Ozark Highlands Radio

This week, Ozark old time duo “Old Ties” performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with the members of this eclectic duo, Allison Williams & Willi Carlisle. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Walter Gosser playing the traditional tune “Cripple Creek.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a piece on the uniquely American art form of shape note singing. Allison Williams and Willi Carlisle were brought together by a passion for old-time music. The duo is best known around these parts as the leaders of monthly square dances at various hotspots throughout Northwest Arkansas. When they aren’t calling dances, Williams and Carlisle gig as “Old Ties.” A native of the Arkansas Ozarks, Allison Williams got her start as a punk rock musician before rediscovering her musical roots. Several years in the mountains of North Carolina educated her in Appalachian banjo techniques, especially the fast distinctive styles of Hobart Smith and Wade Ward. Allison has toured internationally, sharing stages with Rhonda Vincent, Donna the Buffalo, and many other giants of the new roots music scene. Her solo CD ”Give Me the Roses” came out in the autumn of 2008, featuring driving arrangements of traditional old-time songs as well as eclectic originals, woven together by a talented backing band of rising stars: alumni of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Old Crow Medicine Show, and the Wiyos, among others. Since then, Allison has toured internationally, playing to a sold-out Barbican Hall in London as part of the BBC’s “Folk America” special, and backing folk legend Michelle Shocked on her 2010 East Coast tour. Willi Carlisle has, according to one reviewer, "an authenticity it takes some songwriters years to achieve." After years of collecting folklore, playing or calling square dances, and working in the avant-garde, Willi Carlisle is a multi-faceted writer, performer and instrumentalist. With a style forged in the fire of Ozark oldtime and an ever-growing collection of antique musics, Carlisle’s multi-instrumental stories hoot, stomp, and saunter through joys and troubles uniquely Southern and timelessly true. Equally comfortable on banjo, fiddle and guitar, Carlisle has earned accolades for his versatility with performances at the Ozark Folk Center, the Fayetteville Roots Festival, Thacker Mountain Radio, and Fringe Festivals across the country.   In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Walter Gosser playing the traditional tune “Cripple Creek,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode presents a piece on the uniquely American art form of shape note singing.

This week, Ozark guitarist, singer, and master of the three finger banjo Adam Fudge performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Adam. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of harmonica player & Ozark original Lou Alderman playing the traditional tune “Danny Boy.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Arkansan & country music superstar Patsy Montana, through the lens of archivist Bill McNeil. Born and raised in the rich musical culture of the Arkansas Ozarks, Adam Fudge has pursued the legacy of his native mountain music with tenacity and a deep love for the traditional. Adam is a fine singer and guitarist playing traditional country & bluegrass, but his true love is the three finger style of banjo popularized by bluegrass legend Earl Scruggs. Adam has won numerous awards for his incredible banjo skills, both in Arkansas and at the traditional music proving grounds of Winfield, Kansas. As well as possibly being one of the greatest three finger banjo players alive today, his guitar skills and Jimmie Rogers style vocals are finely tuned as well. On this show, Adam performs with a variety of musicians including his brother bassist Shane Fudge, bluegrass legend Dave Brancecum, old time fiddler Roger Fountain, guitar guru Brad Apple, educator & multi-instrumentalist Bill Nesbitt, and prolific bassist Gresham McMillon. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of harmonica player & Ozark original Lou Alderman playing the traditional tune “Danny Boy,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode presents a portrait of Arkansan & country music superstar Patsy Montana, through the lens of long time Ozark Folk Center archivist & author Bill McNeil.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, old time early radio days throwback quartet Bill and the Belles performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with these novel retro performers. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Aubrey Richardson performing the traditional song “Bunker Hill.” What began as a project to explore the space created between hillbilly and urban, between vaudeville and down home, has arrived somewhere entirely new. Bill and the Belles offers a contemporary reimagining of a bygone era, a vocal-centric performance that breathes new life into the sounds of early country music. At the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the forefront of old-time music, Bill and the Belles continue to further the music traditions of their region. From sentimental Southern ballads to the popular songs of Tin Pan Alley to regional fiddle breakdowns, a Bill and the Belles show is a celebration of the diversity country music once represented. Bill and the Belles play alongside America’s top country and roots music artists as the house band for the historic radio program Farm and Fun Time presented by Radio Bristol and the Birthplace of Country Music. Lifelong musicians Kris Truelsen, Grace Van’t Hof, Kalia Yeagle, and Karl Zerfas bring to the stage an uplifting show unlike any other, full of humor, high spirits, and all-around revelry. It’s clear this group shares a rare musical connection and deep love for the music, and their excitement is contagious. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Aubrey Richardson performing the traditional song “Bunker Hill,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, three world renowned autoharp virtuosos, Bryan Bowers, Karen Mueller, and Charles Whitmer perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park’s annual “Autoharp Weekend.” Mark Jones offers an archival recording of bluegrass legend Buck White performing the song “More Pretty Girls Than One.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center, in which Dr. McNeil discusses Ozark folk tales. Bryan Bowers takes the auto harp to places not known to exist. Sounds strange, but it’s true. He possesses a powerful and soulful voice, and is a regular contributor to the Annual Auto Harp Weekend at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. From Washington State, Bowers became very popular with the audience of the comedy radio program The Dr. Demento Show with his 1980 recording of Mike Cross' song "The Scotsman.” In 1993, Bowers was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame whose membership includes Mother Maybelle Carter, Kilby Snow, and Sara Carter. Karen Mueller is one of the top autoharp and mountain dulcimer players performing today. Her exciting and innovative performing style, featuring Appalachian, Celtic and contemporary music, has been applauded by critics and audiences from LA to Boston. Bluegrass Unlimited magazine has said "Karen Mueller's touch, timing and taste make her a true virtuoso. Her talent and clarity...deserve a wide audience.” Charles Whitmer is a music educator and composer, as well as being an autoharp virtuoso. He currently has 612 traditional songs in print arranged for autoharp for which he is known internationally. In 2008 he was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame. He is a current staff member of The Autoharp Quarterly as a sheet music editor and was also a long time staff member for I.A.D. Publications, a former international quarterly magazine for autoharp enthusiasts. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of bluegrass legend Buck White of “The Whites” performing the song “More Pretty Girls Than One,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. For thirty years, from 1975 until his untimely passing in 2005, Dr. Bill McNeil served as the Ozark Folk Center’s folklorist and all-purpose advisor on all things dealing with traditional Ozark culture. During his tenure at the Folk Center, Bill McNeil guided the establishment of the Ozark Cultural Resource Center, an archival and teaching facility on the Folk Center’s grounds. This installment examines Dr. McNeil’s take on Ozark folk tales.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, old time fiddler, composer, actress, singer, Grand Ole Opry star, and country music royalty Ramona Jones performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Ramona and her talented progeny. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Onis Morrison singing the traditional Ozark song “Dry & Dusty.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Ramona Jones through the lens of archivist Bill McNeil. Ramona Jones was a musician, actress, and composer known for Hee Haw (1969,) R.I.O.T.: The Movie (1996,) and He's So Fine (1993.) Born Ramona Riggins in Indiana, Jones met her first husband, country entertainer Louis Marshall "Grandpa" Jones while both were working at Cincinnati radio station WLW. They moved to Nashville in 1947. Grandpa Jones was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and a longtime Grand Ole Opry member. They were married 52 years until his death in 1998. A musician from a young age, Jones learned the fiddle from her father, then taught herself several other stringed instruments, competing in (and winning) several amateur contests during high school. She made her solo debut on the Opry in 1947, and performed all over the world with Jones, including shows for service members on the front lines during the Korean War. They later toured U.S. military bases in Italy, Austria, and Germany. In the mid-Fifties, the couple regularly appeared on the Washington, D.C.-based TV series Town and Country Time. She would go on to record numerous duets with her husband as well as a handful of solo singles for Monument Records, and albums that spotlighted her fiddle work. From its 1969 debut — and for the next 25 years — the couple appeared on TV's Hee Haw. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Onis Morrison performing the traditional Ozark song “Dry & Dusty,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Ramona Jones through the lens of legendary archivist Bill McNeil.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, prodigious purveyors of the past, multi-instrumentalists, singers and story tellers, Anna & Elizabeth perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with these unique performers. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark originals The Hall Family, performing the traditional song “Cowboy’s Dream.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of world famous cowboy poet & singer Glenn Orhlin. The collaboration between Anna & Elizabeth spans worlds — between their homes in Brooklyn and rural Virginia -- between deep study of mountain ballads with old masters and explorations into the avant garde — between music, performance, and visual art. Anna & Elizabeth have performed across the country and in Europe. Highlights include: The Newport Folk Festival; NPR's Tiny Desk Concert; The Chicago Folk Festival; The High Museum of Modern Art (Atlanta); and the Cambridge Folk Festival (UK.)  Their work has been featured on BBC Radio 2 and BBC3's Late Junction, Vice’s Noisey, the Huffington Post, and No Depression. They have shared the stage with Alice Gerrard, Mick Moloney, Sam Lee and Riley Baugus, Bruce Greene, Abigail Washburn, Wayne Henderson, and also National Heritage Award winners Sheila Kay Adams and Billy McComiskey. Elizabeth Laprelle lives on a farm in Rural Retreat, Virginia, where she grew up, and  has pursued her interest in mountain ballads for over a decade. Since the release of her debut album at age 16, she’s been hailed as one of the most dedicated students of the traditional unaccompanied style of her generation. The student of master singer Ginny Hawker and National Heritage Fellow Sheila Kay Adams, Elizabeth was the first recipient of the Henry Reed Award from the Library of Congress at age 16, and won the 2012 Mike Seeger Award at Folk Alliance International. She has released three solo ballad albums, and was called “the best young Appalachian ballad singer to emerge in recent memory” by UK’s fRoots Magazine.  Anna Roberts-Gevalt is a voracious and curious multi-instrumentalist originally from Vermont, described by Meredith Monk as a "radiant being." She fell in love with the sound of banjo in college, moved to the mountains, and learned with master musicians in Kentucky, Virginia, and North Carolina, becoming a blue-ribbon fiddler and banjo player (WV State Folk Fest, Kentucky Fiddle Contest.) She was a fellow at the Berea College Archive, a 2014 OneBeat fellow (Bang on a Can's Found Sound Nation,) artistic director of Kentucky’s traditional music institute, the Cowan Creek Mountain Music School, and curator of Baltimore's Crankie Festival.  She has recently delved into new musical worlds, including recent work with composers Brian Harnetty, Nate May and Cleek Schrey, Matmos, David Rothenberg, Susan Alcorn, and saxophonist Jarrett Gilgore. She has contributed writing to No Depression and The Old Time Herald. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark originals The Hall Family, performing the traditional song “Cowboy’s Dream,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on world renowned cowboy poet, balladeer, and story teller Glenn Orhlin.

One of the unique experiences for visitors to the Ozark Folk Center is the intimate matinee performances by our guest musicians. The shows are a unique way for musicians and guests share a time and space much different than a traditional indoor performance venue. There are often Q &A sessions, jokes, stories and of course, the occasional request from an audience member that make these sets so popular. These performances take place in the backdrop of the Ozark Folk Center State Park Craft Village, a large outdoor area, home to over 20 artisans who demonstrate traditional and contemporary craftsmanship on site. Nestled in the center of the Craft Village is an old wooden covered stage. The area seats about 50 people but is always overflowing with people for the matinee sets by our guest artists. Jay Ungar and Molly Mason are veterans of the acoustic music scene on the East coast and have been performing together for well over 20 years. Jay and Molly’s performance at the Ozark Folk Center State Park highlights all aspects of their musical style and ability. Ungar was born in the Bronx, the son of immigrant Jewish parents from Eastern Europe. He frequented Greenwich Village music venues during his formative period in the 1960s. He is probably best known for "Ashokan Farewell" (1982,) originally composed as a lament, which was used as the theme tune to the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War (1990.) Molly Mason has been a regular performer on Prairie Home Companion. In 1991, Ungar married Molly Mason, whom he had first met during the 1970s. They continue to perform as a duo, with their band, Swingology, and as the Jay Ungar and Molly Mason Family Band with Jay's daughter Ruthy Ungar (her mother is Lyn Hardy) and Ruthy's husband Michael Merenda. In 1992, Ungar and Mason provided the soundtrack to the acclaimed documentary film Brother's Keeper. In 2006 they headlined the Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. Dennis Stroughmatt is a renaissance man. His passion for the Creole fiddle and French music of the Southern Illinois/Missouri region has lead him on a journey to the backwoods of Louisiana and the University of Quebec. He has nearly single handedly revitalized the original Creole music and French culture of the Illinois-Missouri region by rekindling a love and passion for the culture and song. Masters of Texas style swing, fiddle and three voice harmony, The Quebe Sisters bring it like few can. Like other family and sibling performers we’ve featured on Ozark Highlands Radio, the Quebe Sisters (Grace, Sophia, and Hulda) have formed a sound and style that is both traditional and familiar, yet all their own. Each sister an accomplished fiddle player and singer, the trio specializes in western swing tunes with their signature three part harmony. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Shirley Greenfield singing the traditional song “Don’t Sing Love Songs, You’ll Wake My Mother,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. For thirty years, from 1975 until his untimely passing in 2005, Dr. Bill McNeil served as the Ozark Folk Center’s folklorist and all-purpose advisor on all things dealing with traditional Ozark culture. During his tenure at the Folk Center, Bill McNeil guided the establishment of the Ozark Cultural Resource Center, an archival and teaching facility on the Folk Center’s grounds. This installment examines Dr. McNeil’s interest in the evolution of folk music traditions.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, traditional American banjo performer & historian Clarke Buehling and his skilled protege’ Carl Anderton perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with Clarke & Carl. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of the Dogwood Stringband performing the song “Down in the Arkansas.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. Clarke Buehling is widely recognized for his interpretations of late 19th Century, classic finger-style banjo, and is in the forefront of the recent resurgence of interest in the earlier minstrel banjo style.  Much of his material is based around his extensive collection of 19th Century banjo and mandolin instruction books and sheet music. Clarke teaches banjo, fiddle, mandolin and guitar in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and plays with several popular old time stringbands, including The Skirt Lifters and The Ozark Highballers. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original The Dogwood Stringband performing the song “Down in the Arkansas,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. For thirty years, from 1975 until his untimely passing in 2005, Dr. Bill McNeil served as the Ozark Folk Center’s folklorist and all-purpose advisor on all things dealing with traditional Ozark culture. During his tenure at the Folk Center, Bill McNeil guided the establishment of the Ozark Cultural Resource Center, an archival and teaching facility on the Folk Center’s grounds. This installment examines Dr. McNeil’s support for amateur song collectors.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, Austin, Texas based fiddle driven folk pop and renowned Contra Dance band “The Lost & Nameless Orchestra” performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this unique group of musicians. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of a much younger Mark Jones performing the song “Mountain Whippoorwill.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center, focusing on Dr. McNeil’s attention to historical scholarship with regard to traditional music. They may call themselves Lost & Nameless, but all it takes is a few notes for listeners to recognize this foursome is anything but. With original compositions featuring complex, turn-on-a-dime arrangements and performing histories dating to childhood, the members of this Austin-based band are seasoned professionals who whip up an unforgettable sonic whirlwind wherever they play. Lost & Nameless can be traced to St. Louis, where Arkansas fiddle champion Chris E. Peterson met vocalist/guitarist Patrick Conway in 1993. They began jamming together and did some busking and recording in Europe, then went their separate ways. Peterson eventually moved to Austin to attend graduate school and in 2006, Conway followed. They decided to form “a great live band” and within a week, found keyboardist Nathan Quiring. Vocalist/fiddler Kimberly Zielnicki, winner of the 2012 Old Settler’s Music Festival Youth Talent Competition, became a full-fledged member in 2008, at age 11. Together, they imbue their music with a playful energy and soulfulness. Their sound simultaneously evokes Ireland and Appalachia, old-time folk and timeless pop, with an orchestral fullness. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of a much younger Mark Jones performing the song “Mountain Whippoorwill,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. For thirty years, from 1975 until his untimely passing in 2005, Dr. Bill McNeil served as the Ozark Folk Center’s folklorist and all-purpose advisor on all things dealing with traditional Ozark culture. During his tenure at the Folk Center, Bill McNeil guided the establishment of the Ozark Cultural Resource Center, an archival and teaching facility on the Folk Center’s grounds. This installment focuses on Dr. McNeil’s attention to historical scholarship with regard to traditional music.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, the witty & convivial Americana ragtime, blues & early jazz quartet, “Side Street Steppers” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with these fascinating performers. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Buddy Lancaster performing the traditional song “Back up & Push.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center, focusing on Dr. McNeil’s knowledge of traditional ballads. Christian Stanfield and Miss Vera Victoria founded the Side Street Steppers in June of 2009.  What began as a simple duo of musicians unearthing material from the Golden Age of American Gramophone recording has grown into a full-blown Memphis institution. The Side Street Steppers are a page from Americas past, playing rare and popular music from the 1920s and 30s. Dubbed the Golden Age of Gramophone Recording, the two decades between 1920 and World War II saw the rise of jazz and the birth of the blues, the demise of ragtime and the emergence of hillbilly music that would become known through the world as country music. The Side Street Steppers present a pastiche of this transformation of the American musical landscape, performing on vintage and homemade instruments. Get ready for plenty of hip-shaking, foot stompin', caterwauling and croonin’. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Buddy Lancaster performing the traditional song “Back up & Push,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. For thirty years, from 1975 until his untimely passing in 2005, Dr. Bill McNeil served as the Ozark Folk Center’s folklorist and all-purpose advisor on all things dealing with traditional Ozark culture. During his tenure at the Folk Center, Bill McNeil guided the establishment of the Ozark Cultural Resource Center, an archival and teaching facility on the Folk Center’s grounds. This installment focuses on Dr. McNeil’s knowledge of traditional ballads.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, original cowgirl, singer, songwriter, actress and Country Music Hall of Fame superstar Patsy Montana performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this country music legend. Also featured is the inimitable cowboy poet & humorist Glenn Ohrlin. Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark legend Cathy Barton performing the song “Ebenezer.” Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents a portrait of Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. Patsy Montana, was an American country music singer, songwriter and actress. Montana was the first female country performer to have a million-selling single with her signature song "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart", and is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. She was a mainstay on the National Barn Dance on Chicago radio station WLS for many years. Born “Ruby Blevins” in Beaudry, Arkansas, the 11th child and first daughter of a farmer, Patsy attended schools in President Bill Clinton's hometown of Hope, Arkansas. She was influenced early on by the music of Jimmie Rodgers, and paved the way for women in the male dominated world of country music. Born in Minneapolis, MN in 1926, Glenn Ohrlin was a veteran of the cattle industry and worked the rodeo circuit, both while being an acquisitive singer, poet, & story teller. Glenn put his extensive knowledge and years of experience collecting Western folk songs into a book, “The Hell Bound Train,” as well as performing his authentic style of cowboy poetry & prose. Ohrlin performed at cowboy poetry gatherings across America, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In the 1970’s, Glenn moved to Mountain View, Arkansas, where he continued his music career, lending regular performances at the Ozark Folk Center. We at the Ozark Folk Center State Park reap the benefit of having years of Glenn’s live performance recordings in our archives. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Cathy Barton performing the traditional song “Ebenezer,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. Author, folklorist, and songwriter Charley Sandage presents an historical portrait of the people, events, and indomitable spirit of Ozark culture that resulted in the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and its enduring legacy of music and craft. This episode focuses on Dr. Bill McNeil, the long time archivist at the Ozark Folk Center. For thirty years, from 1975 until his untimely passing in 2005, Dr. Bill McNeil served as the Ozark Folk Center’s folklorist and all-purpose advisor on all things dealing with traditional Ozark culture. During his tenure at the Folk Center, Bill McNeil guided the establishment of the Ozark Cultural Resource Center, an archival and teaching facility on the Folk Center’s grounds.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, old time blues, jazz, & traditional music prodigy Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with Jerron. Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton is an American musician from Los Angeles. A vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Paxton's style draws from blues and jazz music before World War II and was influenced by Fats Waller and "Blind" Lemon Jefferson. According to Will Friedwald in the Wall Street Journal, Paxton is "virtually the only music-maker of his generation—playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin, among other implements—to fully assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and '30s, the blues of Bessie Smith and Lonnie Johnson.” In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark legend Bookmiller Shannon performing the traditional murder ballad “The Banks of the Ohio,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. From his series entitled “Fine Fiddlers of the Ozarks,” old time and Ozark fiddle aesthete Roy Pilgrim profiles traditional Ozark fiddler Absie Morrison. This installment features archival recordings of the traditional Ozark fiddle tunes “Dry & Dusty, The Concord March, and The Ozark Waltz.”

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, international guitar thumbpicking champion and songwriting humorist Shane Adkins performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Shane. Featured as well, a performance and interviews from up and coming modern thumpicking prodigy Kirby Easler. Alabama guitarist Shane Adkins comes by his talent honestly. As a boy, he learned from guitar legend and family friend Mose Rager in the heart of thumbpicking country, Drakesboro, KY. Shane applied those lessons and went on win the International "Home of the Legends" Thumbpicking Contest in Muhlenberg County, KY and the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship in Winfield, KS. A talented songwriter, Shane takes a page from friend and fellow musician Mike Snider, writing songs with southern wit and humor. This performance was as one of the featured musicians who appeared at the Ozark Folk Center State Park’s annual Thumbpicking Weekend in May of 2016. Kirby Easler is a Nashville-based guitarist from Charleston, South Carolina, specializing in solo acoustic performance and fingerstyle arranging. At 22 years of age, Kirby is a protégé of Grammy-winning guitarist John Knowles, CGP, and has worked and performed alongside some of the industry's top guitarists, including Thom Bresh and Tommy Emmanuel, CGP. In 2015 Kirby placed second in the Contemporary division of the National Thumpicker's Hall of Fame guitar competition, and in April 2014 Kirby and her Yorkshire Terrier, Grabel, were featured on The Late Show with David Letterman for an episode of "Stupid Pet Tricks.” In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Dave Leatherman performing the song “From Mother’s Arms to Korea,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. From his series entitled “Fine Fiddlers of the Ozarks,” old time and Ozark fiddle aesthete Roy Pilgrim profiles the Ozark tradition of square dances. This installment features archival recordings of actual Ozark square dances held in Galena, MO and Mt. Gaylor, AR in 1950.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, neo-folk family troubadours “The Honey Dewdrops” perform live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with this talented husband & wife duo. Based out of Baltimore, MD, the Honey Dewdrops continue a long line of husband and wife duos making beautiful music together.  Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish now reside in Baltimore, but have strong connecting roots to the music in their home state of Virginia. Their popularity continues to grow, as they have performed at MerleFest and the Redwing Roots Music Festival. Instrumentation is classic Americana and includes guitar, banjo, and harmonica. Coupled with spectacular vocal harmonies, their original material remains true to both traditional and contemporary forms of American roots music. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark original Bobby Hayes performing the traditional classic “Pretty Polly,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives. From his series entitled “Fine Fiddlers of the Ozarks,” old time and Ozark fiddle aesthete Roy Pilgrim profiles the legendary Ozark fiddler Max Collins. This installment features archival recordings of the classic fiddle tunes ”Railroad Runs Through Georgia, Old Number 9, Whistling Rufus, and Lonesome Hill.”

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas. In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region. This week, guitar legend Merle Travis performs live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. A performance by Merle’s son, Grammy award winning songwriter, guitarist, and actor Tom Bresh. Also, performances from two thumbpicking guitar champions, Danny Dozier & Randy Buckner. In 1979, the Ozark Folk Center State Park created an event to honor thumbpicking legend Merle Travis. In the early days the weekend featured a thumpicking contest and performances from the late Merle Travis and other popular guitarists. Over the years the event has continued on, and now hosts Merle’s son, Thom Bresh, as the feature performer each year. The event has grown to include traditional thumbpicking and contemporary fingerstyle guitar contests as well as workshops and jam sessions. This week, we feature performances from Thom Bresh, Danny Dozier, Randy Buckner, and an archival recording of Merle Travis himself, performing at the very first Ozark Folk Center Merle Travis Thumbpicking Weekend. Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His song's lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic exploitation of American coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons," "I am a Pilgrim," and "Dark as a Dungeon." However, it is his unique guitar style, still called “Travis Picking” by guitarists, as well as his interpretations of the rich musical traditions of his native Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, for which he is best known today. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970 and elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1977. Thom Bresh has led an incredible, multi-faceted life in the entertainment business. To start, his birth father is guitar royalty, Merle Travis. Thom was raised in California during the golden age of television and worked as a stuntman/actor during his youth. He went on to become one of the premier practitioners of his fathers “thumbpicking” style of guitar. Harnessing a quick wit and an equally quick set of ten fingers, there is nothing like a Thom Bresh performance. Danny Dozier is an Arkansas native and proud of it. He is one of the area’s premier guitar players, well versed in the Merle Travis “thumbpicking” style. Danny has worked with a wide variety of performers over the years including; Grandpa and Ramona Jones, Omar and the Howlers and regional favorite, The Leatherwoods. Randy Buckner also plays the Merle Travis style of thumbpicking, as well as teaching guitar, banjo, ukulele, and mandolin in Springfield, Mo. A Springfield native, Randy has been playing guitar since 1973. He studied Jazz at Middle Tennessee State University, and has shared the stage with many great musicians including the legend himself, Merle Travis. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of Ozark originals Dean Hinesley & Andre Cannard performing the classic song “I Don’t Love Nobody,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.