Joe Kendrick
Director of Programming and OperationsJoe Kendrick grew up far off in the woods in rural Stanfield, NC, where he acquired his first Sony Walkman, listened to both AM and FM radio from Charlotte, went to Nascar races at Charlotte Motor Speedway, attended a small Baptist church, read Rolling Stone, subscribed to cassette clubs, and played one very forgettable season of high school football. From there, Joe studied Journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was able to fulfill his dream of being a disc jockey at WXYC. He volunteered at WNCW soon after graduation.
After several years and two stints in radio on the coast in Wilmington, Joe was back in western NC where he returned to volunteering at WNCW while he started his first business, a landscape lighting franchise with Outdoor Lighting Perspectives. In 1999, he met his future wife Amy at the Isotope 217 concert at Vincent's Ear in Asheville, and a year later they wed. The landscape lighting business grew but so did Joe's presence on the radio, and the desire to follow his heart led him to sell his business in 2006. Soon thereafter, he garnered the morning host slot on WNCW and has been full time in Spindale ever since.
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Conversations from WNCW's What It Is music talk show host Joe Kendrick with guests Jeff Eason, Fred Mills and Carol Rifkin from 2009
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Conversations with producer and artist Jonathan Wilson including music excerpts from his psychedelic fifth album Eat the Worm as well as rising Americana star Bella White, whose second album Among Other Things he produced, including commentary from host and producer Joe Kendrick.
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20 Questions, bluegrass, old-time and classic country style
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An artist determined to play her own style of blues no matter what
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From O Brother, Where Art Thou? to The Brother Boys to teaching at ETSU, and releasing his tenth solo album Chimney Smoke
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How dreaming of a jam session led to a long awaited reunion and resurgence
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In an era when Taylor Swift can set the world on fire with an album titled Folklore, what space is left for actual folklore?
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One of our favorite bands has a new album spinning on WNCW; here is a review of its lead-off track
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Asheville, NC singer-songwriters open up about the intimacy and vulnerability of their music, how they navigate their careers post-COVID, the resurgence of the LP and more
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The Idaho Americana artist on roots that rock, and learning to roll with life’s punches