Mountain Blog

This week’s encore episode of Mountain Stage with Larry Groce features roots rock songwriting icon Dave Alvin, along with contemporary jazz and blues singer Catherine Russell, insurgent country and Americana artist Will Hoge, Boston-based singer-songwriter Catie Curtis, and folk mainstay Eliza Gilkyson.

Click here for a complete list of stations where you can listen to Mountain Stage, and click here to see our entire schedule of upcoming episodes.

A true icon of roots music, this was Dave Alvin’s 6^th appearance on Mountain Stage. From his early work with his brother in The Blasters to his eclectic career as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Alvin has had richly varied musical path. After The Blasters, Alvin was briefly the lead guitarist for seminal L.A. Punk Band X before releasing a series of solo albums in the 80’s and 90’s that are widely regarded as classics.

In 1989, Alvin scored a hit when he penned the Dwight Yoakam chart topper “Long White Cadillac,” which you’ll hear on this week’s Mountain Stage. You’ll also hear “Harlan County Line,” a song that gained a lot of attention after being prominently featured in the season finale of the TV show Justified. 

 

You’ll also hear from singer-songwriter Will Hoge. Situated somewhere between heartland rock, soul, and country, Hoge’s powerful voice, songwriting chops, and relentless touring schedule have earned him great deal of respect among his peers. His song “Even If it Breaks Your Heart” has become a radio hit for the Eli Young band, and his new album Seven has secured Hoge multiple trips to the Opry stage of late. You can hear Will Hoge talk about his career so far, and see clips of his performance in our latest Backstage at Mountain Stage video above.

Catherine Russell is, simply put, one of the very best contemporary jazz and blues vocalists working today. She’s shared the stage with everyone from Madonna and David Bowie to Issac Hayes and Dolly Parton. Russell comes by it naturally – her father, the late Luis Russell, was a pioneering pianist and composer who served as Louis Armstrong’s musical director for many years. For her Mountain Stage performance, you’ll get to hear Russell alongside her own band, lead by the wildly talented guitarist Matt Munisteri. You can catch a preview of her performance here, via our Mountain Stage Song of the Week, "Just Because You Can." 

Boston-based singer-songwriter Catie Curtis also appears. Her career has spanned 2 decades, and she’s earned both popular and critical praise. She was called a “folk-rock goddess” by the New Yorker, and is regarded as one of New England’s finest live performers. Her new release, Stretch Limousine on Fire features a cameo by Mary Chapin Carpenter and 10 original songs that explore the passing of life’s events. She’s backed by her friend Jenna Lindbo on keys, along with the Mountain Stage band.

Finally, you’ll hear from singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson. Politically-minded and poetically-gifted, Gilkyson has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. The Grammy-nominated artist has appeared on Austin City Limits, and toured with Richard Thompson, Patty Griffin and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

In February of 2003, she was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, alongside Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Nanci Griffith, Billy Joe Shaver, Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and others. She’s backed for her performance by the Mountain Stage band.

Find a radio station in your area where you can listen by clicking here, and connect with us on Facebook to stay in touch with the latest information, and follow us on Twitter for even more.

Thanks for listening to Mountain Stage!

A quick bit of exciting live show news to pass along, folks. We’re happy to announce that when Mountain Stage returns to Morgantown on January 20, we’ll be welcoming Texas singer and songwriter Robert Earl Keen, and Grammy-winning vocalist Shelby Lynne. This will mark Lynne’s third appearance on the show, and Keen’s tenth. Tickets to this show are available now by phone (304.293.SHOW), online, and in person at the CAC box office in Morganown.

One of the most important and beloved singer-songwriters to emerge from Texas in the 1980’s, Robert Earl Keen finally earned commercial success in the late 1990’s with his album Picnic – and also, with little help from the greatest dysfunctional family portrait ever put to song. His latest album, Ready for Confetti was produced by the great Lloyd Maines, and has been called “his most inspired and focused project in nearly 20 years.”

One of the finest singers working in any genre, Shelby Lynne’s first record deal came not long after an appearance on Ralph Emory’s Nashville Now in 1987. A chart-climbing duet with George Jones followed, along with a series of records that touched on everything from traditional country and slick country pop to western swing. And even though she won the Best New Artist Grammy in 2001, Lynne has purposefully stood apart from the mainstream. Her two most recent albums were released on her own EVERSO records label, including her latest, the self-produced Revelation Road.

Rhett Miller and Black Prairie will also be there. We hope to see you, too. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest. Thanks for supporting Mountain Stage.

This week’s special encore broadcast features Booker T. Jones, pop and jazz group Lake Street Dive, singer-songwriters Kenny White and Jill Sobule, and folk-pop trio The Spring Standards, all recorded live at the Creative Arts Center on the campus of West Virginia University.

Click here for a complete list of stations where you can listen to Mountain Stage, click here to see this episode’s playlist, and click here to see our entire schedule of upcoming episodes.

Booker T. Jones is truly one of the most important musicians, songwriters and producers in all of American popular music. From his early work as one of the architects of the soul sound at Stax records, to the tunes he cut with Booker T. and the MG’s, to his production work with legends like Bill Withers – it is difficult to overstate the impact Booker T. Jones has had on the American soundscape.

During his Mountain Stage set, Jones plays a few of his well know favorites, touches on some of his work with heavyweights like Bob Dylan and Albert King, and shares some of the new songs he’s cut with contemporary artists like the Roots and the Drive-By Truckers.

And in this week’s Backstage at Mountain Stage video, you’ll get to see Jones talk about how as a teenage high school student in Memphis, he wound up on some of the 20^th century’s most iconic recordings, including our Song of the Week, “Green Onions.”

Fresh off their first appearance at South By Southwest, Lake Street Dive (NOT “drive”) are, as Mountain Stage producer Adam Harris likes to say, “pretty hot right now.”

The four members the band met when they were students at Boston’s New England Conservatory. Jazz-schooled and DIY-motivated, what originally began as a “free country” project was eventually overcome by the band’s penchant for classic pop and groove-driven jazz.

Drummer Mike Calabrese and trumpet-wielding guitarist Mike Olson highlight the vocals of jazz-inspired singer Rachel Price and bassist Bridget Kearney. Kearny, who is also one of the band’s key songwriters, previously appeared on Mountain Stage with her other band, the bluegrass-inspired Joy Kills Sorrow.

Singer-songwriter Kenny White kicks off the show. For  many  years,  White  was  a  fixture  in  the  NY  studio  scene,  writing  and  producing  hundreds of commercials for TV and radio. His  relationships  with  Marc  Cohn  and  Shawn  Colvin  led  to  his  producing  Colvin’s  Grammy-nominated, I Don’t Know Why and to his involvement in Cohn’s wildly successful self-titled debut record.

White’s Mountain Stage set includes two of the funniest tunes you’ll hear in a while: one about two very unlikable lovers, and another that explains in no uncertain terms how to write a successful pop love song. One of the secrets: First you sing high, and then you sing higher. 

Jill Sobule returns to Mountain Stage. Since first stirring the pot in the mid-90’s with her alternative hit “I Kissed a Girl,” Sobule has maintained vibrant career and loyal following.

In recent years, Sobule has received even more attention for all but single-handedly pioneering the idea of fan-funded projects – a concept that’s now widely utilized by her fellow musicians. In 2009, she raised over $85,000 from 500 fans to help record her album California Years.

Also returning to the Mountain Stage are the young ethereal indie-pop ensemble The Spring Standards. All three members - James Cleare, James Smith and Heather Robb originally played together when they were in high school. A few years later, they all found themselves living within a few blocks of one another in New York City.

The band’s full-length debut, Would Things Be Different was released in 2010 and led to an appearance on Conan O’Brien, and tours alongside Squeeze, The Old 97s, Marc Broussard, Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers, and Ha Ha Tonka.

Find a radio station in your area where you can listen by clicking here, and connect with us on Facebook to stay in touch with the latest information, and follow us on Twitter for even more.

Thanks for listening to Mountain Stage!

Mountain Stage is thrilled to be returning to our home at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston this Sunday, where our guests will be Bruce Cockburn, Iris DeMent, Carrie Rodriguez, Brooke Waggoner, and Trixie Whitley. Tickets are still available – get yours online, by phone (800.549.TIXX) and at Taylor Books in downtown Charleston. After this, there’s only one more show to go in 2012, at the Culture Center Theater on December 9^th. Find out more info here, and don’t forget to check our growing lineup of 2013 shows. Tickets are already moving fast.

One of Canada’s best loved - and most awarded - artists, Bruce Cockburn has 20 gold and platinum releases and has won 13 Juno Awards in Canada. In addition to being an excellent guitarist and a distinctive singer, Cockburn is one of contemporary music’s more consistent and prolific songwriters. Beginning as a melodic and meditative folkie, he gradually progressed to constructing beautifully textured compositions that champion political, environmental and Native American causes. 2005's  “Speechless,” Cockburn’s first-ever instrumental release, showcased his outstanding guitar work next to guests including Gary Burton, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor and producer T-Bone Burnett. Issued in 2006, “Life Short Call Now,” boasted horns, a 27-piece string section and backing vocals from Ani DiFranco while 2011's “Small Source of Comfort” included the track “Call Me Rose,” written from the point of view of former President Nixon who receives a chance at redemption after being reincarnated as a single mother living in a housing project with two children.

Born in Arkansas and raised in Southern California, Iris DeMent grew up immersed in gospel music and traditional country. Her 1992 debut, “Infamous Angel,” quickly established her as an artist to watch. Her 1994 follow-up, “My Life,” earned a Grammy nomination in the “Contemporary Folk” category while 1996's “The Way I Should” addressed political as well as personal themes and also earned a Grammy nomination. In the meantime, her song “Let The Mystery Be” was sung by David Byrne and Natalie Merchant on MTV Unplugged. Her song “Our Town” was featured in the series finale of “Northern Exposure” and Merle Haggard - who called DeMent “the best singer I've ever heard” - asked her to be his pianist on a tour with his band The Strangers. DeMent sang four duets with John Prine on “In Spite of Ourselves” and had a minor role in the motion picture “Songcatcher” as well as contributing a song to its soundtrack. In 2004, she recorded an album of gospel songs, “Lifeline,” which included her rendition of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.” In 2010, the Coen Brothers chose that song for the closing credits in their remake of “True Grit.” Now, 16 years after the last collection of DeMent originals, “Sing The Delta” features a dozen of her songs.

After studying classical piano for nearly 20 years, Brooke Waggoner earned a degree in music composition and orchestration, hoping to score films and orchestrate her own projects. With a sweet voice and piano playing that’s a cross between Little Richard and Rachmaninov, the Louisiana native’s songs tell of a "lone 22-year-old girl, sagas of daily life and bits of poetry." Influenced by artists as diverse as Simon and Garfunkel, Electric Light Orchestra and Rodgers & Hammerstein, she attempts to “connect the 'classical world' with the 'mainstream world'.” Waggoner was a finalist in MTVU's “Best Music on Campus” competition and was a semi-finalist in the “John Lennon Songwriting Contest.” Her 2008 release, “Heal for the Honey” was nominated for “Best Folk/Singer Songwriter Album of the Year” at the Independent Music Awards. In 2009, after moving to Nashville, Waggoner received the “Emerging Artist” award at the Nashville Music Awards. Her latest release, “Go Easy Little Doves,” gathers melodies and compositions that she’s collected over the past decade.

After collaborating with veteran songwriter Chip “Wild Thing” Taylor on four albums of duets, singer/violinist Carrie Rodriguez struck out on her own. Attending both Oberlin College and Berklee School of Music, Rodriguez immersed herself in Boston’s bluegrass-jazz scene. In 2001, she was “discovered” by Taylor while playing at an Austin record shop. In addition to her work with Taylor, Rodriguez has toured with Lucinda Williams and Alejandro Escovedo, and released eight records in as many years. Issued in 2010, “Love & Circumstance” was a set of cover songs by artists that influenced her and featured cameos by Bill Frisell, Buddy Miller, Greg Leisz, and Crooked Still vocalist Aoife O'Donovan. That same year, Rodriguez released a “greatest hits” compilation of her work with Taylor titled “The New Bye & Bye.” The following year she and Romantica frontman Ben Kyle released “We Still Lover Our Country.”

Born Belgium into a family immersed in art and music, Trixie Whitley’s early years were split between Belgium and New York City. At age 11, she was touring Europe with several theater companies and, at age 14, with the renowned dance company, “Les Ballets C de la B,” as an actor, singer, dancer, and musician. At the same time, Whitley became the youngest resident DJ in Europe, embraced by Belgium’s Museum of Modern Art and spinning at raves, festivals, and parties in Brussels, Paris, New York City, and Amsterdam. Returning to New York, she recorded her first EP, “Strong Blood,” produced with Me’shell Ndegeocello and Dougie Bowne, in the spring of 2008. That summer, she performed at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. In 2010 and 2011, Whitley toured with Daniel Lanois’ group Black Dub. During the “Black Dub” recording sessions, she recorded her second EP, “The Engine.” In late 2011, she released “Live at the Rockwood Music Hall.” She continues to collaborate with some of the world’s finest musicians and producers, including Marc Ribot, Robert Plant, Stephen Barber, Marianne Faithfull, Joe Henry, Craig Street, and Malcolm Burn

This week, Mountain Stage returns with another all-new episode, recorded on the campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown. You’ll hear mellow soul and folk from Ben Taylor, jazz singer Kat Edmonson, roots music ensemble The Trishas, renowned banjo and dulcimer player Bob Shank, and indie-folk newcomer Logan Venderlic.

Click here for a list of stations and times where Mountain Stage can be heard in your area. If there’s a song you’re hoping to hear, check out the performance playlist. And as always, you can preview the show via our Mountain Stage Song of the Week – this time, it’s Ben Taylor with “It Really Doesn’t Matter to You.”

After traveling the world, from Tibet to the Darien Rain Forest, Ben Taylor initially aspired to become a gardener. However, In the end, music won out. After all, as the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon, Taylor’s life has been steeped in music. On “Listening,” the follow-up to 2008's “The Legend of Kung Folk Part 1," his wit and skill as a singer-songwriter are evident in songs he calls “organically handcrafted.”

Taylor seamlessly melds a melange of styles - folk, pop, soul, urban, reggae and country/western - with melodies that the BBC called “heart-melting.” Taylor has been featured in “People Magazine,” “Vogue” and appeared on the cover of “Rolling Stone.” He has toured with Sheryl Crow, Blues Traveler and Ziggy Marley.

After quickly becoming one of the most talked about singers on the crowded Austin music scene, classic jazz singer-songwriter Kat Edmonson is making her mark nationally. Thanks to her acclaimed 2009 debut, “Take to the Sky,” she landed gigs singing with Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett.

After recording a version of the classic Christmas duet “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” with Lovett, the two performed it on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Her sophomore release “Way Down Low” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and a Boston Globe reviewer called it “one of the greatest vocal albums I’ve ever heard.”

The buzz surrounding The Trishas is reserved for groups that bring a special chemistry to the stage, which was obvious the first time Jamie Wilson, Liz Foster, Kelley Mickwee and Savannah Welch shared a stage together.

Just three years later, the three have toured with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Todd Snider, Raul Malo and Ray Wylie Hubbard, co-wrote songs with Bruce Robison, Kevin Welch (Savannah’s father), Jason Eady and Jim Lauderdale, and found time to release their full-length debut, “High, Wide & Handsome.” Guests on the CD include Kenny Vaughan, Harry Stinson, Viktor Krauss and Tammy Rogers.

Hailing from St. Marys, Pleasants County, Logan Venderlic issued a pleasantly quirky set of indie pop songs that led Yahoo Music to name him one of the top artists for the first half of 2012. His CD alternates between love songs for the troubled and folk-punk that recalls The Clash. His paean to his hometown, “Jerkwater Town,” offers up the mixed emotions that many young West Virginians have about their home state, although he comes to the conclusion: “I could never stay away for too long - the mountains are calling me back.”

Renowned banjo and dulcimer player Bob Shank from Bruceton Mills, WV performs songs from his newest release "Don't Worry About the Moon." The work features new and original compositions recorded in his home studio.

Thanks for listening to Mountain Stage. Keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr for the latest news, information and stories.

Hello, music lovers. Sara Watkins' recent Mountain Stage performance will begin streaming at NPR Music tomorrow.

In the meantime, you can preview her set via YouTube, and catch a brief backstage interview where she talks about her new album Sun Midnight Sun, and how working with new musicians helped her capture an edgier sound while staying true to her acoustic roots.
 

Mountain Stage is thrilled to present another premier broadcast of live performance radio this weekend, featuring iconic country singer and songwriter Rodney Crowell, along with Americana star Sara Watkins, bar room rockers Lucero, The Lost Brothers, and Doug Paisely. Click here to see a list of stations and times where you can listen in your area. Click here to take a look at the playlist. And preview our broadcast via our Mountain Stage song of the week: Sara Watkins original song “You and Me.” 

The standard bearer of country’s new traditionalist movement of the mid-‘80s, Rodney Crowell has contributed to some of modern country’s finest moments. After being discovered (and signed) by Jerry Reed in the mid-‘70s, Crowell went on to play (and write songs) for Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band. Next, he wrote for and produced (and married) Rosanne Cash.

In 1980, Crowell’s songwriting career took off when he scored a string of No. 1 hits for bands like the Oak Ridge Boys, Crystal Gayle and Bob Seeger. Finally, in 1988, Crowell’s own release, “Diamonds and Dirt,” connected with five consecutive No. 1 singles. The following year, "After all This Time" won a Grammy for “Best Country Song.”

 Subsequent projects have included the Cicadas, penning the first hit for his wife, singer Claudia Church, and his 2001 release “Houston Kid.” Crowell was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. His latest release, “Kin: Songs by Mary Karr & Rodney Crowell,” finds Crowell writing with fellow Texan and “The Liar’s Club” author Mary Karr. Crowell recently authored his autobiography titled “Chinaberry Sidwalks.”

Steadily playing hundreds of dates a year over the past decade, Memphis alt-country rockers Lucero have gone from an earnest indie band to a major label act. Formed by Ben Nichols in the late '90s, Lucero issued its first CD in 2001. Their 2003 release That Much Further West earned the group a spot on Rolling Stone's Hot List.

Released in spring of 2005, Nobody's Darlings was produced by legendary Memphis musician-producer Jim Dickinson. Meanwhile, that same year, director Aaron Goldman mixed archival footage with footage shot during the recording of the album, for his documentary on Lucero titled Dreaming in America.

In 2009, Nichols released a solo EP The Last Pale Light in the West and Lucero issued its major label debut, 1372 Overton Park which found the band incorporating more of a Memphis soul sound. In addition to working with Lucero, Nichols also released a solo record in early 2009 and co-stars in MTV’s $5 Cover, a series about the Memphis music scene. The band’s current release, Women & Work, released on Dave Matthews’ ATO Records, was described by longtime critic Thom Jurek as “all killer, no filler.”

After spending nearly two decades as one-third of the Grammy Award–winning Nickel Creek, singer, songwriter, and fiddler Sara Watkins often draws comparisons to Alison Krauss - who produced Nickel Creek’s debut in 2000. Watkins first solo disc, released in 2009, was produced by former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, and featured cameos by Gillian Welch, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ keyboardist Benmont Tench, Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas; and bluegrassers like Tim O’Brien, Chris Eldridge, Ronnie McCoury and her Nickel Creek bandmates.

In the past three years, Watkins has toured the world as guest fiddle player and vocalist with the Decemberists as well as joining Garrison Keillor on his nationwide Summer Love performance tours. Watkins and her brother Sean regularly host the Watkins Family Hour at the L.A. club Largo, which often includes surprise cameos from friends and colleagues. She is currently touring with Jackson Browne, supporting her new release Sun Midnight Sun.

While Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland are not technically brothers, as The Lost Brothers, the pair draws influence from family bands such as The Kinks and The Everly Brothers. Originally from Ireland and now based in London, the group recorded its debut, “Trails of the Lonely,” in Portland, OR, and has become popular on both sides of the Atlantic.

The band received lavishly praised from the U.K. press (NME, and The Irish Times) and has performed in Glastonbury, Texas, New York, Portland, Toronto, Paris, and Ireland. The duo’s second album, “So Long John Fante,” is something of a tribute to author John Fante’s Depression-era work and was recorded in Nashville.

Born in Toronto, alt-country singer-songwriter Doug Paisley’s music is steeped in history. He spent 10 years paying in a Stanley Brothers tribute band, and released two albums of classic country covers before stepping out with his own songs to support Bonnie Price Billy. His latest album, “Constant Companion” received a four star review from Rolling Stone, and features contributions from Feist and The Band’s Garth Hudson.

Thanks again for listening to Mountain Stage. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for the latest news, backstage photos, and stories.

Mountain Stage returns to our home away from home at the Creative Arts Center in Morgantown this weekend, for a show featuring Mike Doughty, The Iguanas, Charlie Mars, Jeffery Foucault, and A City on a Lake. Tickets are available, and we’d love to see you there. Order yours online, by phone (304.293.SHOW) or pick tickets up in person at the Creative Arts Center box office. Tickets are $18 in advance, and $23 on the day of the show.

Before embarking on a solo career, singer-songwriter Mike Doughty was the frontman for the group Soul Coughing. Formed in 1992, the group released three CDs for Warner Bros before disbanding in 2000. Doughty - who had been writing a column for New York Press - began playing solo shows and released “Skittish,” a solo disc that he had recorded five years before. He also contributed vocals to BT's club hit "Never Gonna Come Back Down" and collaborated with They Might Be Giants’ John Flansburgh on a CD that accompanied an issue of McSweeney's “Quarterly Concern.” In 2002, Doughty released the live “Smofe + Smang: Live in Minneapolis” and a book of poetry titled “Slanky.” In 2011, Doughty issued “Yes and Also Yes” on his own Snack Bar label. The following year, he released the live “The Question Jar Show” and “The Flip Is Another Honey” which featured Doughty covering artists from Thin Lizzy to Randy Newman. That same year, he published “The Book of Drugs,” a memoir about his life with Soul Coughing and his struggles with addiction.

From New Orleans, The Iguanas have long been one of the region’s most popular live bands, combining styles that range from blues, R&B, Zydeco, Cajun, Tex-Mex and roots rock & roll. Not long after San Francisco guitarist Rod Hodges formed the group in 1989, he rediscovered the conjunto music that was a part of his mother's Mexican heritage and took up accordion. Vocalist/saxophonist Joe Cabral’s first musical experience was playing in his father's Mexican band. In college, he discovered New Orleans R&B and the honking saxophone style. Bassist Rene Coman is a native of New Orleans whose recording credits include Alex Chilton and Guitar Slim Jr. The group’s 1993 debut was released on Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville label. The group’s latest release, “Sin to Sin,” is the first since 2008's “If You Should Ever Fall on Hard Times.”

Mississippi-based troubadour Charlie Mars’ career has run the gamut from major label releases and high-profile opening slots for the likes of REM and Steve Earle to under-the-radar, self-released efforts. Following up 2009's attention-grabbing “Like A Bird, Like A Plane,” his current release “Blackberry Light” draws inspiration from famed producer Daniel Lanois while the songs take lyrical cues from such literary heroes as Haruki Murakami, Cormac McCarthy, Walker Percy, and Denis Johnson.

Longtime disciple of the rich and strange music that sings behind the American veil, Jeffery Foucault has spent the last decade mining the darker seams of country and blues, producing a string of spare and elemental albums of rare power while garnering accolades across the United States and overseas for a tersely elegant brand of songwriting set apart by its haunting imagery and weather-beaten cool. His latest project, “Horse Latitudes” was recorded alongside a folk supergroup that featured Eric Heywood, Billy Conway, Jennifer Condos and Van Dyke Parks.

With Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alex Wong at the helm, A City On A Lake also features singers Ari Hest and Ximena Sarinana. Over the past few years, Wong has produced and written with cutting edge artists including Vienna Teng, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Melissa Ferrick and Delta Rae. His compositions have been featured in film and television projects such as “The Last Song,” “One Tree Hill,” and “The Lincoln Lawyer.” Wong has performed as one half of the duo The Paper Raincoat with singer/songwriter Amber Rubarth and scored the innovative theatrical work “Everyman For Himself” which won an LA Weekly Theater Award for “Best Original Music.”

Thanks again for supporting Mountain Stage. Click here to see our entire schedule of upcoming live shows. We’ll see you there.

This week’s premier broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded just a few weeks ago at the Paramount Theater in Bristol TN / VA, in partnership with our good friends at the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance.

You’ll hear from Wanda Jackson, Connie Smith, JD McPherson, Pokey LaFarge and Larry Cordle. Click here to see a list of times and stations where you can listen. And preview this week’s show via our Mountain Stage Song of the Week. This week, it’s Kentucky-born singer-songwriter Larry Cordle, with “Hello, My Name is Coal.”

The undisputed queen of rockabilly, Wanda Jackson has successfully rejuvenated her career numerous times over the years. When she was 15, Jackson won a local talent contest in Oklahoma City which led to a regular radio show - and being discovered by country singer Hank Thompson.

After charting a hit with Thompson’s band, she signed to Capitol Records in the mid-‘50s and stayed with the label for nearly two decades, charting both country and rockabilly songs. Jackson returned to the studio in 2010 with Jack White-produced The Party Ain’t Over,” a nod to her 1958 hit “Let’s Have a Party.” Her latest release, “Unfinished Business,” is Jackson’s 31st studio release and marks the producing debut of singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle.

Dolly Parton once said, "There’s really only three female singers in the world: Streisand, Ronstadt and Connie Smith. The rest of us are just pretending." In June of 1964, Connie Smith, who was raised near Hinton, WV, with 13 siblings, was signed to RCA Records by Chet Atkins.

Her first recording session yielded the No. 1 hit "Once a Day." The song was the biggest country record in 1964 and earned Smith the honor of being named Billboard’s "Most Promising Female Singer of 1964." Over the next decade, Smith charted 10 Top 5 singles, nine Top 10 entries and 27 other chart hits. Married to country star Marty Stuart, Smith put her career on hold for several years to concentrate on raising a family. Her new album, “Long Line of Heartaches,” is her 53rd release to date, her first since 1996 and only her second since 1978.

Coming off a string of sold-out west coast shows and his national television debut on “Conan,” Oklahoma-based retro-revivalist JD McPherson is riding a wave that includes a four star review from Britain’s “Mojo” magazine for his debut, “Signs and Signifiers,” and hitting No. 1 on the Americana Radio chart.

Hailing from Broken Arrow, OK, the visual artist dove head-first into old school R&B and self-directed a video of the single, “North Side Gal,” which has racked up more than 625,000 views. McPherson has been featured on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune.”

Larry Cordle was born and raised on a small family farm in eastern Kentucky, not far from his childhood friend and neighbor, musical prodigy Ricky Skaggs. Upon hearing Larry’s song, “Highway 40 Blues,” Skaggs promised that he would one day record it. In the summer of 1983, it was the number one song in the nation, helping to launch Larry’s songwriting career and skyrocketing Skaggs’ already solid country music career.

At last count, Cordle’s songs have appeared on projects that have sold a combined total of more than 55 million records, by artists such as Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, Trace Adkins and many others. His latest album is Pud Marcum's Hangin'.

From St. Louis, Missouri, Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three's creative mix of early jazz, string ragtime, country blues and western swing rings true and fine, making them among the most innovative of all the purists performing American roots music today. A lot of performers are content to play old material, reworking the tunes to give them new life or to stamp them with personal style. But this group, led by guitar-plucking troubadour Pokey LaFarge, achieves timelessness with original songs while honoring the legendary artists of yesterday through covered tunes.

Accompanied by The South City Three, Pokey uses his booming voice as an instrument with an incredible range; one moment he shouts a line and the next he croons above his parlor guitar. In 2009, Pokey began working with The South City Three, a trio made up of fellow St. Louis musicians Joey Glynn, Adam Hoskins and Ryan Koenig.

Thanks again for listening to Mountain Stage. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr for the latest news, backstage photos, and stories.