Alert (09/10/2026): Our Parkersburg TV transmitter is undergoing maintenance for a few days and will not be operational. We apologize for any inconvenience.
All our programming is available via our TV livestreams on our website and WVPB Passport. Thank you for your patience!
This October, the Adaptive Climbers Festival will gather in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge for the fifth year. In 2023, Folkways Reporter Emily Chen-Newton covered the event for Inside Appalachia. Since then, the Adaptive Climbers Festival has grown. Organizers say they’re nearly at capacity, with 300 climbers, caregivers and volunteers. Ahead of the festival, the campground has made accessibility improvements. Volunteers with the ACF have also been sprucing up the trails.
Pianist and WV Music Hall of Fame member Bob Thompson has announced Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. will be the featured vocalist on Thursday, December 14 at 8pm for a special 25th anniversary edition of “Joy to the World.” The holiday jazz program, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and heard nationally on radio stations across the country, will once again emanate from the Culture Center Theater on the state capitol grounds in Charleston, WV. Tickets will be available Friday, November 3 at 10a.m.
Credit Josh Saul
/
Pianist Bob Thompson will celebrate 25 years of Joy to the World on Thursday December 14.
Advance tickets will be $30, available by phone at 877.987.6487, online or at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. in downtown Charleston. Tickets will be $40 on show day, if available.
“Joy to the World” will feature Murphy performing holiday classics and new favorites along with Thompson’s band- Doug Payne on Saxophone, Timothy Courts on drums, Ryan Kennedy on guitar and John Inghram on bass.
“I am so excited to have Landau lined up to help mark this very special occasion,” says Thompson, who is also the show’s artistic director and co-producer. “The band and I love working with a vocalist of his caliber because he can really bring out the best in us with his energy. Landau always delivers, no matter what style or setting.”
Murphy is the winner of the sixth season of NBC’s competition show “America’s Got Talent.” Since then he has toured all over the country, as well as China and Germany. His debut album, “That’s Life,” was released in 2011 to critical acclaim, and he recently released a love letter to his home state, “Come Home to West Virginia.”
Thompson and Murphy have performed together at the WV Music Hall of Fame ceremony, at charity events, and even on Murphy’s holiday album “Christmas Made For Two,” which features arrangements and instrumentation from Thompson and his band on two songs. Hear the title track below.
Joy to the World is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting. The television and radio premieres of this season’s show will simulcast on WVPB Thursday, December 21 at 8pm ET.
Joy to the World with Bob Thompson 25th Anniversary Celebration Featuring vocalist Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. Thursday December 14, 2017 Doors 7:30pm Show 8pm.
Advance Tickets $30 Day of Show $40 On Sale Friday, November 3 at 10am. Available by phone at 877.987.6487, Online or locally at Taylor Books, 226 Capitol St. Downtown Charleston.
Add WVPB as a preferred source on Google to see more from our team
Since her estate made the announcement of her passing on Aug. 25, grieving fans have written tributes and fond remembrances. Mountain Stage Host and fellow country music star Kathy Mattea, who has spent a little time with Dolly, shared a few memories with Inside Appalachia Host Mason Adams.
On this West Virginia Week, a second data center is coming to Mason County, the Rural Health Transformation Program Funds are beginning to be distributed in the state, and remembering Dolly Parton.
This week, we remember the one and only Dolly Parton. Dolly used her musical success to help others. She started the Imagination Library, a free book program for children that included some of her favorites, like the "Little Engine that Could." And, Dolly’s kindness touched people from all walks of life.
We remember Dolly Parton, not just as a musician and celebrity, but as a voice for Appalachian humor, resilience and kindness. Inside Appalachia’s Mason Adams spoke with Mountain Stage host and country star Kathy Mattea, who shares some of her memories.
