music

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.

This week on Inside Appalachia, co-host Mason Adams sits down with Elizabeth LaPrelle, who grew up in Rural Retreat, Virginia. She and her husband Brian Dolphin moved from Brooklyn back to southwestern Virginia just before the pandemic hit. As longtime performers and new parents they took to Facebook Live, posting weekly livestreams of lullabies and stories. We’ll also hear about a song called “Tom Dooley,” which was first released shortly after the Civil War. It resurfaced 60 years ago, when it topped the Billboard charts.

In the U.S., rap and hip-hop are usually associated with big cities like New York, L.A., and Atlanta. But hip-hop artists exist all over, including in rural areas. Our Inside Appalachia Folkways reporter Nicole Musgrave spoke with a group of hip-hop artists in the coalfields of Wise County, Virginia who are bringing more public attention to the music they’re making, while supporting other up and coming artists.

The Herbert Henderson Office of Minority Affairs is looking for performers for the upcoming Juneteenth Celebration.

On this West Virginia Morning, many in the Ohio Valley have struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic. But luckily, some have been able to make use of so-called “Blessing Boxes” that provides food for those in need. Also, in this show, we hear how adapting activities helped people make it through the pandemic.

The sheer volume of loss felt by the music world in 2020 is almost overwhelming. Here is NPR's tribute to dozens of the musicians — founders and innovators across genres — who died this year.

Did West Virginia inspire the John Denver Song “Take Me Home, County Roads?” The song is one of the things people across the globe connect with West Virginia. But there’s a debate about whether the song was really even written about the state. This year marks the 50th anniversary for the song.