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PODCAST

American Songcatcher

Nicholas Edward Williams

Tracing the roots of American music from its cultured past to artists playing it forward, folk musician, musicologist and host Nicholas Edward Williams takes listeners on a unique documentary-style podcast experience. Dive into the stories of centuries-old Traditional songs and migrants who carried their musical heritage here, and uncover the lives of pioneers and integral musicians who created and shaped styles such as Bluegrass, Ragtime, Jazz and Swing, Country, Gospel, Blues, Old-Time, and the

music music history

All Episodes

00:59:59

LOCAL FOCAL // The Other Side

American Songcatcher ·

2023/05/28

For our third installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, we present the following audio-rich piece - described as "sound painting" - brought to you by Muddy Boots Radio, a podcast that I only recently came into contact with by way of its creator, Tenali Hrenak. This particular episode honored a legend of radio from Grass Valley, CA - Mikail Graham. A composer, performer, producer, music promoter, advocate, consultant and beta tester for numerous pro-audio and MIDI companies. He was with the

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00:37:48

LOCAL FOCAL // Doc Watson & Over Home

American Songcatcher ·

2023/04/23

In honor of the 35th annual MerleFest coming up this week, American Songcatcher presents a very special LOCAL FOCAL - a relatively unknown live recording from May of 1989 of North Carolina’s own Doc Watson, telling stories and singing songs passed through his family - only this show he was asked to perform without his guitar, until the very end. This concert was part of a historical series called Over Home, which aired on the well-known WNCW radio in Spindale, NC between 1988 and 1990. The show

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00:18:00

LOCAL FOCAL // Last Wisps of the Old Ways

American Songcatcher ·

2023/03/26

Today, we proudly present the first installment of the LOCAL FOCAL series, where we’re collaborating with artists to share musical stories from different locations throughout America - in celebration of the parts that make up the whole fabric of American music history. First up, we’re bringing you the works of Derek Piotr, a folklorist and musician who’s been deep in research about a particular family of tradition-bearers from Avery County, North Carolina that have a lineage to Frank Proffitt, a key

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00:02:44

ANNOUNCEMENT // SEASON 3

American Songcatcher ·

2023/03/16

ANNOUNCEMENTS! 1. Season 3 NEEDS your financial support! Can you commit to $1 a month via Patreon? - OR - Send a one-time donation through Venmo or PayPal 2. We're changing the format next season to SINGLE STORIES released every few weeks, so we can give each story full attention, and put out content more frequently. 3. CALLING ALL WRITERS! Do you love human stories? Love music history? Do you have any writing experience? If you'd like to be a volunteer writer on American Songcatcher, email us at

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01:14:32

S2:E9 // Moses Asch and Folkways Records (Part 2 -...

American Songcatcher ·

2022/12/20

This is our season finale, part two of a special audio-documentary series on Folkways Records founder Moses Asch, in collaboration with Smithsonian Folkways. Part one walked us through Moe’s childhood, teenage years, early career, the first two labels he created, bankruptcy, as well as the early years of Folkways Records. In part two, we traverse 40 years of iconic recordings with pioneering and lesser known artists, business hardships, milestones, the fledgling years of Folkways, and Moe’s death

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01:01:40

S2:E9 // Moses Asch and Folkways Records (Part 1)

American Songcatcher ·

2022/12/02

Today, American Songcatcher is proud to present a special two-part collaboration with Smithsonian Folkways, going behind the curtain of Folkways Records founder Moses Asch, who was born 117 years ago on this date. This is the story of a ceaselessly stubborn Jewish immigrant with unstoppable ambition. A pioneer who had a great respect for creative artists, whether they were commercially viable or not. A provider whose work was selfless, though he was often quite difficult to work with. A visionary

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00:48:21

S2:E8 // Ralph Stanley & The Hundred Year Old Voice

American Songcatcher ·

2022/10/20

“The boy with the hundred year old voice” Dr. Ralph Stanley grew up in the hills of Southwest Virginia during the Great Depression. He and his brother Carter were heavily inspired by The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and Bill Monroe, who The Stanley Brothers would feud with decades later. Radio was king, and The Stanley Brothers became a household name throughout Appalachia by merciless appearances. Hear the story of how this farmhand persisted through waves of personal and career hardships, always

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01:32:33

S2:E7 // Wack Fall The Daddy-O

American Songcatcher ·

2022/08/12

Featured in this Episode: Traditional - Whiskey in the Jar Billie Holiday Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee Charlie Parr Support American Songcatcher: Join the Patreon Send a one-time donation through Venmo or PayPal Teaser: Arguably the most popular Irish drinking song has a more unique origin than being sung at the pub, celebrating the spirit of Whiskey. She’s one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time, yet her personal life was ripe with adversity from family, abusive relationships, and

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00:44:24

Talkin' Blues // Seth Walker

American Songcatcher ·

2022/06/29

Today I’m sharing a conversation I had with American roots singer and guitarist Seth Walker, who has spent the last 20 years putting out incredibly diverse records, inspired by early blues to jazz, folk, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, early country and anything else he’s been able to gobble up. Recently mentored by the likes of Oliver Wood and the Wood Brothers, Seth just released his 11th studio record, titled I Hope I Know, a tasty, seasoned array of roots songs that navigate a host of emotions

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00:52:23

S2:E6 // The Man in Black (Part 3)

American Songcatcher ·

2022/06/05

Featured in this Episode: Johnny Cash Teaser: The finale of this three part series on "The Man in Black" starts in the 70’s, when Johnny’s turnaround gets traction through learning to be a father, his activism and overtly religious period, several relapses of his addiction, the fall from Columbia Records, and his rise with Rick Rubin before passing away, as well as his legacy. — "Shine A Light" | Johnny Cash: The Life Follow American Songcatcher Support Independent Programming! Join the Patreon

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00:40:14

S2:E6 // The Man in Black (Part 2)

American Songcatcher ·

2022/05/01

Featured in this Episode: Johnny Cash Teaser: The story of the enigmatic “Man in Black” is a vast ocean that is impossible to cover every detail. But this three part series will attempt to further explain what listeners know about Johnny Cash, debunk a few myths, and uncover fascinating moments in his life that are lesser known. In essence, we’ll be looking further behind the curtain of the legend known as JR Cash, more than exceptional movies such as “Walk the Line” have portrayed. Part 2

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00:48:26

S2:E6 // The Man in Black (Part 1)

American Songcatcher ·

2022/04/04

Featured in this Episode: Johnny Cash Teaser: The story of the enigmatic “Man in Black” is a vast ocean that is impossible to cover and give every detail. But this three part series will attempt to further explain what listeners may think they know about Johnny Cash, broaden the understanding of his personal life, and uncover fascinating moments in his career that are lesser known, misunderstood, or flat out wild. In essence, we’ll be looking WAY behind the curtain of the legend known as JR Cash,

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01:09:27

S2:E5 // That Bad Man

American Songcatcher ·

2022/02/21

Celebrating Black History Month! Featured in this Episode: Traditional - “Stagger Lee” (:42) Memphis Minnie (15:45) Lightnin’ Hopkins (29:21) Taj Mahal (48:55) Teaser: This notorious murder story has been covered in more genres, by more artists and across more multi-media platforms than any other in history, while somehow remaining relatively obscure. She’s known as the queen of the country blues, and queen of the Chicago blues, though she got her start while homeless and playing on the streets

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01:03:39

AS Presents // Basic Folk feat. Chris Thile

American Songcatcher ·

2022/02/02

Today on the program, I’m pleased to bring you a very special episode through American Songcatcher, sharing a wonderful podcast called Basic Folk in our feed. Now some of you may already be aware of these in-depth, honest interviews with host Cindy Howes, but I feel like the rest of you should get on board! Sure, there are many conversational podcasts out there, but Basic Folk sets itself apart with honest and complex conversations about the human experience witnessed from an artistic angle. Cindy's

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01:12:40

S2:E4 // Pioneering Women in Bluegrass and Old-Time

American Songcatcher ·

2022/01/16

Featured in this Episode: Jean Ritchie (:28) Ola Belle Reed (17:48) Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard (35:41) Alison Krauss (55:54) Teaser: Her family is considered one of the wealthiest in the ballad tradition, preserving hundreds of songs from their lineage to Scotland in their home of Kentucky, and is single-handedly responsible for bringing the Appalachian dulcimer to prominence in America. Born in the mountains of North Carolina, she paved the way for both bluegrass music and old-time with her

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01:25:32

S2:E3 // God's Golden Shore

American Songcatcher ·

2021/12/05

Season 2, Episode 3 // God's Golden Shore Featured in this Episode: Traditional - “Man of Constant Sorrow” (:28) Ma Rainey (13:08) Bill Monroe (31:40) Patsy Cline (51:29) Bruce Molsky (1:08:17) Teaser: Thought to be rooted in the early hymns brought to America, this old-time folk song has reveled in the spotlight more than once in the roots music community, especially after being featured in the 2000 film “O’ Brother Where Art Thou.” A defining voice of the 1920’s and 1930’s, this female artist

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00:33:54

BONUS: Side B

American Songcatcher ·

2021/11/09

It’s a pleasure to bring you the second half of this special short series Side A // Side B, bringing some depth to the songs from my recently released traditional record “Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake”. Today, we’re flipping the record over, and diving in to the history behind Side B. Side B Tracklist: Goin’ Down This Road Feelin’ Bad (Traditional) Saint James Infirmary (Traditional) Midnight Special (Traditional) Barbry Allen (Traditional) Mississippi River Blues (Jimmie Rodgers) Peggy-O

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00:33:09

BONUS: Side A

American Songcatcher ·

2021/11/06

Since releasing the podcast, I’ve had a lot of people ask if the renditions at the end of each segment will be released, or streamable. Well I’m happy to say that over the last six months, I’ve been hard at work on a traditional record called Folk Songs For Old Times’ Sake, that is now available on all platforms, as well as limited edition vinyl. Several of these rearranged songs are traditionals, and some are from artists covered in the first season of this program. This is the first of a special

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01:18:50

S2:E2 // Oh Little Liza

American Songcatcher ·

2021/10/30

Season 2, Episode 2 // Oh Little Liza Featured in this Episode: Traditional - “Lil' Liza Jane” (:28) Dock Boggs (11:22) Snooks Eaglin (25:54) Nina Simone (43:36) Billy Strings (1:04:18) Teaser: Today, this song is a standard in New Orleans brass bands as well as old-time music, but its earliest iterations started as a sea shanty. His three finger-style banjo picking was directly inspired by early African American string bands, and his early recordings helped standardize nearly a dozen old-time

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01:18:19

S2:E1 // Ain't Gonna Study War No More

American Songcatcher ·

2021/09/27

Season 2, Episode 1 // Ain't Gonna Study War No More Featured in this Episode: Traditional - “Down by The Riverside” (00:27) Mance Lipscomb (10:28) Ramblin’ Jack Elliot (23:31) Emmylou Harris (45:17) Chris Thile (57:27) Teaser: After the civil war, songs such as these were created and sung from Alabama to Ohio for a perilous journey through the Underground Railroad, where the enslaved were in pursuit of their freedom. He wasn’t a bluesman as much as a songster, known for his incredibly broad

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