This week, a poet and musician draws inspiration from a distant family connection to the Grand Ole Opry’s Little Jimmy Dickens. Also, for 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game for teens.
And, a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina found her calling before she could drive a car.
Listen: Steve Earle & The Dukes Have The Mountain Stage Song Of The Week
Steve Earle & The Dukes performing on Mountain Stage in 2021Brian Blauser
Listen
Share this Article
Our artistic director and co-founder Larry Groce is back at the host microphone for this week’s encore broadcast featuring live sets from seasoned vets and emerging talents alike.
We’re treated to a set of tunes from Steve Earle & the Dukes’ New West Records release Ghosts of West Virginia, an album of songs that Steve Earle created for the play Coal Country.The production recently wrapped up a return performance off-broadway and traveled to West Virginia for a performance in June 2022.
Earle and his band were previously in West Virginia to perform the songs on Mountain Stage in 2021, including our Song of the Week, “Union, God, and Country.”
Steve Earle-Union God And Country live on Mountain Stage
Steve Earle & the Dukes perform "Union, God, and Country" live on Mountain Stage in August 2021. Hear this show starting October 1 on our NPR affiliates.
On this week’s episode, we are also treated to exciting and engaging performances from North Carolina Appalachian roots/blues man Malcolm Holcombe, West Virginia born singer and songwriter John R. Miller performs songs from his Rounder Records debut Depreciated, and Nashville-based artist Rachel Baiman performs songs from her album Cycles, along with a seasoned band of accompanists.
Plus, we hear more songs from Appalachia by Mary Hott, who is joined by Charleston, West Virginia mainstays The Carpenter Ants, and members of the Mountain Stage Band.
1 of 6 — John R Miller, live on Mountain Stage
BRIAN BLAUSER brianphoto@yah
2 of 6 — Malcolm Holcombe live on Mountain Stage
BRIAN BLAUSER brianphoto@yah
3 of 6 — Mary Hott live on Mountain Stage
BRIAN BLAUSER brianphoto@yah
4 of 6 — Rachel Baiman Band live on Mountain Stage
BRIAN BLAUSER brianphoto@yah
5 of 6 — Steve Earle and the Dukes live on Mountain Stage
Brian Blauser / Mountain Stage
6 of 6 — Larry Groce leads our guest artists in a finale song to close the show.
On this West Virginia Week, another round of school consolidations in the state, the Republican caucus lays out plans for the upcoming legislative session and a Nashville poet and songwriter channels a connection to LIttle Jimmie Dickens.
...
This week, a poet and musician draws inspiration from a distant family connection to the Grand Ole Opry’s Little Jimmy Dickens. Also, for 15 years, a Virginia library has been hosting a weekly Dungeons & Dragons game for teens.
And, a taxidermist in Yadkin County, North Carolina found her calling before she could drive a car.
A lot of people who came of age listening to the Grand Ole Opry know Little Jimmy Dickens. With his clever songs and his rhinestone-studded outfits, the West Virginia native influenced a generation of performers. Now he’s remembered in a new book of poetry.
For some Americans, this year’s political earthquakes hit close to home. Trey Kay reflects on federal budget cuts, the elimination of programs and agencies and the resulting layoffs of hundreds of thousands of workers. 2025 was also a year highlighting escalated immigration enforcement, and the deployment of National Guard troops in U.S. cities. One of those missions resulted in the tragic loss of a West Virginia National Guard soldier. On this end-of-year episode of Us & Them, we examine how today’s culture-war battles are reshaping the nation’s foundation.