American Songcatcher

ANNOUNCEMENT // ROOTS MUSIC REVUE

Coming this fall, listen in for American Songcatcher's "Roots Music Revue", the first live radio show centered on Appalachian music history, recorded at the Earl Scruggs

Talkin' Blues // Cameron Knowler

Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with guitarist, writer, archivist, teacher and scholar Cameron Knowler, who has lovingly absorbed an archive's worth of early Amer

TAKEOVER // Finding Lucinda: Episode 1

Today on the program, we're letting our friends at The Bluegrass Situation takeover our feed with a brand new series called "Finding Lucinda." Episode One: Introducin

Earl Scruggs // King of the Five String

Today on the program, we're sharing our most robust and entertaining episode since beginning five years ago, honoring the king of the five string banjo, Earl Scruggs. Fea

ANNOUNCEMENT // Béla Fleck Banjo Raffle

Get your raffle ticket here! For just a moment, put yourself in the shoes of a person who plays music, whether they're professional, amateur or just getting started.

Talkin' Blues // Buffalo Nichols

Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with one of today's most eclectic roots musicians, Buffalo Nichols. Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Carl, who goes by

ANNOUNCEMENT // American Songcatcher's Future

Over the last 5 years, we have had the privilege of bringing you stories of Pioneering musicians such as Bill Monroe, Sam Cooke, Johnny Cash, Lead Belly, Dolly Parton, Si

BONUS // Moses Asch & Folkways Records

A few years back, we had the pleasure of partnering with Smithsonian Folkways for a special two part series on Folkways Records founder Moses Asch, who was born 99 years

WNC Roots Music History LIVE!

Back in July of 2024, I had the pleasure of bringing the first LIVE American Songcatcher podcast experience to the historic Graham County Courthouse in Robbinsville, NC.

ANNOUNCEMENT // ReString Appalachia

ReString Appalachia www.americansongcatcher.com/ReStringAppalachia ReString Appalachia is an initiative by American Songcatcher to get instruments that were lost d

S3:E7 // Frankie & Johnny

Today on the program, we're proud to present the story behind the most widely recorded murder ballad in American history, the true St. Louis story of "Frankie and Johnny.

Talkin' Blues // John McCutcheon

Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with Grammy-nominated folk singer, storyteller, humanitarian, author and multi-virtuoso-instrumentalist John McCutcheon. During hi

S3:E6 // Sam Cooke

Today on the program, we present the story behind the Father of Soul, Sam Cooke. Growing up in the church, Sam knew he wanted to be a singer by the time he was five years

S3:E5 // Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys

Today on the program, we're proud to present the story behind the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. One of the most influential and iconic bandleaders and musicians of th

Talkin' Blues // Charlie Hunter

Today, I'm sharing a conversation I had with GRAMMY-NOMINATED American guitarist, composer, producer and bandleader Charlie Hunter. He first came on to the scene in the e

S3:E4 // Bascom Lamar Lunsford & A Living Tradition

Today, we proudly present something a little different on American Songcatcher. Instead of the usual documentary podcast-style piece, this is a compilation of field recor

S3:E3 // Mississippi Fred McDowell

Today on the program, we present the story of the father of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues, Mississippi Fred McDowell. From humble beginnings, Fred was inspired fro

S3:E2 // Shady Grove

Today on our program, we present the story of one of the most iconic American Folk songs, born from the lineage of 16th century ballads brought by immigrants from the Bri

S3:E1 // John Hartford

Today on our program, we're delighted to release the first episode of Season 3, which will consist entirely of single stories. In this story, we dive into the life of ren

LOCAL FOCAL // The Pine Barrens Folk Music

Today, we proudly present the sixth installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, where we're collaborating with artists around the country to share unique and lesser-known musi