Episodes

  • The Wallins: Appalachian family perserving the American folksong tradition

    The Wallins: Appalachian family perserving the American folksong tradition
    Jan 19 2026
    Learn about one family's contribution to preserving America's folk song style and tradition. From the writings of song collectors in the 1910s, to the field recordings of documentarians starting in the 1960s, members of the the Wallin family of Big Laurel, North Carolina performed tunes handed down through generations, including "Rain and Snow" and a "Conversation with Death."
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    12 mins
  • Rain and Snow

    Rain and Snow
    Feb 23 2024
    Learn about this traditional folk song and its journey from the Appalachian Mountains to the Grateful Dead's first album.
    Some music clips from the Library of Congress.
    Some sound effects provided by FreeSFX (freesfx.co.uk)
    Riverbend Studios, Copyright 2024.
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    23 mins
  • Up on the Housetop

    Up on the Housetop
    Dec 17 2023
    Learn about this traditional holiday song, which sprang from the imagination of a children's music teacher in 1864.
    Some music clips from the Library of Congress.
    Some sound effects provided by FreeSFX (freesfx.co.uk)
    Riverbend Studios, Copyright 2023.
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    19 mins
  • Extra Measure: The Layton's (parents of pianist/composer Turner Layton)

    Extra Measure: The Layton's (parents of pianist/composer Turner Layton)
    May 31 2023
    Learn about Professor John T. Layton, longtime choir director of an historic D.C. church, and his wife
    Julia Mason Layton, teacher and later activist and lecturer, who rallied for women's voting rights,
    among other causes. The couple helped produce the first AME Church hymnal to have muscial notation.
    Some clips from the Library of Congress. www.loc.gov
    Some sound effects provided through FreeSFX (freesfx.co.uk)
    Riverbend Studios, Copyright 2023.
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    21 mins
  • After You've Gone

    After You've Gone
    Mar 10 2023
    Learn about lyricist Henry Creamer and pianist Turner Layton whose six-year collaboration produced
    the classic "After You've Gone," first published in 1918.
    Some clips found at the Library of Congress. www.loc.gov
    Some sound effects provided by FreeSFX (freesfx.co.uk)
    Riverbend Studios, Copyright 2023.
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    27 mins
  • O, Christmas Tree

    O, Christmas Tree
    Dec 24 2022
    Learn about this classic carol, which began as an ode to the fir tree. Penned in 1824 by an organist in Germany this song is now a beloved holiday carol in praise of the Christmas tree.

    Some music clips provided through freemusicarchive.org
    Some clips from the Library of Congress. www.loc.gov
    Some sound effects provided by FreeSFX (freesfx.co.uk)
    Riverbend Studios, Copyright 2022.
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    13 mins
  • Extra Measure: The Charleston, 1920s dance craze

    Extra Measure: The Charleston, 1920s dance craze
    Nov 13 2022
    Learn about The Charleston, a dance that defined the 1920s.
    From its origins in the Carolina sea islands to city nightclubs and the New York stage,
    this infectious dance craze spread across the world with young and old kicking up their heels. Everyone and their grandma knew how to Charleston.
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    20 mins
  • My Sweetie Went Away

    My Sweetie Went Away
    Oct 16 2022
    Learn about songwriting team Roy Turk and Lou Handman who wrote "My Sweetie Went Away," as well as the classic Elvis ballad "Are You Lonesome Tonight."
    Some music clips provided through freemusicarchive.org
    Some clips from the Library of Congress. www.loc.gov
    Some sound effects provided by FreeSFX (freesfx.co.uk)
    Riverbend Studios, Copyright 2022.
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    31 mins