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Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen: Del McCoury Band Has Our Song Of The Week From 2013
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This week’s special archive edition of Mountain Stage looks back to our 30th season for a show recorded in 2013 with legendary bluegrass mainstays The Del McCoury Band. Jam-grass mega star Keller Williams does a set backed by The Travelin’ McCourys, who released a collaborative album called Pick.
The show opens with a duo performance from Mandolin Orange, who now perform as Watchouse, as they made their first appearance on Mountain Stage. Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion were also there, with songs from their 2013 release Wassaic Way, and they even bring out their daughters Sophia and Olivia to join them on a couple songs. We’ll also hear the slyly humorous Susan Werner perform a set of tunes from her album Hayseed, accompanied by The Mountain Stage Band and West Virginia based dobro player Chris Stockwell.
Our Song of the Week comes from Bluegrass legend Del McCoury and his band, and appears on Old Memories: The Songs of Bill Monroe, released in 2012. The album is a tribute to the Father of Bluegrass Music Bill Monroe, whose band Del McCoury played in as a young musician. It was Monroe who asked McCoury to switch from playing banjo to guitar. “I used to have to sing this song every night with him,” McCoury said of our Song of the Week, “In Despair.”
Del McCoury Band – In Despair, Live on Mountain Stage (2013)
The Del McCoury Band performs "In Despair" live on Mountain Stage, recorded in 2013.
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Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
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Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
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Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
Hear the entire set from the Del McCoury Band, plus sets from Keller Williams with the Travelin McCourys, Susan Werner, Mandolin Orange and Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion.
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Harpers Ferry is a historic West Virginia city and international tourist hub. But four years ago the national park and surrounding town were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On this West Virginia Morning, tourists from around the world visit Harpers Ferry each year to immerse themselves in U.S. history. But the number of visitors fell in 2020, as public health restrictions ramped up nationwide. Jack Walker visited the town to learn how things have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
This week's broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. On this episode, host Kathy Mattea welcomes GRAMMY-winning Australian rock star Colin Hay, Canadian singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn, legendary folk and country artist Ramblin' Jack Elliott, San Francisco rocker Chuck Prophet and his band The Make Out Quartet, and folk duo The Lucky Valentines.
Across the nation, there are more and more local news deserts; communities with no local newspaper, television or radio station to cover what’s going on. When a small town paper like The Welch News in McDowell County, WV, can’t compete and shuts down, losing those local eyes and ears can affect accountability. No one is there to watch over things. Local news also provides a sense of cohesion and identity for a community. What happens when it’s gone? This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center.