OTR Newsletter

About Old-Time Music On The Radio

Old-time music and radio share a rich history together. If the right steps are taken now, they can also share the promise of a great future. In April, 1992 a process began which has brought together supporters of old-time music and members of the radio community from throughout the U.S. and beyond. This newsletter is part of a dedicated volunteer effort by musicians, radio professionals, journalists, organizers, and radio listeners to forge a coalition which will result in expanded radio airplay for the music they love.

OTR Mission Statement

OTR Steering Committee

Paul Brown, a veteran musician and programmer who spent several years at WPAQ, Mt. Airy, NC, currently hosts Across The Blue Ridge on and works in the news department for WFDD-FM 88.5, Winston-Salem, NC. Paul plays music with the Toast String Stretchers and Benton Flippen.

David Holt has spent a career as missionary for old-time music as both a performer and media figure. Currently host of American Public Radio's Live From the Riverwalk, this 1993 Grammy nominee hosted the Fire on the Mountain and American Music Shop series on The Nashville Network.

John Lilly recently assumed a position with the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College. A former Green Grass Clogger and employee of the Country Music Hall of Fame, John plays with Ralph Blizard and the New Southern Ramblers.

Art Menius, Manager of the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance, serves as president of the Old-Time Music Group, Inc. From 1985 - 1990 he held the position of Executive Director of the International Bluegrass Music Association.

First Annual Conference on Old-Time Music and Radio

Old-Time Music On The Radio (OTR) is pleased to announce early plans for the First Annual Conference on Old-Time Music and Radio, which will be held May 31 - June 2, 1994 in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. The Mt. Airy Fiddlers' Convention, which is held every year during the first full weekend in June, has long been a major gathering spot for traditional musicians, and the Old-Time Music and Radio Conference will be coordinated with this gathering.

Beginning on Tuesday, May 31, musicians, radio programmers, record company representatives, presenters, and members of arts organizations will come together for meetings, discussions, workshops, jam sessions, and performances to solidify their support for traditional Appalachian music. Special emphasis will be placed on the importance of audience development and the pivotal role that radio will play in that process. Additional areas of focus will include the presentation of source musicians and living master artists; discussions of performance and touring issues for old-time musicians; availability and distribution of old-time music on CDs, cassettes, and LPs; access issues involving existing archives of old-time music, such as the Library of Congress, Southern Folklife Collection, and others; as well as additional topics of interest to the old-time music community.

Plenty of time will be set aside for the informal exchange of ideas and tunes. Conference activities will take place at the Surry Arts Council offices and at Veterans Park in Mt. Airy, and participants will have their choice of lodging in comfort at a motel in Mt. Airy, or "roughing it" by camping on the grounds at Veterans Park. Fees for the conference will be kept to a minimum and will include weekend admission to the Fiddlers' Convention.

A tentative schedule of panel discussion topics, workshops, and special events is being worked out. To submit conference ideas or panel proposals, or for additional information, contact OTR, (c/o John Lilly, P.O. Box 3014, Elkins, WV 26241; phone 304-636-1903).

Building Radio Relationships and Turning the Wheel

Welcome to the inaugural issue of this music/radio sheet from a player of old-time music and former public radio volunteer. From my location in the Western North Carolina foothills, I see the importance and listener interest in the broadcast of folk-acoustic music. What I hope with this vehicle is that we can go beyond the premise that old-time music on the radio is important. We know that. But old-time music on the radio exists for its audience, not for itself or its players. Lets talk about how we can offer this great music and the musicians who play it, in a way that reaches inspires and better serves the listening audience.

When I started as a volunteer, 1978 at WYEP Pittsburgh, I was happy just to reach the folk music and dance community I knew as a player. Did anyone who listened to my show listen to anything else on my station? We have asked a lot of questions and learned some things about the audience for public radio in the past 14 years. I hope we have picked up on some of the news. Public radio can not be everything to everybody. Nor does it have to simply follow one single format. We have decided at WNCW to reach listeners who thrive on diversity. But we have found that they do not listen as long when a totally different program follows their favorite. We have learned that it’s too much to ask listeners to wade through a lot of programs each week to find a favorite.

WNCW programs diversity within a format of American and World "roots music" not blocked, but blended through the day with the same hosts on at the same time every day. We run the NPR news programs at drive times and extended full daypart segments of folk, blues, bluegrass, jazz and rock on weekends. The key is to find and challenge listeners, rather than ask listeners to keep searching to find your program.

The important issue applies to all stations, all formats. It has to do with a local station's ability to serve its audience. It has to do with balance between the need to serve more listeners and the listeners need to be well served. When a station knows its audience the management needs to be forthcoming with the information. We need to "manage" each other. Managers, airstaff, volunteer alike - must share audience knowledge and methods to be of better service. We need to accept change when it is necessary for better local service and realize that public radio's "mission" is still intact so long as people listen because their interests are just not met by other types of radio.

With this organization and newsletter, I feel we can help crank the cycle that leads us all to the same end: reaching, serving developing, strengthening our audience. We need to get together to make sure traditional music stays on the radio as much as possible, all across the country!

We are all part of a wheel, a market cycle that turns around music, musicians, recordings, record producers and companies, radio, retailers -and listeners. Maybe OTR can apply some glue to help solidify the spokes of the wheel.

I see our biggest service in the ability to be a lobbying conduit for old-time music on the aforementioned fronts. We can create a database from which to learn how folk music on the radio, at this date in time, fits into this cycle. We can go on to create, in crease and fine-tune record service from major labels, indies, and self producers. Getting you more of the music you need is where we need to start. New releases in the air, in the stores, in listeners ears and hands, that's what makes the world go round!

A survey for radio programmers of traditional folk music is coming from this organization to stations nationwide. If you are in radio be on the lookout. If not, let your local station programmers know about this effort to help the music, musicians and listeners through radio. Share what's going on at your station and maybe we can help build some new relationships and all put our shoulders to the wheel.

Old-Time Music On Compact Disc

In the real world of today's competitive radio market, the high fidelity and convenience of the CD format makes it preferred and, in many cases, demanded by radio. Although the manufacturers of the compact disc recently celebrated the ten year anniversary of the CD, many people feel that old-time music has yet to be brought to the party. The reasons for this perception, or this reality, are complex and merit much attention. A step toward addressing this issue is assessing the current store of CDs featuring old-time music.

On the heels of strong public interest and impressive sales figures for historic re-issues and boxed sets of artists ranging from Robert Johnson to Patsy Cline, most record companies have a heightened interest in their own vintage stock. For example, many original Carter Family recordings are now available on CDs from MCA (with help from the Country Music Foundation) and CBS (in conjunction with County Records). Rounder Records plans a CD issue of Carter Family material from RCA. Jimmie Rodgers is similarly represented with his complete works available on a series of eight individual CDs from Rounder, and packaged in an impressive boxed set from Bear Family. County Records is in the process of issuing three CDs of North Carolina banjo legend, Charlie Poole with the first one due out soon. According to County's Dave Freeman, they also plan to offer six or seven other CDs from the original "500" series including Echoes of the Ozarks and Old-Time Mountain Guitar, as well as a new collection called Virginia String Bands.

RCA Heritage Series has put together an interesting compilation CD called "Great Country Brother Teams of the 1930s" featuring the Delmore Brothers and others. Perhaps the most historic of the historic re-issues is The Bristol Sessions. This CD, compiled and put out by the Country Music Foundation, documents what many think of as the "Big Bang Theory" of early country music, when the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, The Stoneman Family, and many others were discovered and recorded for the first time by Ralph Peer for the Victor company in 1927.

A lot of fine old-time music has also been recorded since the "hey day" of the 78 RPM record, and some of these sides have recently been offered on CD as well. Tommy and Fred, a CD compilation newly available from County features the Round Peak-style fiddle and banjo work of Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerham. West Virginia fiddler, Franklin George is also on CD via a County re-issue of his first Kanawha LP. The Doc Watson Family, Doc Watson and Jean Ritchie, and a New Lost City Ramblers retrospective are available on CD from Smithsonian/Folkways, with Old-Time Music at Clarence Ashley's featuring Doc Watson, Gaither Carlton, and others in the works.

Banjo player Bob Carlin is working with Rounder Records on a number of upcoming old-time music CDs including a banjo anthology and what Rounder's Ken Irwin describes as a "Young Fogies"-like collection of contemporary old-time musicians. Rounder also plans three Kentucky projects -- Kentucky Fiddle, Buddy Thomas, and Kentucky Old-Time Stringbands. Possibly the most anticipated project still in the Rounder pipeline is a CD compilation of the Highwoods Stringband.

Currently available from Rounder on CD are re-issues of the Blue Sky Boys, the Louvin Brothers, and Hazel Dickens, two anthologies (Rounder Fiddle and the eclectic Rounder Old-Time Music) and a wonderful recent release of Piedmont blues guitarist, Etta Baker.

Speaking of eclectic, Flying Fish Records offers perhaps the widest catalog for the broadest minded old-time music fan featuring dozens of titles ranging from Guy Carawan to the Rude Girls. Highlights include guitarists Wayne Henderson, Norman Blake, and Doc Watson; the hammered dulcimer sounds of Walt Michael, Daglish and Larsen, and Trapezoid; and contemporary artists John Hartford, Fiddle Fever, and the Red Clay Ramblers. According to the late Bruce Kaplan of Flying Fish, they have hopes, but no definite plans, to issue a CD of the Critton Hollow Stringband.

Here is where the store of old-time music on CD begins to look pretty bare. While historic and LP re-issues of traditional music are clearly in existence on CD, current recordings of today's performing musicians are much harder to find. Marimac Recordings, while listing the greatest selection of cassette tapes in this area, offers only one in CD -"Fine Dining" from the Boiled Buzzards. High Windy Productions offers a variety of CDs featuring artist, David Holt. Other independent productions include a self produced CD by the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association featuring a wide mix of music and artists from within that organization, and an interesting entrepreneurial effort by a company called Adventures In Music. This CD, called Fiddlers and Pickers is a sampler of more than a dozen small label and self produced recordings available on CD by calling their 1 800 phone number.

Letters To OTR

Dear OTR,

I co-host a show on public station KUT-90.5 here in Austin (TX). The program, Folkways, airs every Saturday from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. I host the show bi-weekly and feature old-time music prominently. This includes traditional material from anywhere in the world, but recognizes an obligation to local music, so I feature a lot of Texas fiddling, traditional conjunto, blues, trad jazz, Czech & German, square & contra dance (for displaced Easterners), bluegrass, old-timey, Western Swing and regional C&W. A strong dance community in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio requires Irish & Scottish music, but there's not much call for it here.

Folkways features live music, usually two or three performances per show, including folks like Santiago Jimenez, Jr., Patsy Montana, Mark Savoy, Snuff Johnson, and others. The station has co-produced (and continues to sponsor) concerts and festivals with the Austin Friends of Traditional Music over the years.

Fortunately, the management at KUT is music-oriented and invests enough confidence in the on-air staff to draw a heavy dividend in listener support. Folkways and an exceptionally broad classical program, Eklektikos, (Bartok to Betty Blue to Bois Sec and back) are the primary breadwinners. I've been doing the show for the last eleven years, so hopefully old-time music is on secure footing at 90.5. I'm very interested in spreading the word, helping out, getting involved with the efforts of OTR and I'm anxious to do what I can to keep the good music on the air.

Dan Foster (Austin, TX)

(Ed. Note: please mail your notes and comments for our next issue.)

OTR Thanks Augusta For Underwriting

SUMMER SESSION - JULY 11- AUGUST 13:

• WEEK 1: Old-Time Week - July 11 - 16
• WEEK 2: Blues, Swing Week - July 18 - 23
• WEEK 3: Irish Week - July 25 - 30
• WEEK 4: Dance Week - August 1 - 6
• WEEK 5: Vocal, Cajun, Bluegrass Week - August 8 -13

AUGUSTA FESTIVAL - AUGUST 13 -15
OCTOBER OLD-TIME WEEK - OCTOBER 17 - 22
FIDDLERS' REUNION - OCTOBER 22 - 24

In addition, Augusta Heritage Recordings, specializing in West Virginia traditional music, has a variety of titles available. LP's for airplay are available to radio programmers by request. For more information contact:

Augusta Heritage Center Box RA, Davis & Elkins College Elkins, WV 26241 (304) 636-1903

SUPPORT OTR!!