Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Homespun Songs of the Christmas Season

For this program we want to thank Bobby Horton for graciously allowing us to play selections from his personally arranged and performed Homespun Songs of the Christmas Season CD for our Christmas Day radio program. We at the Alabama State Council on the Arts want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Season's Greetings and a Happy New Year.

A seasoned performer, Horton is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and music historian. He has performed with the musical- comedy trio Three On a String, throughout the United States and Canada for 35 plus years.  He has also produced and performed music scores for thirteen PBS films by Ken Burns including “The Civil War”, and “Baseball,” two films for The A&E network, and sixteen films for The National Park Service.  His series of recordings of authentic period music has been acclaimed by historical organization and publications through America and Europe.

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Ronald K. Brown, artistic director of Evidence, A Dance Company

Arts in Education program manager Diana Green talks with Ronald K. Brown, artistic director of Evidence, A Dance Company before his performance at the Samford University Wright Center during the 2012 Alabama Dance Festival. The interview is a sneak preview into the process of this well-known choreographer from Brooklyn, New York. His work is a seamless fusion of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. It provides a unique view of human struggles, tragedies, and triumphs. Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms. The depth of human experience that has become the inspiration for his work is evident as he speaks about why he creates. (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Betty Moon Sampson

This program is a rebroadcast of Steve Grauberger interviewing Betty Moon Sampson, bluegrass musician and  Master Artist in the Arts Council's Folk Arts Apprentice Program. Betty tells stories about various aspects of her life growing up in Holly Pond, Alabama and learning to play and sing music with her father, banjo maker and musician Arlin Moon. She talks about her family band Dixie Bluegrass and shares examples of her music (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, "Gandy Dance Caller" John Henry Mealing

This program is a rebroadcast of folklore researcher and history professor Jim Brown of Samford University narrating an interview with "Gandy Dance Caller" John Henry Mealing (1908-2007) who was a National Heritage Recipient. The ASCA show is edited from the original Samford University WVSU Radio Production done the 1980s.

For more on Gandy Dancers.
Gandy Dancers film on folkstreams.net

Click here for Gandy Presentation by Maggie Holtzberg.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Jim HilgartnerJim Hilgartner

This week Anne Kimzey, literary arts program manager with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, talks with Jim Hilgartner of Montgomery as he reads and discusses selections from his current works of short fiction. Hilgartner received a Literary Arts Fellowship Award from the State Arts Council in 2011. He serves on the English faculty of Huntingdon College where he also directs the Staton Center for Learning Enrichment.. (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Archivist Cheylon Woods

Kevin Nutt interviews Archivist Cheylon Woods who is currently working at the Alabama Department of Archives and History on a fellowship from the HistoryMakers foundation. Cheylon discusses The HistoryMakers organization and how it seeks to further the presence of African-Americans in the archiving field. Woods talks about her current projects at Archives and History and discusses her upbringing, family and education and how these influenced her life and career choice. (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Alabama State Gospel Singing Convention Program 222

This rebroadcast is the second of two programs that Steve Grauberger interviews participants of the 2004 Alabama State Gospel Singing Convention about convention history, song writing and publishing, piano playing, and singing schools.  Music examples are also included. This and the previous program is to help promote the 81st Annual Convention held November 11th & 12th, 2011 at the Cottondale United Methodist Church Cottondale, Al (Tuscaloosa County), Friday night: 6:30p.m. – 8:30p.m.  to Saturday: 10:00a.m. – 3:00p.m. (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Mary Allison Haynie Executive Director of the Alabama Folklife Association

Mary Allison Haynie Executive Director of the Alabama Folklife Association (AFA) discusses various events that the AFA has presented throughout the year promoting this Year of Alabama Music. Such as, the tribute to the traditional fiddling of the Stripling family, the Sacred Harp Singing School held at Tannehill State Park,  and the free upcoming event In Harmony: Gospel Quartet Tradition, Teaching, and Training to be held November 5th starting 1 PM at Discovery Alabama Event Center,  4500 Alabama Adventure Parkway;  Bessemer, Alabama. (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Alabama State Gospel Singing Convention Program 1

This rebroadcast is the first of two programs of Steve Grauberger interviewing participants of the 2004 Alabama State Gospel Singing Convention about convention history, song writing and publishing, and singing schools.  Music examples are also included. This program is to help promote the 81st Annual Convention held November 11th & 12th, 2011 at the Cottondale United Methodist Church Cottondale, Al (Tuscaloosa County), Friday night: 6:30p.m. – 8:30p.m.  to Saturday: 10:00a.m. – 3:00p.m. (more)

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Robert Clem and Auguster Maul

To help promote the Alabama Folklife Association event  In Harmony: The Gospel Quartet Music Tradition of Jefferson County on Nov 5th 2011, this radio program is a rebroadcast with Joey Brackner interviewing film maker Robert Clem about his project the Gospel Highway.  In the second half of the program Joey interviews Auguster Maul, lead singer for the Delta Aires Quartet. (more)