Smoky Mountain Air – Details, episodes & analysis

Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson talk to Geonoah Davis and Kelly Thompson, two artists whose hip-hop sounds are expanding traditional ideas about music in Appalachia. Borrowing from a generations-old African American heritage of spoken word expression, rap and hip-hop echo a long narrative tradition of African American cultural survival against all odds. These original historical elements are deeply rooted in the fabric of Appalachia, blending into the backdrop of the region's musical character yet revived and brought forward again by these fresh creative talents with their contemporary styles.

Geonoah Davis, known by the artistic name geonovah, was born and raised in Big Stone Gap, VA, in the heart of Appalachia's coal and iron industry. He wasn't the first rapper in his family, and early collaborations with his cousin RKMITCH allowed him to develop his powers of poetry into an artistry for hip-hop lyric and verse.

Kelly Thompson, a.k.a Pookie, also hails from Big Stone Gap but spent his early childhood in North Carolina. Friends since middle school, he and Geonoah have made music together for many years—Kelly creating beats and Geonoah writing lyrics. Kelly evolved his talents to include music production, learning from local producers in his area.

Dr. William Turner is a long-time African American studies scholar and retired Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies and Regional Ambassador from Berea College. He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley and co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia. In 2021, Turner received Western Carolina University’s individual Mountain Heritage Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Southern Appalachian studies. His memoir called The Harlan Renaissance, available from West Virginia University Press, was awarded the prestigious Weatherford Award at the 2022 Appalachian Studies Association Conference.

Dr. Ted Olson is a music historian and professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing, both from Smokies Life. His work has received a number of awards, including nine Grammy nominations. The East Tennessee Historical Society honored Olson with its Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2021.

Music featured includes:

1.    “John Henry” performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA’s (now Smokies Life's) album Big Bend Killing

2.    “Takin’ Me Over” performed by geonovah for the album No Options: Hip-Hop in Appalachia, used courtesy of June Appal Recordings

3.    “S&S” performed by geonovah for the album No Options: Hip-Hop in Appalachia, used courtesy of June Appal Recordings

4.    “Black Lives Never Mattered” by RKMITCH featuring geonovah, vocals mixed by Pookie 

Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson talk to Amythyst Kiah, an acclaimed musician and songwriter whose work is redefining genre boundaries and has established her as a distinctive new voice of Appalachia. Reconnecting with Amythyst in this episode is her mentor, Jack Tottle, an accomplished musician with a long career as a singer, songwriter, author, and educator.

Amythyst Kiah has won critical acclaim as a member of the group Our Native Daughters and for her most recent album, Wary + Strange, which melds roots traditions with alternative rock in songs of personal revelation. She is a native of Chattanooga, TN, and a graduate of East Tennessee State University's Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots program. She received a Grammy nomination in 2020 for “Black Myself," a song she wrote to confront the oppression of her ancestors and to honor their strength.

Jack Tottle is a multi-instrumentalist, recording artist, songwriter, author, and educator whose career has allowed him to share the stage with some of America’s most revered bluegrass artists. He founded the first comprehensive bluegrass music studies program at a four-year university, East Tennessee State's Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies program, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. For many years, he has examined the significant influence of Black Appalachian music on the bluegrass canon.

Dr. William Turner is an African American studies scholar and retired Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies and Regional Ambassador from Berea College. He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley and co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia. In 2021, Turner received Western Carolina University's individual Mountain Heritage Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Southern Appalachian studies. His memoir The Harlan Renaissance, available from West Virginia University Press, was awarded the prestigious Weatherford Award at the 2022 Appalachian Studies Association Conference.

Dr. Ted Olson is a music historian and professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including GSMA’s On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing. His work has received a number of awards, including seven Grammy nominations. The East Tennessee Historical Society honored Olson with its Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2021.

Music featured includes:

1.    “John Henry” and “Pretty Polly” performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA’s album Big Bend Killing

2.    “The Bluegrass Sound” by Jack Tottle, from a collaborative album he produced called The Bluegrass Sound and Other Stories

3.    “Black Myself” performed live by Amythyst Kiah for our podcast. Recordings are available on Songs of Our Native Daughters and Wary + Strange

4.    “Goin Down this Road Feelin’ Bad” performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA’s album On Top of Old Smoky: New Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music

“Early 20th century hikers in the Great Smokies were likely to encounter a small Japanese man on the trail. He was 5 feet 2 inches tall and weighed a little more than 100 pounds. He might have been burdened with a pack containing a heavy camera, tripod, and accompanying equipment. Or he might be pushing the front wheel of a bicycle connected to handlebars with an odometer attached, a cyclometer, that he used to measure trail mileages. Any conversation with this diminutive man would have entailed responses in broken English. And as likely as not, he would have been accompanied by men and women, his friends, who frequently hiked with him. Years later this same man received a letter written April 20, 1932, from the associate director of the National Park Service, Arno Cammerer, that stated in part, ‘You surely are the Great Smoky Mountains patriot…’”

That's a short excerpt from Bill Hart's article about the enigmatic photographer who was born in Japan but came to America and gave his heart to the Great Smoky Mountains region. His name was George Masa, and Hart's article appeared along with a selection of Masa's photographs in one of our ‘missing issues’ of Smokies Life, Volume 2, #2. These missing issues are no longer in print but are available to view online at SmokiesInformation.org/MissingIssues. 

Our guests Janet McCue and Paul Bonesteel are in the process of co-authoring a biography of George Masa. McCue is an independent writer and researcher, co-author of Back of Beyond: A Horace Kephart Biography, and collaborator on many Kephart projects. She is the former director of Mann Library at Cornell University.

Paul Bonesteel is a filmmaker, director, and founder of Bonesteel Films, a production company based in Asheville, NC. His documentary film The Mystery of George Masa (available on Vimeo with promo code "Masa") explores the compelling story of the immigrant who came to the mountains of Western North Carolina, gained employment at the grand Grove Park Inn, connected with many of Asheville's most influential residents, and found his passion in photography and hiking with his friends in the Carolina Mountain Club.

We spoke with McCue and Bonesteel on an online video chat while they were in their respective states of New York and North Carolina.

A digitized collection of George Masa’s photographs can be found online in the virtual "North Carolina Room" of Buncombe County Library's website. 

Stephen Lyn Bales is the former senior naturalist at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville and the author of Ephemeral by Nature: Exploring the Exceptional with a Tennessee Naturalist, Natural Histories: Stories from the Tennessee Valley, and Ghost Birds: Jim Tanner and the Quest for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, each published by UT Press. A native of Gatlinburg, he is the great-grandson of Jim Bales whose home site is preserved on Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. 

Bales has written for Smokies Life magazine, including a story on the winter wren, which appeared in one of our missing issues, Volume 9, #1. These missing issues are no longer in print but are available to view online at SmokiesInformation.org/MissingIssues. Stephen Lyn Bales also writes an online blog titled Nature Calling. We spoke with him on an online video chat while he was sitting outside in his Knoxville neighborhood, appropriately surrounded by the sounds of birds.

What goes on in the uppermost layers of a Smoky Mountain forest? Does anything live up there? And who's going to climb up there to find out? “From charismatic microfauna to megafauna—from water bears to black bears—the forest canopy harbors so much,” says author Rose Houk.
Join us as we delve into one of the ‘missing issues’ of our biannual publication, Smokies Life, to rediscover Houk's article “Life in the Canopy.” Learn about the diverse wildlife that resides in the forest canopy and the risky, physical work required to identify these creatures. This article appeared in Smokies Life, Volume 9, Issue #2, an older issue now out of print. In addition to this special reading, we are resurrecting some of our ‘missing issues’ and providing them free, digitally, through our virtual magazine, Smokies LIVE.

On this episode of our mini-series Sepia Tones, Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson welcome Dom Flemons, a renowned performer of American folk music and a founding member of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. Citing a variety of musical influences—including the legendary Howard Armstrong and the inimitable Elizabeth Cotten—Flemons shares his journey into becoming a tradition-bearer of old-time music and demonstrates the subtleties of rural black musical styles he’s learned along the way.

Dom Flemons is a founding member of the Grammy-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, a two-time Emmy nominee, and the creative force behind a number of solo works including, most recently, Black Cowboys and Prospect Hill: The American Songster Omnibus. He is a multi-instrumentalist whose repertoire spans the history of American folklore, ballads, and tunes.

Dr. William Turner is a long-time African American studies scholar and retired Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies and Regional Ambassador from Berea College. He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley and co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia. In 2021, Turner received Western Carolina University's individual Mountain Heritage Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Southern Appalachian studies. His memoir called The Harlan Renaissance, available from West Virginia University Press, was awarded the prestigious Weatherford Award at the 2022 Appalachian Studies Association Conference.

Dr. Ted Olson is a music historian and professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including GSMA’s own On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing. His work has received a number of awards, including seven Grammy nominations. The East Tennessee Historical Society honored Olson with its Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2021.

Music featured includes:

1.    "John Henry" performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA’s album Big Bend Killing

2.    “Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” and “Knox County Stomp,” both from Dom Flemons’ most recent album, Black Cowboys, from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

3.    “Po’ Black Sheep” performed by Dom Flemons as part of the African American Legacy Recordings series, co-produced with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

4.    “Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind” and "Cornbread and Butterbeans" both by The Carolina Chocolate Drops and Joe Thompson, from their collaborative album released by Music Maker Foundation

5.    And a selection of music performed for our podcast by Dom Flemons

On this episode of our mini-series Sepia Tones, Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson welcome a spirited conversation with special guests Dr. Kathy Bullock and Rev. Dr. Virgil Wood. Our guests discuss the African American traditions of spiritual music, gospel, and the unique revival of shape note singing in 20th-century Appalachia. In many cases, music from sacred traditions and communities also became anthems that propelled those struggling in the civil rights movement.

Dr. Kathy Bullock is an arranger, choral conductor, pianist, and recently retired Professor Emerita of Music at Berea College in Kentucky specializing in gospel music, spirituals, and classical works by composers of the African diaspora.

Dr. Virgil Wood is a longtime church leader, educator, and civil rights activist who, among many other accomplishments, helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference alongside the organization’s first president, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. William Turner is a long-time African American studies scholar and retired Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Studies and Regional Ambassador from Berea College. He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley and co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia. His memoir called The Harlan Renaissance is available now from West Virginia University Press. In 2021, Turner was honored with Western Carolina University's individual Mountain Heritage Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Southern Appalachian studies.

Dr. Ted Olson is a professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University and the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including GSMA’s On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing. He’s received a number of awards in his work, including seven Grammy nominations. The East Tennessee Historical Society recently honored Olson with its Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2021.

Music featured includes:

1. "John Henry" performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA’s album Big Bend Killing
2. "Come and Go" performed by the Berea Black Music Ensemble at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music, 2014, Berea Sound Archive
3. "I Have a Friend Above All Others" performed by the Bethlehem Kings Quartet, 1949, Berea Sound Archive
4. "Swing Low" performed by Mount Sinai Spirituals at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music, 2015, Berea Sound Archive
5. "Jesus Is a Rock in a Weary Land" performed by members of the Holiness Church by Faith in Ozark, AL, 1968, recorded by Richard H. Tallmadge, Berea Sound Archive
6. "Precious Lord" performed by Nat Reese at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music,1991, Berea Sound Archive
7. "Amazing Grace" performed by the Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers during the Symposium of Rural Hymnody at Berea College, 1979, Berea Sound Archive
8. And a selection of music performed for our podcast by Dr. Kathy Bullock

On this episode of our mini-series Sepia Tones, Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson examine music within rural communities with guests Earl White, Larry Kirksey, and Kip Lornell. Each of our guests has been on their own quest, whether seeking the musical kinship of other black performers past and present, finding a life outside of Kentucky coal camps, or documenting the rich musical landscape of rural communities.

Earl White is an accomplished fiddler and prominent figure of old-time music and dance. He was a founding member of The Green Grass Cloggers, and his energetic and rhythmic fiddle style is showcased through his vast repertoire of Appalachian music. He resides in Floyd County, VA, where he and his wife run a farm and bakery.

Larry Kirksey grew up in Harlan County in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, sharing a lifelong friendship with our host Dr. William Turner. He went on to become a respected coach in the NFL, achieving victory at Super Bowl XXIX with the San Francisco 49ers. From his beginnings in eastern Kentucky, his work has taken him all over the United States and to other countries.

Kip Lornell is a professor of American music and ethnomusicology at George Washington University. He has written a number of books, articles, and essays and was awarded a Grammy in 1997 for his contribution to Smithsonian Folkways’ Anthology of American Folk Music. He studied African American music for many years and completed field work in various areas, including the Appalachian region.

Dr. William Turner is a long-time African American studies scholar who first rose to prominence as co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia. He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley. Turner retired as distinguished professor of Appalachian Studies and regional ambassador at Berea College. His memoir called The Harlan Renaissance is forthcoming from West Virginia University Press.

Dr. Ted Olson is a professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University and the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including GSMA’s On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing. He’s received a number of awards in his work, including seven Grammy nominations. The East Tennessee Historical Society recently honored Olson with its Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Music selections include:

1.  "John Henry" performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA’s album Big Bend Killing
2. "Shuckin’ the Brush" performed by The Earl White Stringband, from the 2018 Mountains of Music Homecoming CD In the Key of Blue, used courtesy of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail
3. "G-Rag" performed by the Georgia Yellow Hammers accompanied by Jim and Andrew Baxter, recorded in 1927
4. "Driftin’ and Driftin’" performed by the Foddrell Brothers, accompanied by Lynn Foddrell, at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music in 1982, used courtesy of  Berea Sound Archives
5. Clogging audio clip from the short documentary film "The Green Grass Cloggers" produced in 1978 by David Balch, filmed at the 1978 North Carolina Folklife Festival, used courtesy of The Green Grass Cloggers with thanks to Leanne Smith
6. Devil in the Strawstack" performed for our podcast by Earl White

On this special episode of Smoky Mountain Air, guest hosts Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson kick off an exciting new mini-series called Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music. Guests Loyal Jones, Sparky Rucker, and James Leva contribute to this lively conversation about the roots of Appalachian music and their own roles in preserving these musical influences.

Loyal Jones served as director of the Appalachian Center now named in his honor at Berea College. He established the annual festival of traditional music at Berea and the Appalachian Sound Archive. Jones is the author of numerous books of regional interest.

Sparky Rucker grew up in Knoxville, TN, and has become an internationally recognized folk singer, musician, and storyteller. He has been an educator, performer, and social activist and has been involved in the Civil Rights movement since the 1950s.

James Leva is a multi-instrumentalist playing the fiddle, guitar, and banjo, and he’s a singer and songwriter. His work with The Lost Tribe of Country Music transcends racial and generational boundaries as well as musical genres.

Dr. William Turner is a long-time African American studies scholar who first rose to prominence as co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia (1985). He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley. Turner retired as distinguished professor of Appalachian Studies and regional ambassador at Berea College. His memoir called The Harlan Renaissance is forthcoming from West Virginia University Press in 2021.

Dr. Ted Olson is a professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University and the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including GSMA’s On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing. He’s received a number of awards in his work as a music historian, including seven Grammy nominations.

Music selections in this episode:

1. “John Henry” performed by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from GSMA's Big Bend Killing (https://www.smokiesinformation.org/big-bend-killing-the-appalachian-ballad-tradition-2-disk-cd)
2. “Careless Love” performed on guitar by Etta Baker, used courtesy of Berea Sound Archive (https://soundarchives.berea.edu/items/show/2455)
3. “Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss” performed by Ali Farka Touré with Lee Sexton and others from an informal gathering at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, used courtesy of Bryan Wright of Rivermont Records
4. “We Shall (We Will) Overcome” from the Highlander Collection of the Southern Folklife Collection, Wilson Special Collections Library, UNC Chapel Hill; used courtesy of the  Septima Clark Learning Center at Highlander Center (https://youtu.be/5YkTUeFViUY)
5. “Come Sit By My Side Little Darlin’” performed by Bill Livers, Berea Sound Archive (https://soundarchives.berea.edu/items/show/6937)
6. “Jola Gambia” performed by Daniel Jatta and the Lost Tribe of Country Music, used courtesy of James Leva (https://soundcloud.com/raisin-music/akonting)
7. “My Home’s Across the Smoky Mountains,” performed by Sparky Rucker at the Berea College Celebration of Traditional Music, 1981, used courtesy of Digital Library of Appalachia’s Berea College collection (https://dla.acaweb.org/digital/collection/berea/id/2625/rec/11)

Our guests Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson talk about an exciting new podcast mini-series they'll be co-hosting as part of Smoky Mountain Air called Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music. This mini-series can be found right here through this podcast, with new episodes every other month. 

Dr. William Turner is a long-time African American studies scholar who first rose to prominence as co-editor of the groundbreaking Blacks in Appalachia (1985). He was also a research assistant to Roots author Alex Haley. Turner retired as distinguished professor of Appalachian Studies and regional ambassador at Berea College. His memoir called The Harlan Renaissance is forthcoming from West Virginia University Press in 2021.

Dr. Ted Olson is a professor of Appalachian Studies at East Tennessee State University and the author of many books, articles, reviews, encyclopedia entries, and oral histories. Olson has produced and compiled a number of documentary albums of traditional Appalachian music including GSMA's On Top of Old Smoky and Big Bend Killing. He's received a number of awards in his work as a music historian, including seven Grammy nominations.

We spoke to Dr. William Turner and Dr. Ted Olson on an online video chat.

Music selections in this episode:

1. "My Home's Across the Smoky Mountains" by Sparky Rucker from the Digital Library of Appalachia's Berea College collection (https://dla.acaweb.org/digital/collection/berea/id/2625/rec/11)
2. "John Hardy" by Martin Simpson, featuring Dom Flemons on harmonica and bones, from On Top of Old Smoky: New Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music (https://www.smokiesinformation.org/on-top-of-old-smoky-new-old-time-smoky-mountain-music-cd)
3. "Key to the Highway" by the Foddrell Brothers from the Berea Sound Archive (https://soundarchives.berea.edu/items/show/2652)
4. "John Henry" by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from Big Bend Killing (https://www.smokiesinformation.org/big-bend-killing-the-appalachian-ballad-tradition-2-disk-cd)
5. "Goin' Down this Road Feelin' Bad" by Amythyst Kiah and Roy Andrade from On Top of Old Smoky: New Old-Time Smoky Mountain Music (https://www.smokiesinformation.org/on-top-of-old-smoky-new-old-time-smoky-mountain-music-cd)