Federal funding for arts and culture has been curtailed. Trey Kay looks at the reasons in the latest Us & Them. Also, the state board of education has approved another round of school closures and consolidations, the state Legislature is expected to take up several bills in the coming session to address foster care and children who are homeless, and U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was laid to rest Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton.
LISTEN: Robert Cray Has The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
Robert Cray performs live on Mountain Stage in 2014.Josh Saul | Mountain Stage
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This week’s broadcast of Mountain Stage is an Archive Special from 2014 featuring blues-and soul guitar great Robert Cray, gospel titans Blind Boys of Alabama, bluesman John Hammond, and New Orleans’ funk rockers Dumpstaphunk. This encore broadcast is dedicated to the memory and legacy of Nick Daniels III of Dumpstaphunk, a stalwart musician of the New Orleans scene who passed away in April 2024.
Our Song of the Week is “You Move Me” by Robert Cray, from his 2014 albumIn My Soul. Joining Cray is keyboardist Dover Wienberg, drummer Les Falconer, and bassist Richard Cousins, whose original tenure with Cray included the landmark albums Strong Persuader and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.
On this episode you’ll also hear an inspiring set from the Blind Boys of Alabama, a career spanning set from acoustic-bluesman John Hammond, and the electrifying funk sounds of Dumpstaphunk, with keyboardist/vocalist Ivan Neville, guitarist Ian Neville, bass/guitar/vocalist Tony Hall, drummer and vocalist Nikki Glaspie, and bassist/vocalist Nick Daniels III.
Our Song of the Week comes from The Critton Hollow String Band, a band that has been performing traditional American music to audiences around the world since 1975. The trio stopped by Mountain Stage during their 50th anniversary and performed a handful of songs, including "A Better Life to Find," which is our Song of the Week. The song features an old melody and a traditional refrain, with lyrics updated by the group's Joe Herrmann.
Our Song of the Week comes from singer-songwriter and guitarist Joy Clark. “Tell It To The Wind” was written in a moment of gratitude while Clark was on tour in Waterford, Mississippi at Foxfire Ranch.
On this week’s encore broadcast of Mountain Stage, we revisit the first of two 41st anniversary shows, which were recorded at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston, West Virginia in December 2024. Guest host and CBS Sunday Morning correspondent Conor Knighton welcomes Stephen Kellogg, Jill Sobule, Mindy Smith, Caleb Caudle & The Sweet Critters, and The David Mayfield Parade.
Our Song of the Week comes from Catskills singer-songwriter Hannah Cohen. On this episode of Mountain Stage, Cohen performs "Summer Sweat," a single from her newest album, Earthstar Mountain, which Rolling Stone called “one of the best indie releases of the year.”
