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56本のエピソード
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American Songcatcher Nicholas Edward Williams
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- 音楽
Tracing the roots of American music from its cultured past to artists playing it forward, folk musician, musicologist and host Nicholas Edward Williams takes listeners on a unique documentary-style podcast experience. Dive into the stories of centuries-old Traditional songs and migrants who carried their musical heritage here, and uncover the lives of pioneers and integral musicians who created and shaped styles such as Bluegrass, Ragtime, Jazz and Swing, Country, Gospel, Blues, Old-Time, and the Folk music that's derived from it all. Here's to the songs of old, may they live on forever. Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support
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S3:E6 // Sam Cooke
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 also was 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.
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Credits: Jonah Nordeen - Research, Writing
Teddy Chipouras - Editing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, Editing, Recording and Distribution
References:
Campbell, L. E. (2013, February 16). Jesus Gave Me Water. Archive. Today.
DeCurtis, A., Henke, J., & George-Warren, H. (Eds.). (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The definitive history of the most important artists and their music (3rd ed). Random House.
Guralnick, P. (2005). Dream boogie: The triumph of Sam Cooke (1st ed). Little, Brown.
James, E., & Ritz, D. (2003). Rage to survive: The Etta James story (2. ed). Da Capo.
Ritz, D. (2022). Sam Cooke. In Encyclopedia Britannica.
Robinson, L. (1964, December 31). Tragedy-Filled Life of Singer Sam Cooke. Jet, XXVII(13), 56–65.
Runtagh, J. (2021, January 21). Why Mystery Still Shrouds Singer Sam Cooke’s Shooting Death Nearly 60 Years Later. People.
Documentaries:
Two Killings of Sam Cooke - Netflix
Who Murdered Soul?
The Sam Cooke Story. (2018, July 15). YouTube.
Wharton, M. (Director). (1996). Legend [Documentary]. Amazon Prime.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support -
Bonus // Southern Songs and Stories
Today on the program, through our host public radio station WNCW in Spindale, NC, we’re sharing one of our favorite cultural podcasts, called Southern Songs and Stories, a documentary series about the music of the American south and the artists who make it. The show is based in western North Carolina and the surrounding Appalachian and foothill regions, covering a wide array of musicians and bands, documenting the current music of the South and the story of how it came to be, put together by host and producer Joe Kendrick.
This episode features a niche style, born from the long lineage of hymns and gospel songs that has been informing so many genres of American music since as early as the 18th century. Gospel music has tremendous depth and width, and here, the story focuses on one of its many branches, a little known tradition thriving in places like Washington D.C. and Charlotte, NC: the trombone shout band.
Links:
Southern Songs & Stories
WNCW Radio
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Support Educational Programming:
Tax-Exempt Donations
Join the Patreon Community
One-time donations: Venmo or PayPal
Follow American Songcatcher on Instagram
Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, editing, recording and distribution
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support -
S3:E5 // Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
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 1930’s-1950’s, 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 1920’s 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.
Story by Brent Davis and Nicholas Edward Williams
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Support Educational Programming:
Tax-Exempt Donations
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Story Credits:
Brent Davis - Research, Writing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, writing editing, recording and distribution
Homecoming: Reflections on Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, 1915-1973, Charles R.
Townsend.
Country Music Hall of Fame
Authentic Texas
OW Mayo
The Life and Times of Bob Wills
Country Music, an Illustrated History, Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns.
Country Music, a PBS documentary by Florentine Films, Ken Burns, director; Dayton Duncan,
writer.
OK History
Life and Times of Bob Wills (TNN)
Texas Monthly
Birthplace of Western Swing
The Country Music Pop-Up Book, by the staff of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard, Marc Elliot.
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support -
Talkin' Blues // Charlie Hunter
Today, I’m sharing a conversation I had with GRAMMY-NOMINATED American guitarist, composer, producer and bandleader Charlie Hunter. He first came on to 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!
Charlie's Links:
Official Website
Instagram
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Tax-Exempt Donations
Join the Patreon Community
One-time donations: Venmo or PayPal
Follow American Songcatcher on Instagram
Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, editing, recording and distribution
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S3:E4 // Bascom Lamar Lunsford & A Living Tradition
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.
Over the last year, I was fortunate enough to visit North Carolina several times, to visit with Bascom’s old home and talk with head of the non-profit that now owns it, perform at the annual Lunsford Festival at Mars Hill University, and witness the return of filmmaker David Hoffman, who first filmed Bascom in the 1964, and was coming back to visit the area for the first time in the nearly 60 years since. This is a window into a living tradition.
GoFundMe for Bascom's Home Restoration (for the Pondering Bascom non-profit)
Documentaries mentioned:
Music Makers of the Blue Ridge - David Hoffman (1965)
Madison County, North Carolina - Where Music History is Alive (2023)
Special thanks to:
Rare Bird Farm
Golden Shoals
Madison County
Mars Hill University
Tim Duggan
David Hoffman
Support Educational Programming:
Make a Tax Exempt Donation
Join the Patreon Community
Send a one-time donation via Venmo or PayPal
Follow American Songcatcher on Instagram
Credits:
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, editing, recording and distribution
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support -
S3:E3 // Mississippi Fred McDowell
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 from 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.
Watch the full documentary “Shake Em On Down”
Support Educational Programming:
Join the Patreon Community
Send a one-time donation on Venmo or PayPal
Follow American Songcatcher:
Instagram | TikTok
Credits: Ryan Eastridge - Research, Writing
Nicholas Edward Williams - Production, research, editing, recording and distribution
References:
Shirley Collins Book | Alan Lomax Book | Laurence Cohn Book | UdiscoveredMusic |Allmusic| MS Blues Trail | KUNC | Mt. Zion Memorial Fund | John Szwed Book | Musicians Guide | Commercial Appeal | “Shake Em On Down”
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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/americansongcatcher/support