music

On this West Virginia Morning, trains have been a large part of the American story since the first steam trains rolled down the tracks – and with them came song and ballads.

On this West Virginia Morning, Appalachian old-time music brings together numerous cultures, including African Americans and Native Americans. Yet those musicians have often been denied and overlooked. One man is working to make old-time music more available to Black musicians, but he got into it in an unusual way.

This week’s episode of Inside Appalachia features stories about a West Virginia black metal band that plays songs about local history. We’ll also hear how folks are helping make skiing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing more accessible to people in West Virginia. And while labor struggles in Appalachia historically included coal miners, we’ll hear how other workers in other industries have attempted to unionize in the past year.

In 2011, Fayette County residents learned that Mt. Hope High School would be closing. But one graduate found a way to keep that Mustang, and community, pride alive by starting an adult marching band.

“America’s Got Talent” winner Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. is performing a series of holiday concerts around West Virginia next month. The Home for the Holidays Tour includes five shows that are open to the public.

After years of performing on campus, the Paul Robeson Mahalia Jackson Gospel Choir is joining with the university’s College of Creative Arts, which makes it a class eligible for an hour of college credit.

This week, we’ve pulled a few gems from our archive. We’re listening back to some of our favorite Inside Appalachia stories from the past year.

In the latest episode of Inside Appalachia, we’ll hear stories from creators across Appalachia and how they process their lives through their art. Everything from songwriting, to photography, to self-published zines. Suzie Kelly has been making zines for more than 20 years. She talks about how DIY publishing can connect people in unexpected ways.

This August will mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain. Iniside Appalachia Folkways reporter Rebecca Williams talks to Saro Lynch-Thomason, a ballad singer and folklorist from Asheville North Carolina. Saro created the Blair Pathways Project, which tells the history of the West Virginia Mine Wars through music.

The famous Civil War-era ballad “Tom Dooley” has everything: love triangle, a grisly murder, a manhunt and a hanging. A version of this song by the Kingston Trio struck a universal chord 60 years ago when it topped the Billboard charts. Inside Appalachia Folkways reporter Heather Duncan is a native of Wilkes County, North Carolina, where the song unfolds. She recently explored why ballads like ‘Tom Dooley’, based on real tragedies and real people, have such staying power.