21, Nov 2020
A dark and cautionary musical tale by Scott Ballard

Every song tells a story, but in today’s Appalachian Moments blog post we discover the inspiration and true meaning of some old time and bluegrass standards that might surprise you! The song mystery we’ll lend an ear to today is Soldier’s Joy. Even though the song Soldier’s Joy is thought…

21, Nov 2020
Untangling the Hangman’s Reel by Scott Ballard

Every song tells a story, but in today’s Appalachian Moments podcast we discover the inspiration and true meaning of some old time and bluegrass standards that might surprise you! Today we will dance past the gallows as we attempt to untangle the Hangman’s Reel. Many folks might have taken part…

21, Nov 2020
Up on Cripple Creek by Scott Ballard

Every song tells a story, and in today’s Appalachian Moments second of a short series we discover the surprising inspiration and true meaning of Old Time and Bluegrass standards including Cripple Creek. A meandering or serpentine stream is often referred to as a Cripple Creek, but there have been some…

21, Nov 2020
The surprising inspiration for Old Joe Clark by Scott Ballard

Every song tells a story, and in today’s Appalachian Moments we discover the surprising inspiration and true meaning of some old time and bluegrass standards (the first of a short series). The first song mystery we hope to make ring true today include Old Joe Clark. As with most songs…

21, Nov 2020
The little steam engine that could but nearly didn’t by Scott Ballard

In today’s edition of Appalachian Moments we take a ride on the little steam engine that could, but nearly didn’t! Generations of families, including mine (young Thomas in the photo), know old engine number 12 at Tweetsie Railroad, but let’s backtrack a moment. Tweetsie’s journey to becoming a cultural icon…

21, Nov 2020
Shape music in the mountains and beyond by Scott Ballard

In today’s Appalachian Moments podcast we’ll talk shape music in the mountains and beyond… Some folks say they couldn’t carry a tune even if they had a bucket, but if you can Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti like Julie Andrews showed us in the Sound of Music, then you’ll be close to singing your…

21, Nov 2020
The simple but bold spring by Scott Ballard

In today’s edition of the Appalachian Moments blog, we visit Ashe County North Carolina’s very own Shatley Springs, but not for a heaping family style helping of home cooked country food. Today, we’re all about the water. We often talk about how times have changed, but today we’ll talk about…

21, Nov 2020
The simple delight of fried baloney by Scott Ballard

Let’s get back in the kitchen for another Appalachian Moments Blog post! When you get folks talking about comfort foods, you learn about way more than cooking! The response to our recent blog post about Branch Lettuce (and how you kill it) was phenomenal and underscored the memories and history…

15, Jun 2020
A beautiful human being by Scott Ballard

Now, every interview is special in its own way because everyone has a story, but this particular moment was one in which we at Germain Media and Appalachian Memory Keepers knew was bigger than our project at the time. It happened while sitting down with Charity Gambill Gwyn in Alleghany…

8, Jun 2020
The brothers who built Appalachian State University by Scott Ballard

The oldest of the Doughterys was D.D. or Dauphin Disco Dougherty…obviously the boy’s father, Civil War Veteran Daniel Boone Dougherty enjoyed alliteration. Further proof: DD’s brother, B.B., or Blanford Barnard, was born a year later. Did you ever get together with your sibling and say, “You know what we should…