Daniel Johnston recorded songs in his parents' basement in rural West Virginia that would eventually inspire artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck, Wilco, and Sonic Youth. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the life, art, and enduring legacy of the late singer-songwriter and visual artist whose creative genius and struggles with bipolar disorder made him one of America's most influential outsider artists.
Thursday, Dec. 11 and Friday, Dec. 12, 2025 West Virginia Culture Center Theater in Charleston, WV
CHARLESTON, WV — Bob Thompson’s annual holiday jazz celebration is back! For over 30 years, Joy to the World has delighted audiences with new and classic holiday favorites. Joining Thompson on stage is his long-time bandmates Timothy Courts on drums, Ryan Kennedy on guitar, John Inghram on bass, plus special guest vocalist Catherine Russell with James Moore on trumpet.
Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. and the show will begin at 8pm.
World-renowned jazz pianist Bob Thompson is the Mountain State’s best-loved musician and ambassador of jazz. Since 1991, he has been a pianist and regularly featured artist on WVPB’s nationally syndicated radio show, Mountain Stage, distributed by NPR Music. For 33 years, he has also been co-producer and host of Joy to the World, a holiday jazz show broadcast on public radio stations nationwide. In October 2015, Thompson was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame. He makes his home in Charleston, West Virginia, and has enjoyed a long and active career as a performer, composer, arranger, and educator. Learn more about his work at colortones.com.
Guest vocalist Catherine Russell is a Grammy Award-winning jazz and blues artist best known for her 2016 album Harlem on My Mind and for her years touring with David Bowie and Steely Dan as a backup vocalist. She has also been a guest artist on Mountain Stage six times since her first appearance in 2006.
Joy to the World is presented by West Virginia Public Broadcastingand the producers of Mountain Stage.
All seats are general admission and are available online at Eventbrite.
Member Tickets on sale Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 10am ET: $25 Early Bird Tickets on sale Friday, Oct. 16 at 10am: $25 (Sales end on Friday, Nov. 28 at 10am) General Admission Tickets on sale Friday, Nov. 28 at 10am: $30 Day of Show Tickets (Dec. 11 and 12): $35
Watch and listen for last season’s show coming to WVPB this December on radio and television. More info coming soon.
Support provided by the United Methodist Foundation of WV
Daniel Johnston recorded songs in his parents' basement in rural West Virginia that would eventually inspire artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck, Wilco, and Sonic Youth. In this award-winning episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay explores the life, art, and enduring legacy of the late singer-songwriter and visual artist whose creative genius and struggles with bipolar disorder made him one of America's most influential outsider artists.
The late singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston grew up in West Virginia and came onto the indie music scene in the 1980s. Last year, Johnston was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and he’s featured in the next episode of Us & Them. In this award-winning show, host Trey Kay learns about Johnston’s legacy which was partly shaped by his challenges with mental illness.
Appalachia is home to many types of music: Old-time and bluegrass, of course, but also rock and hip hop, Americana and jazz, metal and hardcore — and dungeon synth. In fact, that genre, which spun out of black metal, will be showcased outside Whitesburg, Kentucky this weekend, June 13 and 14, at Appalachian Dungeon Fest.
