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WNCW believes in how local, community, and public radio serve its listeners. So, when Cory Vaillancourt of Smoky Mountain News wanted to share his story about Senate Bill 315, which mandates that all new passenger motor vehicles manufactured or sold in the United States include AM radio receivers as standard equipment, we wanted to hear about it. This conversation originally aired in March 2025.

Asheville Theatre Alliance (ATA) Co-Founder, Jeff Cantanese was Paul's guest on this feature interview to share what ATA is all about. The non-profit group came together as a way to strengthen the Asheville theatre community as a whole. Jeff also shared details about an ATA podcast that just got off the ground. This conversation originally aired in March 2025.

Find out about The Weave Project and The Weaver Awards, which recognize and celebrate the weavers — those who weave their communities together — in Wilkes County. Local Weave Staffer, Greg Brady, gives the history and meaning of Weave, while award winner, Teacher Heather Williams, shares why she was recognized. This conversation originally aired in March 2025.

Today on the program, we're proud to present the story behind the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills. One of the most influential and iconic bandleaders and musicians of the 1930s-1950s, Bob came from a humble life of a poor sharecropping family, and was deeply influenced by old-time and breakdown fiddle through his Texas state champion family of fiddlers in his father and uncle. Bob also loved all the turn-of-the-century and 1920s black music, and this confluence of cultures would help him create the craze that became Western swing, and the details of his journey to get there will surprise you.

Happy release day! Today on our program, we’re delighted to release the first episode of Season 3, diving into the life of renowned songwriter, riverboat pilot, folklorist, song collector, music historian, accomplished fiddler and banjoist, clog & shuffle dancer, storyteller, and consummate entertainer, John Hartford. One of the most brilliant yet lesser-known musicians of the last century, John was the key figure in redefining Bluegrass and American roots music for future generations, the unofficial father of “newgrass”, who had a life that was anything but ordinary.

Today on our program, we present the story of one of the most iconic American Folk songs, born from the lineage of 16th-century ballads brought by immigrants from the British Isles, "Shady Grove". Often used in both dance and courtship, the timeless melody was the backbone for countless ballads and folk songs that made their way to North America and took root in the Appalachian and Ozark Mountain ranges. To date, "Shady Grove" has been estimated to have amassed over 300 stanzas since was first sung in the Cumberland Plateau region of Eastern Kentucky in the mid-nineteenth century. Story by Ryan Eastridge.

Today on the program, we present the story of the father of North Mississippi Hill Country Blues, Mississippi Fred McDowell. From humble beginnings, Fred was inspired by the likes of Charley Patton, his neighbor Eli "Booster" Green, and the sounds he gathered from guitarists in Memphis, Mississippi, and the Delta, and defined the often overlooked nuances of the blues. Like many of the great Southern pre-war blues guitarists born around the turn of the century, Fred was "discovered" by Alan Lomax in 1959, and continues to inspire slide guitarists to this day, despite not being a household name in the blues realm.

Today, we proudly present something a little different on American Songcatcher. Instead of the usual documentary podcast-style piece, this is a compilation of field recordings I did in Buncombe and Madison Counties just outside of Asheville, NC. Considered the mecca of the long-held traditions in ballad singing and old-time mountain music, this area is also home to the "Minstrel of the Appalachians", one of the most important yet lesser-known figures in folk and old-time music, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, who was born on this day 142 years ago.

Today on the program, we present the story behind the Father of Soul, Sam Cooke. Growing up in the church, Sam knew he wanted to be a singer by the time he was five years old. There was a magnetic and infectious quality to this young gospel singer, and he knew he was destined for bigger things than singing sacred music. The risk he took in becoming a pop singer was massive, but it produced the first records of what is now known as soul music. Sam was also a pioneer when it came to being savvy about the music business, owning his own publishing company, negotiating contracts, and creating a container to nurture up-and-coming soul singers. At the height of the civil rights movement, and the pinnacle of his career, Sam's life was cut short. Here is his story.