Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Braxton Schuffert original Drifting Cowboy

Folkorist Deborah Boykin talks with 97 year old Braxton Schuffert, a country singer and songwriter who was one of Hank Williams's original Drifting Cowboys.  Mr. Schuffert talks about his early life, his experience performing on WSFA radio and his long friendship with Williams, which began when Schuffert made a delivery to the boarding house run by Hank's mother. He also describes the experience of co-writing a song with Williams and talks about his own compositions.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Valerie Burnes and Tina Jones

Anne Kimzey, folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviews two University of West Alabama faculty members who are working to promote the Black Belt region of Alabama.  In the first half of the show Valerie Pope Burnes, Director of the Center for the Study of the Black Belt and Assistant Professor of History at UWA discusses the activities of the Center and its role in creating appreciation of the culture and natural history of the 19-county region.  In the second half of the show, Dr. Tina Naremore Jones, Dean of Educational Outreach at UWA and president of the board of the Alabama Black Belt Heritage Area describes efforts to develop tourism in the region.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Lee Sentell and Grey Brennan Alabama Tourism Dept.

Alabama Center for Traditional Culture Director Joey Brackner interviews Alabama  Tourism Department  Director Lee Sentell about the tourism industry in Alabama and his Department's themed campaigns such as the "Year of Alabama Food" and "Year of Alabama Arts". In the second half Grey Brennan, Marketing and Regional Director for the Alabama Tourism Department, talks about this year's innovative campaign "The Year of Alabama Music" and its importance to the state's local economy.  Also included is a discussion about the Year of Alabama Music Songwriting Contest.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Dr Wayne Anthony Barr Director of the Tuskegee University Golden Voices Choir

Steve Grauberger interviews Dr. Wayne Anthony Barr, director of theTuskegee University's Golden Voices Concert Choir, about his work and some of the choir's history regarding Tuskegee University founder Booker T. Washington and well known choral arranger and director Dr, William Levi Dawson.


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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, James Lamb and Ashley Dumas Black Belt Museum Livingston Alabama

This week Joey Brackner, director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture interviews Dr. James Lamb and Dr. Ashley Dumas of the Black Belt Museum, a division of the Center for the Study of the Black Belt at the University of West Alabama in Livingston.


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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, 2011 Alabama Book Festival

Deborah Boykin interviews Gail Waller, co-chair of the 6th annual  Alabama Book Festival , and Jeannie Thompson, executive director of the Alabama Writer's Forum, about the upcoming festival on April 16 in Montgomery's Old Alabama Town.  They discuss the authors who will appear at the festival and the activities planned for visitors of all ages, including readings, book signings, and children's activities.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Country Musicians Cast King and Matt Downer

This program is a rebroadcast of a 2005 interview by Anne Kimzey with musicians Cast King and Matt Downer from Sand Mountain.  Guitarist and songwriter Cast King and his former band The Country Drifters recorded with Sun Records of Memphis in the 1950s.  Matt Downer, a young musician, has been working with Mr. King for a few years to learn his guitar style and to record his music and life history.   During the program Mr. King performs three of the approximately 500 songs he has written in his lifetime. Cast King died in 2007.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Donna Russell director of the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education

This week Anne Kimzey of the Alabama State Council on the Arts interviews Donna Russell, director of the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education.  During the program Russell discusses the Alliance's work as an advocate for arts in the schools, training opportunities for teachers and communities, and fruitful partnerships both nationally with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and statewide with the Alabama State Council on the Arts.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Enoch and Margie Sullivan of the Sullivan Family Bluegrass Gospel Band

This program is a rebroadcast of a 2003 interview with Enoch and Margie Sullivan in memory of Enoch Sullivan, who recently passed on Feb 23^rd 2011 in Mobile.  The Sullivan Family of St. Stephens, Alabama has been stalwart in the presentation of Bluegrass Gospel music throughout the world.  Among their many awards are the Alabama State Council on the Arts’ Folk Heritage Fellowship and the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Marc Smirnoff, editor of the Oxford American

This week Joey Brackner, director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture interviews Marc Smirnoff, editor of the Oxford American. They discuss the current issue of the Oxford American dedicated to the music of Alabama and upcoming music events for the year of Alabama Music.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Alabama Folklife Association director Mary Allison Haynie

This week Anne Kimzey, folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, talks with Mary Allison Haynie, director of the Alabama Folklife Association.  They discuss the AFA's mission to document, preserve and present the traditional arts and culture of the state, the organization's upcoming music events for the year of Alabama Music, and plans for the future.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Playwright Cheryl Davis

Literature Program Manager Anne Kimzey interviews Cheryl Davis, an award winning writer and playwright. Her work has been read and performed nationally and internationally. She is in Alabama for the premier of her play at the Birmingham Children's Theatre (BCT), "Tuxedo Junction," a story of Erskine Hawkins. It’s Davis’ second time premiering a work in Birmingham, the first being last season’s Red Mountain Theatre Company production of “Barnstormer,” Davis’ musical look at black aviatrix Bessie Coleman. In the interview Davis tells of her education and background that led her to become a playwright of historic American characters as well as a talented lyricist.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Wiliam Ferris

This program is a 2006 rebroadcast of Joey Brackner interviewing folklorist William Ferris of the University of North Carolina about southern culture and his experiences as director of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Christophe Jackson

Performing Arts Program Manager Yvette Jones-Smedley interviews Christophe Jackson. In this program Jackson talks about his research project involving an innovative sound booth that is used to record and analyze physical stresses that a singer encounters during and after a vocal performance or practice. Growing up in the heart of Montgomery, Jackson  studied both classical and jazz music. With a double major in biology and music, Jackson blends his love of music and his fascination with science with his goal of becoming a doctor.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Quilter Bettye Kimbrell

Anne Kimzey, folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviews Jefferson County quilter Bettye Kimbrell about her work with 4-H Club students and their quilt exhibit at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Kimbrell is a 2008 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.  

Inspired by Diane Bentley's interest in quilting the Alabama State Council on the Arts has organized an exhibition of quilts titled Alabama Quilts: Stitched for Warmth and Beauty.  The exhibition is on display until March 18th, 2011 at the Alabama Artists Gallery, 201 Monroe Street in Montgomery.  There are works by 28 quilters, including the Cathedral Window quilt panel made by Dianne Bentley while traveling with her husband during his campaign.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, David Ivey, Tim Erikson

This program is a rebroadcast of Joey Brackner interviewing David Ivey and Tim Eriksen about Sacred Harp Singing in the Movie, Cold Mountain. Sacred Harp musical examples are included in the program
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Mark Gooch

Anne Kimzey, folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviews Birmingham photographer Mark Gooch about his career and an important publication documenting Alabama folk artists for the exhibition called; Carry On: Celebrating Twenty Years of the Alabama Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program. (click here for PDF) This program is a rebroadcast from 2008.
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Alabama Arts Radio,Priscilla Hancock Cooper

This program is a 2006 rebroadcast of Randy Shoults, Community Arts, Literature and Design Program Manager for the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviewing Priscilla Hancock Cooper about her literary works. Cooper is the coordinator for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and she is also a teaching writer with the Writing Our Stories Project (Chalkville Campus), an anti-violence creative writing program for incarcerated youth. Writing Our Stories takes place through a cooperative arrangement between the Alabama Writers' Forumand the Alabama Department of Youth Services (DYS).  Cooper is the Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature recipient for 2005. She reads samples from her literary works.

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Randy Foster, Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts

Arts in Education Program Manager Diana Green interviews Randy Foster, Program Manager for Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts 

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Christmas Music

This program features Christmas songs selected from the Fretted Instruments Christmas CDs. In years past Herb Trotman, Wayne Anderson, and numerous Alabama musicians have put together CDs of Christmas music which are distributed each year at Fretted Instruments, Trotman's music store in Homewood.  The project involves what Herb calls "the Large and Amorphous Group", made up of area bands and musicians who record Christmas music especially for each year's CD.

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Robert Haygens white oak basketry

In this program Anne Kimzey, folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviews Robert Haygens of Opp about making white oak baskets and teaching his traditional craft through the support of the Alabama Folk Arts Apprenticeship Program.   Mr. Haygens walks listeners through the entire basketmaking process from selecting the right tree, to weaving the oak splits, to attaching the rim and handles.

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Alabama Dance Festival 2011

Yvette Jones-Smedley, Performing Arts Program Manager interviews Alabama Dance Council Executive Director Rosemary Johnson about the 2011 Dance Festival.

Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Artitst William Christenberry program 2 of 2

This is a rebroadcast of Joey Brackner, Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, interviewing Alabama native, and renowned artist, William Christenberry at his home in Washington D.C in 2007.  This is the second of two interviews with Christenberry discussing his life’s work as an artist that includes his acclaimed photographic documentation of rural Alabama, his unique dream house sculptures, the Klan Tableau, and ongoing mixed-media work.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Artitst William Christenberry program 1 of 2

This program is a rebroadcast of Joey Brackner, Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture, interviewing Alabama native, and renowned artist, William Christenberry at his home in Washington D.C in 2007.  This is the first of two interviews with Christenberry discussing his life's work as an artist that includes drawing and painting as well as his unique dream house sculptures and acclaimed photographic documentation of rural Alabama.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Sculptor Bruce Larsen

Georgine Clarke interviews Bruce Larsen, Fairhope sculptor known for his use of a wide variety of found objects. He discusses the range of his sculpture, from pieces used in popular films to  commissions for the Mobile Museum of Fine Art and the City of Decatur.  Larsen's sculptures of athletes are collected by the United States Sports Academy in Daphne.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, ASCA Program Manager Randy Shoults

This program is a rebroadcast of Joey Brackner, Director of the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture interviewing Randy Shoults, Community Arts and Literature Program Manager for the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Shoults describes various aspects of the grant programs that he manages.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Robert Stripling

In this program Joyce Cauthen, author of With Fiddle and Well-Rosined Bow: The History of Old-Time Fiddling in Alabama, interviews Robert Stripling, the oldest son of Charlie Stripling (1896-1963).  Charlie Stripling was a master fiddler who, with his brother Ira on guitar, recorded 42 fiddle tunes for Brunswick and Decca Records between 1928 and 1936.  He was a popular performer in his hometown of Kennedy and surrounding communities in Lamar, Fayette, Pickens and Tuscaloosa counties, where he played for hundreds of fiddlers’ conventions and dances.  When his recordings were reissued in the 1980s, his music found new fans across the nation. 

 For more information on Charlie Stripling, visit the Encyclopedia of Alabama Online.  For information about the event in Belk visit www.alabamafolklife.org.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Author Rick Bragg

This program is a rebroadcast featuring Alabama State Council on the Arts Executive Director Al Head interviewing renowned Alabama author Rick Bragg about his upbringing in Alabama and his writing career. They discuss Bragg's books, All Over But the Shoutin', Ava's Man, The Prince of Frogtown, and his newest book The Most They Ever Had which is a group of essays built around stories of mill workers at the now defunct Union Yarn Mill in Jacksonville Alabama.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Stacy Bryan and Linda Swann, Alabama Communities of Excellence

Design Alabama Executive Director Gina Clifford interviews Stacey Bryan, Director of the Alabama Communities of Excellence and Linda Swann from the Alabama development Office and current President of ACE. ACE is an organization which works closely with Design Alabama to create quality communities in Alabama. Founded in 2002, The Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) program is a comprehensive three-phase approach to economic and community development for cities with populations between 2,000 and 18,000. With the mission of helping Alabama’s smaller communities to plan, grow and prosper, ACE partners from the private sector, governmental agencies, and universities work with each community to successfully achieve the vision and goals created during the ACE program.
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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Steve Miller Bookarts, program 2

This is a rebroadcast of a 2007 program in which Anne Kimzey, Folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, continues a conversation with professor Steve Miller, coordinator of the Book Arts Program at the University of Alabama.    This is the second of a two-part series where Miller describes hand papermaking and discusses two recent book projects featured in the Southern Arts Federation exhibit conceived through American Masterpieces, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Steve Miller Bookarts

This is a rebroadcast of a 2007 program in which Anne Kimzey, Folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviews professor Steve Miller, coordinator of the Book Arts Program at the University of Alabama.  This radio show is the first in a two-part series, where Miller discusses the art of making books by hand, including letterpress printing and hand papermaking.  Hear how the faculty and students of Alabama’s Book Arts Program use ancient technology to produce cutting edge work. The second part of this interview will take place next week.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast; Dr. Henry Panion, III

Yvette Jones-Smedley, Performing Arts Program Manager interviews internationally known producer, composer, arranger,  orchestrator, conductor, and educator, Dr. Henry Panion, III.   ASCA Music Fellowship recipient, Dr. Panion, shares his wealth of experiences in the music industry from Gospel to Classical, and everything in between. Hear reflections of his professional affiliations with superstars such as Stevie Wonder,  jazz luminaries such as Jonathan Butler and the Lionel Hampton Orchestra as well as Gospel legends the Winans and Juanita Bynum.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast; Thomas Hylton, of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns

To help promote Thomas Hylton's upcoming keynote presentation at the Alabama Communities of Exellence (ACE) organization's kickoff event, Completing the Puzzle to Build a Successful Community on September 23, 2010;  this is a rebroadcast of an earlier program.  DesignAlabama was honored to have Thomas Hylton, of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns as a speaker at their 2008 DesignAlabama Mayors Design Summit. As a former newspaper, man, this Pennsylvania native and resident has turned a passion for a walkable world into a successful non-profit organization promoting walkable communities, downtown redevelopment and historic preservation. Join us during this radio program as we learn more about what individuals and communities can do to save our land and save our towns.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast; Hannah Leatherbury, ArtsReady

Barbara Edwards, Deputy Director for ASCA, interviews Hannah Leatherbury, co-manager of ArtsReady, an initiative of South Arts. South Arts, in partnership with its nine member state arts agencies, urges the arts community to engage in continuity planning through their Be ArtsReady campaign. Being ArtsReady means preparedness, readiness and business continuity for arts organizations.

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Alabama Arts Radio Podcast, Betty Moon Sampson, Master Artist in the Folk Apprenticeship Program

Steve Grauberger interviews 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.

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Alabama Arts Podcast, Tom Davenport Folkstreams.net

Anne Kimzey, folklorist with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, interviews Tom Davenport an independent filmmaker and founding director of Folkstreams.net.  During the program Davenport discusses how Folkstreams preserves and gives new life to documentary films about American folklore and roots cultures by streaming them on the internet.  He talks about several important Alabama films featured on the website, as well as his own work making folklore documentaries and dramatic adaptations of Grimm’s fairy tales.

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Alabama Arts Podcast, Belinda George-Peoples

Yvette Jones-Smedley, Performing Arts Program Manger interviews Birmingham’s own, Belinda George-Peoples, a recipient of the Alabama State Council on the Arts Fellowship Award in Music.  Belinda shares the inspiring tale of her journey which began at the age of six, singing from the church pews  and led her to center stage in a musical written especially to showcase her immense talent in the Red Mountain Theatre’s world premier of “Respect.”

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Alabama Arts Podcast, Teresa Hollingsworth, Gerri Combs, South Arts

In this program, Deborah Boykin talks with South Arts Senior Program Director Teresa Hollingsworth about the programs and services offered through this regional arts organization. In the second half of the program Gerri Combs, Executive Director of South Arts discusses the organization's role in  helping to shape arts policy and advocacy in the Southeast.

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Alabama Arts Podcast, Deborah Rankins, Assistant Director of Library Services at Alabama Southern Community College

Folklife Specialist Anne Kimzey interviews Deborah Rankins, Assistant Director of Library Services at Alabama Southern Community College and the Kathryn Tucker Windham Museum in Thomasville.  Rankins furnishes information about the Windham Museum and discusses a calendar of events that feature various regional storytelling groups that are part of the Kathryn Tucker Windam Storytelling Club in Southwest Alabama.

AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Robin Wade Furniture Builder in Florence AL

Georgine Clarke interviews Florence, Alabama furniture builder Robin Wade. He discusses the techniques used in making his large slab tables and benches and describes cutting trees up to 60" in diameter using a special Austrailian saw mill. The slabs are then both air-dried and kiln dried before the construction begins. Wade talks about his philosophy in working with wood and the aesthetics of the pieces. He describes the finishing process, care of the furniture in a business or home and also his interest in finding and using large historic trees when they have been taken down.

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Alabama Arts Podcast, Elie Lazar, Artistic Director of Montgomery Ballet

Performing Arts Program Manager Yvette Jones-Smedley interviews Elie Lazar, Artistic Director of Montgomery Ballet and recipient of a Fellowship Award in Dance from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA).  Elie talks about his journey as a dancer and choreographer from Israel to New York to Alabama and his professional accomplishments that led to statewide recognition with the ASCA Fellowship Award.  Mr. Lazar also discusses the upcoming season at the Montgomery Ballet and about the exciting collaboration with the Montgomery Choral and other performing arts organizations.

Alabama Arts Podcast, APT production Sloss: Industry to Art

Alabama Center for Traditional Culture Director Joey Brackner interviews Chris Holmes, Executive Producer at Alabama Public Television (APT) and Paige Wainwright, Curator of the Metal Arts Program at Sloss Furances about the new APT production Sloss: Industry to Art having its public premiere July 23rd at Sloss Furnaces National Historic Landmark at 7 P. M. The television premiere  is on July 25th at 7 P. M. on APT.

Alabama Arts Podcast, New Book Gospel Shapenote Singing CD

Folklife Specialist Deb Boykin interviews Steve Grauberger about the new CD project Traditional Musics of Alabama Volume 5 New Book Gospel Shapenote Singing produced by the Alabama Center for Traditional Culture and the Alabama Folklife Association.

Alabama Arts Podcast, Wood Turner Joseph Wujcik

Visual Arts Program Manager Georgine Clarke interviews wood turner Joseph Wujcik of Calera. Wujcik is a recipient of the Council's Individual Artist's Fellowship in Craft. He describes his source of the natural wood burls and the process of creating hollow formed vessels. He also talks about the finishing and care of the pieces as well as marketing his work at Art Festivals throughout the United States.

AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Susan Robertson and Alison Beeson Wiregrass Museum of Art

In this program Joey Brackner interviews Susan Robertson and Alison Beeson of Dothan's  Wiregrass Museum of Art, The Wiregrass Museum of Art is the result of a community’s genuine desire for the arts in the city of Dothan, Alabama and surrounding communities of the Wiregrass Region. Begun in 1991, WMA has grown to be the flagship of the arts in the Wiregrass with a mission to bring the fine arts and art education to Dothan and the Wiregrass Region.
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AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Jan Pruitt, Executive Director of the Kentuck in Northport, Alabama

Georgine Clarke interviews Jan Pruitt, recently appointed Executive Director of the Kentuck program in Northport, Alabama. They discuss the nationally recognized Kentuck Festival of the Arts, celebrating its 39th year in October 2010. The Kentuck art center facilities are located in historic downtown Northport and include resident artists, exhibition spaces, and a shop. Other Kentuck activities including the December celebration "Dickens Downtown" are covered in the program.
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AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Larry Register and Don Fabiani Wiregrass Festival of Murals

Joey Brackner interviews Larry Register and Don Fabiani about the Wiregrass Festival Of Murals project in downtown Dothan. As proclaimed by the Governor, Dothan is a Mural City. Murals painted on many downtown buildings by nationally and internationally known muralists showcase early scenes of local and state history.
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AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Ted Rosengarten

This show is a rebroadcast of Joey Brackner interviewing Ted Rosengarten about his award winning book All God's Dangers: The Life of Nat Shaw and his book  A Portion of the People: 300 Years of Southern Jewish Life
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AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, David Dionne and Mike Mahon

Joey Brackner interviews David Dionne of the Red Mountain Park and Mike Mahon of the Friends of Red Mountain Park.  Red Mountain Park is a new urban park in Birmingham featuring both the natural and cultural history of the area. 
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AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Bettie Fikes Blues Singer and Civil Rights Activist

This week Deborah Boykin interviews singer and civil rights activist Bettie Fikes, who discusses her experiences as a Freedom Singer and the performers who influenced her style as blues singer. Ms. Fikes recently performed in Tuscaloosa with the Alabama Blues Project and talks about returning to her home state to sing with these students.

AlabamaArts Radio Podcast, Poetry Out Loud National Finalist Youssef Biaz

Poetry Out Loud seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry - recitation and performance.  The program, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, provides opportunities for high school students to master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage. Diana Green, Arts in Education Program Manager interviews the 2010 Alabama State Champion, Youssef Biaz from Auburn High School, along with his English teacher and mentor, Davis Thompson. Following this interview, Youssef competed in Washington D.C. in the National semifinals and finals, placing as one of the top 9 finalists (out of 53 champions nationwide) receiving an additional $1000 scholarship and $500 for his school.

Alabama Arts Radio podcast --Alabama Poet Laureate Sue Brennan Walker

Joey Brackner interviews Alabama poet laureate Sue Brannan Walker about her work and Negative Capability Press.

Alabama Arts Radio podcast --MS Hill Country Bluesman Kenny Brown

This week Deborah Boykin interviews bluesman Kenny Brown, who recently appeared at the Chicken and Egg Festival in Moulton. Brown talks about R. L. Burnside and the other musicians who were his influences. He also discusses his North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic. The event pays tribute to Brown's musical roots by presenting most of the performers currently playing in the distinctive hill country blues style he learned as a child.