Ozark Highlands Radio

This week, a collection of stringbands and stringband music both traditional and modern recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, commentary by musicians from these solely stringed outfits. A stringband is an old-time music ensemble made up solely of string instruments. Stringbands were extremely popular in 1920s and 30s America and were the forerunners of modern country and bluegrass bands. Early old-time stringbands were comprised mainly of a fiddle, a banjo and acoustic guitar. They may have also been joined by other instruments including spoons, washboard, jug, harmonica, mountain or hammered dulcimer, autoharp and bones. Eventually, other stringed instruments began to be added to the fiddle-banjo duo that was essential to dance music of the early United States. These other instruments included mandolin and double bass or washtub bass. Such an assemblage of instrumentation became known simply as a “stringband.” Featured on this stringband show are Ozark originals The Lazy Goat Stringba

This week, Ozark original old-time fiddler, banjo maker and legendary fiddle tune collector Banjo Billy Mathews recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Dave Smith is joined in hosting this week by expert musicologist and Banjo Billy’s most prolific protege, Emily Lawless. Billy Mathews is known far and wide across this land for his musical skill and old time fiddling ability.  He has traveled extensively throughout the Midwest for over 40 years.  Thoughtful musical kinships, maintained throughout these many years, have earned him a considerable amount of notoriety and recognition in Old Time music circles. True to his name, Billy continues to play and record a vast amount of Old Time Clawhammer Banjo tunes.  Billy has released a recording of Original Banjo Tunes, The Ghost of Banjo Billy.  Billy still resides in the Ozark Mountains, continuing work on music projects. Billy keeps busy by traveling throughout the country for workshops, concerts and other special events, pla

This week, a celebration of 50 years of the Ozark Folk Center State Park presented through archival audio from its 1973 grand opening as well as interviews of key park figures and commentary by historian and writer Charley Sandage. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, in an early attempt to preserve the vanishing heritage of the Ozark Mountains, assisted local craftsmen and musicians to form the Ozark Foothills Crafts Guild in 1962. The guild started with 30 members and grew to a membership of over 300 master craftsmen and musicians. In 1963 the guild, in cooperation with local civic organizations, education advocate Bessie Moore, and renowned Ozark singer-songwriter Jimmy Driftwood organized the first Arkansas Folk Festival which attracted approximately 15,000 people. The festival became an annual event and within a few years was attracting almost 100,000 people to Mountain View. Because of the success of the annual festival the guild realized that they needed a permanent home. The

This week, singer, multi-instrumentalist, podcaster, story teller and musicologist Nicholas Edward Williams recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. “Host of the popular roots music history podcast American Songcatcher, Nicholas Edward Williams is a multi-instrumentalist and storyteller who is dedicated to 'playing it forward' by preserving the songs and styles that have shaped our country: ragtime, Piedmont blues, traditional folk, old time and early country. Williams has spent the last 15 years touring around the US, the UK, Western Europe and Australia, blending the roots music spectrum in his own style. He's opened for Taj Mahal, The Wood Brothers, Dom Flemons, CAAMP, John Paul White, Town Mountain, John Craigie, Rachel Baiman and Lucy Daucus, and has performed at festival stages on three continents. William's debut record As I Go Ramblin' Around made the International Folk Radio DJ Charts in 2019 with the #6 Top Album, #7 Top Song. His critically acclaimed sophomore release Folk Songs For Old

This week, bluegrass superstar, beloved television personality and founder of the legendary bluegrass group the Dillards, Rodney Dillard, recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Rodney is accompanied on this show by multi instrumentalist George Giddens, Gary Smith on upright bass, Corey Walker on guitar, and Beverly Cotton Dillard on clawhammer banjo. “Rodney Dillard has had a long and varied career resulting so far in two Grammy Nominations, induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, a well-known acting stint on the Andy Griffith Show, many other movie, commercials and TV appearances, recipient of The Outstanding Missourian Award, and worldwide acclaim for his over 50 years of recording both traditional Bluegrass and his own brand of ‘DILLARDGRASS.’  Rodney Dillard as founding member of the legendary group, ‘THE DILLARDS’ (aka the Darlings) is seen nearly everyday somewhere in the world thanks to the still enormous popularity of The ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW reruns. Rodney continued to

This week, renowned Mississippi blues guitarist and singer Alvin Youngblood Hart recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Alvin Youngblood Hart was born in Oakland, California in 1963 and spent some time in Carroll County, Mississippi in his youth, where he was influenced by the Mississippi country blues performed by his relatives. Hart is known as one of the world's foremost practitioners of country blues. He is also known as a faithful torchbearer for 1960s and 1970s guitar rock as well as western swing and traditional country. His style has been compared to Lead Belly and Spade Cooley. Bluesman Taj Mahal once said about Hart: "The boy has got thunder in his hands." Hart himself said, "I guess my big break came when I opened for Taj Mahal for four nights at Yoshi’s." His debut album, Big Mama's Door, was released in 1996 on Okeh Records. In 2003, Hart's album Down in the Alley was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. In his segment “Back in the Hills,” writer, professo

This week, acoustic ragtime and early jazz quintet the Lovestruck Balladeers recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this fascinating group’s fearless leader, Jake Sanders. “The Lovestruck Balladeers enchant audiences with their masterful performances and inspired repertoire of ragtime, jazz and beautiful songs from around the world. They might whip out a lost melody from a forgotten mandolin folio or they might play a Mexican waltz. They might push into a renegade rearrangement of a swing standard or get down with a country rag. They are the five scorpion sons of a West Virginia dance hall, a Little Italy tourist attraction and a Oaxacan birthday party. Together or on their own paths, this stellar band of traveling musicians has traversed the country and the globe, carrying traditional styles into modern times. The versatile quintet features twin fiddles, clarinet, guitars, a mandolin trio, upright bass, banjo, piano and vocal harmonies. Their repertoire is a rare reposit

This week, award winning country & Western swing trio The Farmer & Adele recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with these rhythmic wranglers. “With the sounds of classic songwriting in their music and the future in their sights, The Farmer & Adele are reimagining the modern cowboy/cowgirl while respecting its beginnings. Based out of Nashville, TN, The Farmer & Adele – led by Grace Adele and Keenan Wade – leads the pack of a new wave of musicians revitalizing western swing music. With a star-studded record, award nominations and their own morning radio show, The Farmer & Adele are a one-two punch of classic meets modern. “The Farmer & Adele have quickly rooted themselves into the fabric of music communities near and far. Their debut album, Into the Wide Open Sky, was selected to be featured as part of Nashville Public Library’s Boombox series, a closely curated music collection highlighting the best artists in Nashville. Most recently, the band was awarded Best Western Swing G

This week, Grammy Award winning oldtime singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Smithsonian Folkways recording artist Dom Flemons with renowned cowboy poet, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and archivist Andy Hedges recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with Dom & Andy. “GRAMMY Award Winner, Two-Time EMMY Nominee, 2020 United States Artists Fellow- Dom Flemons is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife Vania Kinard and their daughter Cheyanne Love. He has branded the moniker ‘The American Songster’ since his repertoire of music covers over 100 years of early American popular music. Flemons is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, actor, music scholar, historian, and record collector. He is considered an expert player on the banjo, guitar, harmonica, jug, percussion, quills, fife and rhythm bones. Flemons was selected for the prestigious 2020 United States Artists Fellowship Awa

This week, it’s Dulcimer Jamboree 2022! Each year, dulcimer players from all over come to the Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas for a weekend of learning, listening, and loving all things dulcimer. Each evening of the event features concerts by world renowned dulcimer teachers and performers. We’ll enjoy highlights recorded from these live performances featuring both mountain dulcimers and the more ancient hammered dulcimers. Artists performing this year include: hammered dulcimer prodigy Ben Haguewood accompanied by oldtime fiddle champion Kailee Spickes; multi-award winning mountain dulcimer maven Duane Porterfield; educator and mountain dulcimer phenom Erin Mae; ubiquitous hammered dulcimer performer, educator and luthier Rick Thum; hammered dulcimer master and educator Janis Huff accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Spike Huff; multi-instrumentalist, folk singer, traditional dancer, writer, educator and OHR guest host Aubrey Atwater; Ozark original hammered dulcimer champion and

This week, legendary award winning Texas cowboy singer-songwriter and poet Pipp Gillette recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with this canorous cow-poke. “Pipp Gillette lives and works on the family ranch near Lovelady, Texas, where his grandfather started raising cattle and cotton in 1912.  Pipp and his late brother Guy received the Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Album of 2011 and the 2013 Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Original Western Composition for their performance of the Waddie Mitchell song "Trade Off.” Drawing on a lifelong interest in Western history and music, Pipp plays traditional cowboy music on guitar, banjo, harmonica and bones.  Pipp’s first solo CD, Singing Songs by Waddie and Pipp received the Western Heritage Award for Outstanding Traditional Western Album of 2016. His newest CD, PippGillette with Lloyd Wright was released fall 2018.” Pipp is accompanied in this performance by Lloyd Wright. http

This week, more songs out of style performed by various artists recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Songs can transcend musical styles and those styles can also transcend their traditional roots. “More Songs out of Style” continues our exploration of the movement of great songs across musical genres. We’ll hear modern songs remade into traditional acoustic styles. Artists featured on “More Songs out of Style” include up and coming bluegrass sensation Sylamore Special, experimental bluegrass ensemble The Barefoot Movement, soulful bluegrass legend The Dave Adkins Band, guitar virtuoso Muriel Anderson, amazing sibling duo The Vogts Sisters, mountain dulcimer world champion Jeff Hames, bluegrass genre jumpers The Seldom Scene, mountain dulcimer guru & musical mad scientist Bing Futch, masters of harmony The Secret Sisters, as well as old-time music mavens, comedians, and all-around hooligans The Hogslop String Band. In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music le

This week, songs about saying goodbye performed by a variety of artists recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Farewells have produced some of our most powerful and emotional works of art. Goodbye is a theme endlessly explored in paintings, sculpture, literature and film. Music is no different. In this episode, we’ll hear songs of farewell written for everything from beloved people, to places, careers, innocence, life, and even a horse. Featured are experimental folk ensemble Jayme Stone & the Lomax Project with Moira Smiley, renowned cowboy singer Don Edwards, the Paul Brock Band with Dennis Carey & Dave Curley, Smithsonian Folkways artists Anna & Elizabeth, Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser with cellist Natalie Haas, Texas swing and bluegrass phenomenon The Purple Hulls, John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Smithsonian Folkways artists Lula Wiles, traditional fiddler Bruce Molsky, folk singer and actor Joe Purdy & friends, and ubiquitous cowboy cadre Riders in th

This week, legendary songwriter, performer, folklorist, historian and Ozark original Jimmy Driftwood recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Dave Smith gives an historical portrait of the life of this remarkable Ozarker. There was never a more popular, outspoken or controversial musician or personality to come out of Stone County, Arkansas than James Corbitt Morris (better known as Jimmy Driftwood.)  Driftwood was a driving force behind the creation of the Ozark Folk Center State Park and a successful singer songwriter who penned “The Battle of New Orleans” and “Tennessee Stud” among other notable songs. Jimmy helped put Stone County on the musical map and left a legacy that is still talked about to this day. Our program this week features special and seldom heard songs from some of Jimmy’s archival Ozark Folk Center performances. Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment offers an archival recording from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives of Jimmy Driftwood demonstrating playing a tune on a hicko

This week, It’s Dulcimer Jamboree! A whole host of mountain & hammered dulcimer national champions recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with the some of these interesting and eclectic musicians. For over 35 years, Ozark Folk Center State Park has hosted the annual Dulcimer Jamboree. The annual event takes place in mid-April and features three days of specialized instruction and performances from the country’s top mountain and hammered dulcimer players. The mountain dulcimer remains one of the more popular folk instruments today. Its celebration in the Mountain View, Arkansas area as a core folk instrument has never waned over the years, with an active community of players and instrument makers. With origins dating back to Biblical times, the hammered dulcimer is an unique instrument in the percussion family. Like the mountain dulcimer, it found a home in the Ozark region among folk musicians and instrument makers alike. Music this week includes pe

This week, Ozark original multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator, audio engineer and OHR host, our very own Mark Jones recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Mark as well as with his long time friend, country music superstar Marty Stewart. Anyone who listens to Ozark Highlands Radio will be familiar with the fun loving and friendly voice of Mark Jones, the keeper of our “Vault.” In August of 2021, we lost Mark to Covid-19. His passing was a profound loss to all of us, both professionally and personally. Please join us as we pay tribute to the life and legacy of our dear friend, Mark Jones. Mark Alan Jones was born in 1955 to Country Music Hall of Fame & Grand Ole Opry performers Louis "Grandpa" Jones and Ramona Jones in Nashville, Tennessee. As a young man, he toured across the country with his famous parents making appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and the television show "Hee Haw.” He performed with numerous other artists including the Willis Brothers, the Wright Bro

This week, Nashville, TN based high energy neo-traditional oldtime music sensation The Hogslop String Band returns to Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this rowdy rabble. “Staying true to tradition while maintaining a bold irreverence is something that rarely goes hand-in-hand but Hogslop String Band manages to walk that line. With their roots in old-time string band music and their energy based in wild rock-and-roll, you could almost call them punk purists. It’s an unlikely combination, but given the talents of singer and fiddler Kevin Martin; guitarist, harmonica player and singer Gabriel Kelley; mandolin player and singer Will Harrison; banjo player and singer Daniel Binkley, and bassist and all-round entertainer Pickle, they pull it off with natural ease. The name alone hints at their wacky ways, but catching them live will give you a true sense of these bizarre, seemingly contradictory descriptions. They thrive on crossing genres, casting off the confines of straight old-time and

This week, Ozark original and Mountain View, Arkansas based seventeen year old award winning fiddle prodigy Mary Parker and her band of rising bluegrass superstars, Sylamore Special, recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with this up and coming fiddle wunderkind. For over ten years now, Mary Parker has been a regular performer here at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. That’s extraordinary, considering that she’s only now seventeen years old. The middle in her family of nine children, Mary has distinguished herself as a world class oldtime and bluegrass fiddle player and vocalist. She’s won ten state fiddle championships, as well as numerous bluegrass competitions with her many different bands. Most recently, her band “Sylamore Special” won first place at the Youth in Bluegrass Competition in Branson, Missouri. With her seemingly indefatigable sunny disposition and a voracious appetite for learning new music, Mary appears destined to carry on her already auspicious career in mu

This week, Gatlinburg, Tennessee based neo-traditional bluegrass quintet The Po' Ramblin’ Boys recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, interviews with Ramblin’ Boys guitarist and vocalist, Josh Rinkel. “At a time when most people feel constantly distracted by technology and barraged by the news, authenticity and straightforward honesty are paramount. There’s something about the music of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys that cuts right through the noise of the world and speaks plainly to the soul. Formed in the Smoky Mountains, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are at once exactly what you would expect and not at all what you would expect from a tattooed East Tennessee Bluegrass outfit. No strangers to hard work, the boys are as much at home riding in their restored Eagle tour bus as they are crawling underneath to fix it when it needs maintenance. But they take pride in being ambassadors of their genre, and the group has brought their music from rural bluegrass festival stages to the rock clubs of Europe, and eve

This episode continues our tour of places “you shouldn’t miss” and other remarkable spots along the 135 miles of America’s first national river, as well as where to find information about park events, facilities and services. Featured are interviews with park ranger & interpreter and Buffalo National River Partners Board member Kevin Middleton and Buffalo National River Partners Board Chairperson Terrie Martindale. In this special Ozark Highlands Radio series, author, folklorist and songwriter Charley Sandage celebrates 50 years of the Buffalo National River, America’s first national river. On March 1st, 1972, President Nixon signed the bill creating a new national park, the Buffalo National River. 2022, then, is a fiftieth anniversary, and Ozark Highlands Radio is joining the celebration. Everything that millions of visitors to the park have experienced on the Buffalo, or are planning to experience, will be here. The 135-mile jewel of a mountain river, the legendary bluffs, shoals for camping and swimm