Favorite Outtakes of 2021: Corrie Askew

Every episode of Southern Songs and Stories finds its way onto public radio WNCW, albeit in a condensed form. Corrie Askew produces a radio version of each show to fit within the eight minutes that it reaches FM listeners on alternating Tuesday mornings (Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails and American Songcatcher air on the other Tuesdays). Because there is so much material that cannot fit into either version of the show, many great moments have to be left behind. Corrie Askew, who also produces and hosts WNCW’s bluegrass and old-time show Mountain Mornings 6-7AM Sunday through Friday, proposed that it would be a great idea to feature some of her favorite moments of the series from last year which never made it onto the podcast or WNCW. In this special episode, Corrie goes to unheard portions of interviews with Amanda Anne Platt, Amythyst Kiah, Dom Flemons and Esther Rose for this mini-retrospective of 2021.

Thank you for visiting, and we hope you enjoy this series! Feel free to give us feedback on our social media via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook and you can also drop a comment below this article. Please do follow the series on podcast platforms everywhere, where it greatly helps when you give us a top rating and even more so with a good review, because the show’s visibility to everyone using those platforms depends largely on followers, ratings and reviews. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here . You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio at here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing this special episode, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Dom Flemons: Finding New Ways Forward By Reviving Music's Past

For those who adhere to the old adage that “If you're the smartest person in the room, you're in the wrong room,” you would likely feel comfortable being in the company of Dom Flemons. Now living in Chicago, he has called many places home, from his native Arizona to North Carolina to Washington, D.C., and has covered even more musical territory, mastering the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills, and bones in many styles along the way. He won widespread acclaim as a founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and after leaving the group in 2013, has not missed a beat, playing at Carnegie Hall, the Grand Ole Opry, the opening ceremonies for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and has represented the United States at the 2017 Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching, Malaysia. These accomplishments only scratch the surface of his remarkable career, to say nothing of his warmth, openness and modest charm.

Dom Flemons at the Outback Opry drive-in concert 09-05-20 (photo: Daniel Coston)

Thanks for dropping by, and I hope you might reach out to someone you know who is a fan of music, history or culture and let them know about this series. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Pandora, NPR One -- pretty much everywhere you can find podcasts. And once you subscribe, it helps even more when you give it a good rating and a review. Top ratings, and especially your reviews, will make Southern Songs and Stories and the artists it profiles more likely to be found by more people just like you. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. My full interview with Dom Flemons is on video, which is on my YouTube here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW. Our theme songs are by Joshua Meng. This is Southern Songs and Stories, celebrating the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

Music heard in this episode:

“‘Til The Seas Run Dry” by Dom Flemons from Prospect Hill

“Going Backward Up the Mountain” by Dom Flemons from Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus

“Georgia Drumbeat” from Dom Flemons’ Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus

“Shake Your Moneymaker” by Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band with Dom Flemons and Steve Cropper

“My Money Never Runs Out” by Dom Flemons from Prospect Hill

Winter 2021 Preview

After a brief pause over the holidays, it is time to jump into the new year with a strong lineup of guest artists here at Southern Songs and Stories. On deck is Dom Flemons who has a new song with Reverend Peyton featured in his episode, as well as Amythyst Kiah who is soon to raise her profile with her album Wary + Strange, with its lead single “Black Myself” scheduled for release on February 19th. Also in our pipeline are Ben Nichols of the band Lucero, and a relatively new artist, Pony Bradshaw, both of whom have new albums which we will explore as we speak with them in their podcasts. Here is a taste of what is soon to come, enjoy! - Joe Kendrick

Dom Flemons performs at WNCW’s Outback Opry drive-in concert September 2020 (photo: Daniel Coston)