Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Ike Zimmerman

In June of 2011 a group of relatives came together in Alabama to commemorate a common bond, the late Isaiah "Ike" Zimmerman, an Alabama native originally from Grady. After making his home in Beauregard, Mississippi in the 1930s, he became a mentor to bluesman guitarist Robert Johnson. An accomplished blues guitarist and performer himself, Ike Zimmerman and his wife Ruth took Johnson into their home for over a year where Ike generously taught Johnson, then known as R.L., what he knew about the blues.  In this program Grey Brennan, Marketing Manager at the Alabama Department of Travel and Tourism and Steve Grauberger of ASCA interview two daughters of Ike Zimmerman, Loretha Z. Smith and Nelly Ruth Brown with their sons James Smith and Oscar Brown, to try and find more information about this interesting Alabamian and his relationship to Robert Johnson.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Poet Jake Adam York

Jeanie Thompson, executive director of the Alabama Writers’ Forum. interviews Jake Adam York, featured poet at the 6th Annual Alabama Book Festival. Thompson talks with York about his “open project” of poems memorializing murdered civil rights workers, inspired when he visited the newly installed Civil Rights Memorial at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery. more

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Drive By Truckers', Patterson Hood

Folklorist Deborah Boykin interviews musician Patterson Hood about the Drive-By Truckers' (DBT) upcoming appearance at the W.C. Handy Festival sponsored by the Alabama Folklife Association.  A native of Florence, Hood talks about the influence of the area on his songwriting and discusses growing up as a second generation musician in Muscle Shoals. He describes the evolution of the DBT and his long partnership with fellow Trucker Mike Cooley and gives his thoughts on the future of music in the Shoals. more

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Artist Ben Ward

Program Manager Geogine Clarke interviews Visual Artist and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) professor of foundation studies Benjamin Ward.  In this radio interview Ward details various aspects of the SCAD academic program and gives insight into his early influences and his contemporary approach to teaching foundation studies. Ward's current professional work and past exhibits are also discussed.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, AL State Poetry Out Loud Winners Peggy Payne and Youssef Biaz

Donna Russell, executive director of the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education, interviews two high school student winners of our Poetry Out Loud Program. Poetry Out Loud is a national poetry recitation contest, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Students select poems from an anthology provided at poetryoutloud.org. Alabama adds to this program an opportunity for students to write original poems and to recite them at the State competition.  Peggy Payne was the Original Poetry Recitation winner for 2011. Youssef Biaz became Alabama’s State Champion in 2011 for the second year in a row and traveled to Washington D.C. to compete in the national competition. Both students recite poetry during this interview.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Cigar Box Instrument Bill Jehle

Folklorist Deborah Boykin interviews musician and author Bill Jehle  about his interest in cigarbox guitars. Jehle, who plays the guitars he makes from cigar boxes and a variety of found objects, is the author of One Man's Trash: A History of the Cigarbox Guitar and curator of his own Cigar Box Musuem. One of his guitars is part of the exhibit Music Makers: A Celebration for the Year of Alabama Music on display in the Alabama Artists Gallery in the RSA Tower in Montgomery.


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