State & Beale: a Tennessee podcast

Every year, the Tennessee State Museum brings out a severed human thumb for the public to see. According to legend, it belonged to John Murrell, the infamous Tennessee outlaw once known as the Great Western Land Pirate. But who was John Murrell really? A criminal mastermind who led a vast secret organization called the Mystic Clan? A river outlaw whose hidden treasure inspired Mark Twain and Tom S...

In 1916, a circus elephant named Mary killed a handler during a parade in Kingsport, Tennessee. What happened next shocked the nation. Under pressure from angry crowds and fearful towns, the circus transported Mary to Erwin, Tennessee, where thousands gathered to watch one of the strangest and darkest events in Tennessee history: the public execution of an elephant using a railroad crane. More tha...

Cast iron isn’t just cookware in Tennessee — it’s history, culture, and family. In this episode of State & Beale, I sit down with Scott Selliers, one of the people behind a the push to make cast iron the official frontier cookware of Tennessee. From a Rotary meetings to the State Capitol, what started as a simple idea between friends made its way all the way to the governor’s desk. We talk abo...

Jackson Morgan Southern Cream makes delicious Tennessee whiskey liqueur. The Fayetteville company has had products on store shelves since around 2014. Its products are now in nearly 40 states from Maine to Florida, and Montana to Texas. Jackson Morgan Southern Cream has flavors for nearly every palette. They have Banana Pudding, Orange Creme, and its Salted Caramel, which has a cult-like following...

White-hot bluegrass band  @EastNashGrass  heads out on tour this summer, promoting their new record, “All God’s Children.” It's due in August. We also have cuts from our spring issue. We have a look at Benton County, the outdoor paradise. And was Merriwether Lewis killed on the Natchez Trace?

This episode showcases: • Hagy's Catfish Hotel, a historic family-run restaurant serving Southern cuisine on the banks of the Tennessee River • The American Eagle Foundation in Kodak, Tennessee. Jessica Hall, the Executive Director of the foundation, talks about their vital work in conserving and protecting American bald eagles, highlighted by appearances of their well-known eagles, Lincoln an...

Winter Wonderland is a massive group trail ride happening this weekend at Windrock Park near Oak Ridge. Sean Clark is the lead guide for Venture Unknown, the company hosting the event. He calls Windrock Park "off-road Disneyland." Easy to see why .Windrock is the largest privately held off-road park in America. It sits on 73,000 acres and has about 300 miles of trails. I'll also bring you some sel...

Our first issue is out on stand right now! Head over to stateabdbeale.com to subscribe. In that issue, you'll find my great conversation with Tennessee musician, Drew Holcomb. We talk about his new record, "Strangers No More Vol. 2" and the success of "Strangers No More Vol.1." We also talk about Tennessee state pride and his anthem (and love letter) to the state, a song called "Tennessee."

A visit to the Music City Hot Chicken Festival last week proved one thing true: you will be hot on the inside and the outside! I talked with fest fan Travis Jenkins, East Nashvillians Zach Layne and Andy Moss, both of them members of the Orange Grease Society, and with Austin Smith, founder and owner of Party Fowl, a hot chicken restaurant with several Nashville-area locations.

Nashville's Music City Hot Chicken Festival returns Thursday, July 4 for its 18th year. Gates open at East Park at noon. It is one of the hottest parties on the annual Tennessee To-Do List — hot chicken on one of the hottest days of the year. There'll be music, lots of kids activities, Yazoo beer, plenty of hot chicken (from some of the best in the business), and there'll be plenty to...

Ride along as I take you through my experience at Percy Warner Park for the 83rd running of the Iroquois Steeplechase, complete with some sounds and interviews. From the excitement of donning our hats to the exquisite cuisine at the Hunt Club, every moment at Steeplechase was unforgettable. The Southern hospitality and elegance at the event truly made it a day to remember. As the races began, the...

This is a very special episode of the show, which means it'll never happen again. That's because this one is about me, Toby Sells and my Tennessee story. They'll never care how much you know if they don't know much you care. So, I just wanted to let y'all know about myself and how I came to create and host a podcast about this great state. Also, I'll tell you about Grand Di...

Iroquois Steeplechase is a Nashville tradition and rite of spring. Nearly 25,000 gather at Percy Warner Park to dress up, enjoy good food and drink, and watch world-class horse racing. This year's event is coming up in about two weeks on May 11. There are tickets available to suit any kind of Steeplechase you could want. Steeplechase is a premier event among the slate of races on the National...

Something big has happened on the east of the Mississippi River. Tom Lee Park has long been an important place for Memphis. It has undergone a spectacular, $61 million renovation and is now a world-class location, completely transforming the city's riverfront. Get there next month for two big festivals: Riverbeat music festival and Smokeslam , a huge barbecue contest. We spoke with Carol Colet...

A new exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum chronicles the history of music in this very musical state. And it ain't all Waylon and WIllie and the boys. Tennessee Playlist goes all the way back to musical traditions of the Cherokee and Choctaw and all the present with emerging sound of mariachi and Kurdish music here. Miranda Fraley-Rhodes, PhD. was central to putting together the Tennessee PL...

Chad Hunt is a master distiller working a family distillery with his mom and dad in Gainesboro, Tennessee. That's on the Upper Cumberland Plateau just north of Cookeville. Their Roaring River Distillery has won a ton of national medals for their old-fashioned moonshine. Chad took second place in 2022 on the Discovery Channel show called Master Distiller . Music on this week's show is brand...

You can now follow a brand new trail to see the beautiful, starry night skies across Northeast Tennessee. The Tennessee Night Sky Trail gets you to nine places in Kingsport, Bristol, and more where you can unplug, sit a spell and get lost in the wonder of the heavens above. The area is also gearing up for festival season, Copperhead Road gets a historical marker, Dwight Yoakam comes to town, and n...

Hot slaw — the civic dish of Cleveland — is having a moment. It's well on its way to becoming a state food. Thanks to this action in the legislature, word has gotten out about hot slaw. (No, it's not warmed up cole slaw.) Cleveland will celebrate the dish next month with its annual Hot Slaw and Art Y'all! Festival . Melissa Woody, an organizer of the festival, talks hot slaw, the festi...

State & Beale is ready for spring already! Memphis Botanic Garden is getting ready to welcome to season with its annual Cherry Blossom Picnic and the gorgeous, pink blossoms for which the event is named. The picnic commences on March 23rd at the Gardens in Memphis. Put this one on your Tennessee to-do list. More information on it here . Also, if you have any Tennessee music you could share wit...

CORRECTION: Garrett Boys competed in last year's Tennessee Songwriter Week. They appear this year as special guests. It's Tennessee Songwriters Week across a state that reveres songwriters. Stephen Garrett and his band, Garrett Boys, have advanced to a final round of the competition. The band is brothers Stephen and Russell Garrett and Stephen's son, Carter. Stepehen talks about the ba...