Music City Roots Music City Roots

It's a rewind show featuring four singular songwriters - Nashville artists doing what Nashville does best. We launch the show with our own in-house master, the country/Americana/bluegrass song decathlete Jim Lauderdale from 2017. And we close by throwing way back to 2011 with the serene and sophisticated Matraca Berg.
In a similar vein, Berg's close friend and colleague Gretchen Peters plays songs from her album Blackbirds in 2015. From that same year, Louisiana native and bayou roots poet Kevin Gordon. Masters of the craft on Music City Roots. 

A Rewind show we're calling Where Were They Then? Five artists who've become stars of Americana playing the MCR stage on their way up. The explosive New South soul of St Paul and the Broken Bones, in their first show outside of their AL home from 2012. Margo Price leads the Price Tags and talks about her transition from rock and roll to country, from 2014. And from 2013, an up and comer named Sturgill Simpson. Also Los Angeles dynamo Sam Outlaw, just before he released his debut and a band we're rooting for, Dustbowl Revival. Looking back to learn about the latest and greatest.

The show returns to the road. Not a very long road though. We're back in downtown Nashville at the City Winery with a lineup split in two chapters. In the first half, it's Americana rock and soul with Nora Jane Struthers, offering material off her acclaimed album Champion, and newcomer Emma Hern with a sultry and exceptional voice. Then it's bluegrass, traditional form with Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers and in the more exotic, adventuresome form with the Travellin' McCourys. And father Del joins for a couple of songs as well.

We rewind, all the way back to Nov. 21, 2012. It was an historic occasion too, celebrating the release of a long awaited album, one of the consensus best of that year, and it involved our fantastic musical host with his longtime friend and partner, but it was the first time they'd recorded a full project as a duo. Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller.
Also on this epic bill, The Church Sisters with breezy bluegrass, pure country by the master of song Shawn Camp, the roots and groove of Nashville's all star 18 South and the fire and brimstone gospel rock of Mike Farris. A classic, recorded on the night before Thanksgiving at the Loveless Barn. 

The show is live and back on the road to yet another treasured venue, the Nashville Palace, a big old honky tonk near the Grand Ole Opry. And it's an Opry worthy evening as we pay tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens and the musical legacy of West Virginia. We hear sets from Country Music Hall of Famer Connie Smith, bluegrass icon Tim O'Brien and the divine folk and country star Kathy Mattea. Also on the bill, West Virginia Hall of Famer John Ellison who wrote the song 'Some Kind of Wonderful' plus songwriter Todd Burge and 30-year state favorites The Carpenter Ants. It was almost heaven.

An absolutely classic MCR from July of 2015. This memorable night featured Nashville's deepest electric blues and one of the nation's most important new acoustic folk duos. The former is legendary guitarist and songwriter - icon of the Bluebird Cafe - Mike Henderson, with new music. The latter is the Woodstock NY power couple Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams. Also on the bill, we'll hear head turning juke joint funk from his and her duo Smooth Hound Smith. Plus the remarkable voice and complex torch songs of breakout artist Emily West. Peter Cooper's the guest host.