whose music faded into obscurity for several decades until recently.
Merce Ridgeway - Library of Congress
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Credits:
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Joe Makoviecki - Narration, Research
Today, we proudly present the fifth installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, where we’re collaborating with artists around the country to share unique and lesser-known musical history. Our narrator today is Dustin Dale Gaspard, a 9th generation cajun who comes from the deep, deep South, the Acadian region of Louisiana. Dustin shares the very unique history of the genre Swamp Pop, with detailed context of the cajun heritage it was born out of. Let’s head to the swamp.
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Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Editing, Recording and Distribution
Dustin Dale Gaspard - Narration, Research
Today, we proudly present the fourth installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, where we’re collaborating with artists around the country to share unique and lesser-known musical history. Our storyteller is cowboy & poet Andy Hedges, who hails from Lubbock, TX and is doing his part to keep the old cowboy song traditions alive. Andy takes us back to the late 1800’s, in the vast Western plains to the first collector of cowboy songs, a roving Easterner by the name of Jack Thorp, who printed the first book of Folk Songs, titled Songs of the Cowboys in 1908, forever changing the scope and trajectory of western and cowboy music.
In March 1889, Jack Thorp, a born-to-privilege Easterner who had grown into a leather-tough, saddle-wise trail hand, decided to track down the words to songs about cowboy life from cowboys singing in cow camps, at chuck wagons and line camps, in saloons—anywhere he could find them, mostly in New Mexico and Texas. His course proved crucial to the evolution of cowboy culture and the publication of his Songs of the Cowboys, the first collection of folk songs in America in 1908.
Andy’s Podcast “Cowboy Crossroads”
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Credits:
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For our third installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, we present the following audio-rich piece - described as "sound painting" - brought to you by Muddy Boots Radio, a podcast that I only recently came into contact with by way of its creator, Tenali Hrenak. This particular episode honored a legend of radio from Grass Valley, CA - Mikail Graham. A composer, performer, producer, music promoter, advocate, consultant and beta tester for numerous pro-audio and MIDI companies. He was with the community radio station KVMR since its inception in the 1970s. For decades, he produced a radio show called The Other Side, and for many years he put on a yearly event called Night of Giving, which helped raise money for the Hospitality House, a shelter for the un-housed. He also produced the album Loafer's Glory for folk legend Utah Phillips. To say that he was influential to that region of California is an understatement.
As Tenali put it:
"With Mikail’s passing on July 12th, 2022, several of us regular contributors to The Other Side were tasked with producing a series of final shows, a send-off episode, to our dear friend. Mikail and I both loved the 1960s anthology series The Twilight Zone. So with that in mind, I whipped up an episode - aptly titled See U On The Other Side - that cut-up some dialogue from the episode Kick the Can, which I felt captured Mikail’s carpe diem and playful spirit. And, of course, I decorated the playlist with an assortment of Tweeners and songs that I’m sure he’d love and that hopefully honor the legacy he leaves behind."
Enjoy this experience of sound, titled “See U On The Other Side (Side A)” from the Muddy Boots Radio podcast.
Gathering Sounds - Tenali's New Book
Mikail Graham - The Other Side
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Today, we proudly present the first installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, where we’re collaborating with artists to share musical stories from different locations throughout America - in celebration of the parts that make up the whole fabric of American music history.
First up, we’re bringing you the works of Derek Piotr, a folklorist and musician who’s been deep in research about a particular family of tradition-bearers from Avery County, North Carolina that have a lineage to Frank Proffitt, a key figure in Appalachian old time preservation. I was taken with Derek's story not only because by comparison, he's rather young in the immersive world of musicology, but also because of his unique interest in what's called Auto-Ethnography, which goes beyond detailed field notes and recordings, by linking the fieldwork to your own emotional life.
A few years ago, Derek curated a compilation concerning this family, Last Wisps of the Old Ways, which intertwined field recordings he made with archival recordings of the family’s lineage from The Library of Congress. Before that, he was merely preserving the legacy of his grandmother with a flip phone. His winding path to field recordings and eventually creating the Fieldwork Archive is a humbling journey.
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Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, Editing, Recording and Distribution
Derek Piotr - Writing, Recording, Research
ANNOUNCEMENTS!
1. Season 3 NEEDS your financial support! Can you commit to $1 a month via Patreon? - OR - Send a one-time donation through Venmo or PayPal
2. We're changing the format next season to SINGLE STORIES released every few weeks, so we can give each story full attention, and put out content more frequently.
3. CALLING ALL WRITERS! Do you love human stories? Love music history? Do you have any writing experience? If you'd like to be a volunteer writer on American Songcatcher, email us at AmericanSongcatcherPodcast@gmail.com
4. The first installment of our off-season series, LOCAL FOCAL will air MARCH 26! These special episodes pay homage to the parts that make up the whole fabric of American music history, featuring different presenters from around the world sharing a hyper-localized story.
5. Season 3 release date coming soon.
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Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, Editing, Recording and Distribution