There’s no place in America that’s gained a bigger reputation for country and rock and roll music than Nashville, Tennessee. So what does it take to make it there? Well, perhaps having West Virginia roots might help. There are so many talented musicians from our region who’ve found success in Nashville that some refer to the scene as the “WV music mafia.” But what about the folks who stay here in the Mountain State? What does it take to “make it” in the current music scene here? Listen to the stories of Appalachian musicians
Charlie McCoy
Dreams of recording in big cities like Nashville, with people like Elvis Presley or Loretta Lynn aren’t hard to come by. But how often are they more than just dreams? Charlie McCoy tells us this week of his wild ride with the music industry. He takes us back into his memories of his humble West Virginia beginning and into his life as a musician. Hear more about Charlie’s exciting journey this week. Charlie McCoy has a new book out, called 50 Cents and a Box Top.
30 Days of West Virginia Music
West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s own Joni Deutsch joins us this week. If you didn’t already know, Joni started a new program this past summer called “30 Days of West Virginia Music.” Through this project, Joni went all over the mountain state finding all the hidden gems of the WV music scene. In this episode, Joni tells us all about her process and all the fun she had with all the different musicians across the mountains. More importantly, she tells us what she learned from her experience, and what we need to know, aside from the great new tunes.
The Struggle to Stay
It’s time to meet our new Struggle to Staycharacter, Dave Hathaway. Dave is a Pennsylvania native. He’s a father and a coal miner who lost his job last year. What happens next? We'll follow his story over the next few episodes of Inside Appalachia.
We had help producing this episode from WPLNin Nashville and The Allegheny Front.
Thanks to all the musicians who were interviewed for this episode or who provided music for the audio version of this episode, including Charlie McCoy, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Reed, Brenda Lee, Ann Margaret, Bob Dylan, Tim O'Brien, Qiet, Tyler Childers, Steve Hussey & Jake Eddy, Marisa Anderson and Dinosaur Burps. To request a complete list of songs and albums featured in this episode email InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.
and produce the show together. Our executive producer is. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Claire Hemme helped with our digital correspondence. You can find us online or e-mail us at feedback@wvpublic.org.
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