Dolly Parton Part 2: Nicholas Edward Williams picks up with Dolly Parton’s solo success in country music. Williams highlights Dolly’s crossover into popular music, her film roles, Dollywood, and her lasting legacy.

Dolly Parton Part 1: Nicholas Edward Williams takes a look at the life of Dolly Parton. He starts with her upbringing on Locust Ridge and writing her first song at age five. He moves through her early years busking in Knoxville, her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry at 13, and closes this first installment with her leaving Porter Wagoner and writing “I Will Always Love You”.

Nicolas Edward Williams takes a look at the life of Dolly Parton from her early years to her departure from her partnership with Porter Wagner.

Nicholas Edward Williams picks up in the 1970s with Rambling Jack Elliott and his tour with Bob Dylan through receiving the Presidential Medal of the Arts in the 1990s. It touches on his daughter's biographical film that won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

The story of Rambling Jack Elliott rolls from his time with Woody Guthrie in the late stages of his life and immersing himself deep in the heart of Appalachia for a year in the 1950s to finally getting some mainstream recognition.

85: Nicholas Edwards Williams' first installment on balladeer Burl Ives from his early life in Illinois through his college years and training at Juilliard.

Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with one of today’s most eclectic roots musicians, Buffalo Nichols. Since his earliest infatuations with the guitar, Carl, who goes by the name Buffalo Nichols, has asked himself the same question: How can I bring the blues of the past into the future? A student of African traditions and their roots in the blues, as well as the black influence on “white” music in country, bluegrass, old-time, and folk, the depth and airy nature of his voice lends itself to all these traditions, as represented in his music. We talked about his trajectory as a musician early on, being picked up by labels, and now being independent, the misinformed music history narrative that’s been pushed on all of us since the 1920s, and many things in between.

Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with Grammy-nominated folk singer, storyteller, humanitarian, author, and multi-virtuoso-instrumentalist John McCutcheon. During his five-decade career, John has released 44 albums spanning an eclectic catalog of ballads, historical songs, children's songs, love songs, topical satire, fiddle and hammer dulcimer instrumentals, and even symphonic works. He is regarded as a master of the ⁠hammered dulcimer⁠, and is also proficient on many other instruments, including guitar, ⁠banjo⁠, ⁠autoharp⁠, ⁠mountain dulcimer⁠, ⁠fiddle⁠, and ⁠jaw harp⁠, and has received six ⁠Grammy Award⁠ nominations for his children’s songs. I got to know a bit of John’s story early on, his evolution as a preservationist and what it's been like to be an ambassador for as long as he has, what he’s up to these days, and of course some geeking out on music history. Enjoy!

Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with GRAMMY-NOMINATED American guitarist, composer, producer, and bandleader Charlie Hunter. He first came onto the scene in the early 1990s, and simultaneously plays bass lines, chords, and melodies on custom seven and eight-string guitars, as featured in trios and quintet projects, as well as Garage-A-Trois. Notably, Charlie is also a student of ragtime guitar, using the true two-finger technique pioneered by Arthur Blind Blake and very different from what he’s known for. We talked about Charlie’s upbringing in a musical family, finding his own path, the groove and authenticity, all things Blind Blake, and as usual, we geeked out on some music history. Enjoy!

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. The multimedia presentation traverses Western North Carolina music history, starting with the native Cherokee, first settlers and immigration, African-American influence on Appalachian music, and short stories of obscure and well-known musicians from North Carolina.