The Songbirds Radio Hour

(First aired on WUTC 9/14/24) In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for almost 30 years. The band’s big sound, fueled by Lil’ Ed’s gloriously rollicking slide work and deep blues string bending, along with his rough-edged, soulful vocals, is as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets. After playing a...

(First aired on WUTC 8/10/24) On this episode of The Songbirds Radio Hour, we sat down with Chattanooga's very own Swayyvo. A hip-hop musician, producer, and renowned saxophone player, Swayyvo tells us about his new releases, what he finds so special about Chattanooga's music scene, how he thinks we as a community can improve it, where he got his start in music, who his numerous collaborators are,...

(First aired on WUTC 7/13/24) On June 4th, 2024, Steve Earle came back to Songbirds for his annual summer fundraising solo acoustic show. But this time we paired his soulful tunes with the savory family-style BBQ feast put on by local restaurant, Elsie’s Daughter! Before the concert, we sat down and interviewed Steve once again. Oh the stories this man can tell.. We told Steve about our new Write...

(First aired on WUTC 6/8/24) Norman Blake is a distinguished American guitarist and songwriter renowned for his profound influence on the bluegrass, folk, and country music scenes. Born on March 10, 1938, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Blake's career spans over six decades, showcasing his exceptional skills on various stringed instruments, including guitar, mandolin, dobro,  and fiddle. He is cel...

(First aired on WUTC 5/11/24) Ninth Street was a thriving African American community boasting a legendary music and entertainment scene rivaling Beale Street in Memphis and New Orleans’ Bourbon Street. The best musicians in the city played in the clubs that lined this historic street, and it was home, at least for a time, to music greats like Bessie Smith, Clyde Stubblefield, Jimmy Blanton, The Im...

(First aired on WUTC 4/13/24) Call Me Spinster is one part kaleidoscopic indie rock, one part porchy holler pop — and every bit a family operation. The brainchild of three sisters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Call Me Spinster skims nostalgia from psychedelic folk to 90’s synth-pop, weaving frank vocals with ethereal harmonies to make sense of their constantly growing world. Band practice for Call Me...

(First aired on WUTC 3/9/24) In Chicago, a city overflowing with unrivaled blues talent, world-renowned Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials have been standing tall for almost 30 years. The band’s big sound, fueled by Lil’ Ed’s gloriously rollicking slide work and deep blues string bending, along with his rough-edged, soulful vocals, is as real and hard-hitting as Chicago blues gets. After playing ar...

(First aired on WUTC 2/10/24) The Mason Jennings History: Mason Jennings was born on the Island of Hawaii, but at an early age his family moved to the opposite of tropical, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At 13, he started playing guitar and writing songs. Mason later dropped out of high school and decided to move to Minneapolis to pursue his musical career. Jennings made this decision after a friend of...

(First aired on WUTC 1/13/24) "Marissa Paternoster is one of the best guitar players alive.” -Kathleen Hanna A band lasting for half the lifetime of its members, Screaming Females has long been pounding out their own desire path. Formed in 2005 in New Brunswick, NJ, the trio has consistently created a hearty, surprising mix of indie-, alt-, punk- and stoner-rock, all with their original line-up of...

(First aired on WUTC 12/9/23) Guitarist / songwriter / producer Emily Wolfe has been making waves with her powerful vocals and dynamic guitar skills - and shows no signs of slowing down. Not only is Epiphone / Gibson releasing a second Emily Wolfe Signature guitar - the “White Wolfe” - but she also recently released The Blowback , the self-produced follow-up to her 2021 album Outlier . “I’ve spent...

(First aired on WUTC 11/11/23) KT Tunstall burst onto the music scene with her 2004 multi-platinum debut, Eye to the Telescope , which spawned the global hits "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" and "Suddenly I See." These songs established Tunstall as a captivating, must-see performer, as well as a Songwriter with a singular knack for balancing introspective folk and propulsive rock. "I feel there...

(First aired on WUTC 10/14/23) Many already know the story of the early Athens, Georgia music years: R.E.M., B-52’s, Pylon, and other legendary bands. But what about present day? In this episode of The Songbirds Radio Hour , Chuck Reece, the founding editor-in-chief of The Bitter Southerner and Salvation South , and recording engineer/musician David Barbe, discuss how Athens continues to be an inc...

(First aired on WUTC 9/09/23) Legendary troubadour Steve Earle performs a solo acoustic show to fundraise for the Songbirds Foundation's Guitars for Kids program on this episode of "The Songbirds Radio Hour"—recorded at the Songbirds Guitar and Pop Culture Museum in downtown Chattanooga. The Songbirds Radio Hour is made possible through grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Riverview F...

(First aired on WUTC 8/12/23) Sunny War, blues / folk / punk guitarist - and Buffalo Nichols, blues singer and guitarist - perform together in this special episode of The Songbirds Radio Hour. The Songbirds Radio Hour is made possible through grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Riverview Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

(First aired on WUTC 7/8/23) The GRAMMY® Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers Joe and Justin record and perform family music with a goal to inspire children and their parents to step outside and get creative. They believe this can motivate kids to gain a greater respect for the natural world, their communities, and themselves. Their nationwide fanbase is drawn to their witty lyrics, strong musiciansh...

(First aired on WUTC 6/10/23) The Shindellas are a band formed under the belief that when women come together, powerful change can happen. They are advocates aligned under the tenets of sisterhood, excellence, elegance, and empowerment. Since hitting the scene back in 2017, The Shindellas, (Kasi Jones, Stacy Johnson, and Tamara Chauniece) , who hails from the music city of Nashville, has been on a...

(First aired on WUTC 5/13/23) Artist. Activist. Music Therapist Gone Rogue. Kyshona is an artist ignited by untold stories, and the capacity of those stories to thread connection in every community. With the background of a licensed music therapist, the curiosity of a writer, the resolve of an activist and the voice of a singer, Kyshona is unrelenting in her pursuit for the healing power of song....

(First aired on WUTC 4/8/23) We’ve partnered with the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera for this episode of The Songbirds Radio Hour. Here on Episode 7, we talk with Mexican-American conductor Ismael Sandoval, who is Assistant Conductor of the CSO and Music Director of the CSO Youth Orchestras. We discuss the history of Mariachi and the importance of the tradition in Mexican society. Our special mu...

(First aired on WUTC 3/11/23) For more than a quarter-century, the Music Maker Foundation has tended the roots of American music. Based in Hillsborough, North Carolina, this nonprofit organization serves the most vulnerable artists — those marginalized by age, poverty, race, gender, etc. — because these are the artists least likely to have the resources to share their musical messages with the wor...

(First aired on WUTC 2/11/23) In this episode, we talked with folk musician and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John McEuen , about his career, his new book, and the 50th anniversary of the band’s seminal album— Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The Songbirds Radio Hour is made possible through grants from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Riverview Foundation. Hosted on Acast. See a...

(First aired on WUTC 1/14/23) In 1972, a little-known Memphis band named Big Star was poised to make it big with the release of its first album, "#1 Record." The album garnered rave reviews—but through a series of missteps, it never happened. But over the following decades, Big Star started gaining a cult following with bands like R.E.M., Wilco, The Replacements, and others singing its praises. Jo...

(First aired on WUTC 12/10/22) Simon Tam —author, musician, activist, and self-proclaimed troublemaker—is best known as the founder and bassist of The Slants , the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. He approaches arts and activism with radical optimism and compassion, and in 2017, he won a landmark case at the U.S Supreme Court unanimously, helping to expand civil liberties...

(First aired on WUTC 11/12/2022) CBGBs and the 1970s New York City's punk scene are the stuff of legends - and right in the mix of it all was the band Television. Join us as we interview Television's co-founding member and guitarist Richard Lloyd about his time at CBGB's, the recording of the band's innovative first album "Marquee Moon" - and how Television transformed the punk music genre. Richar...

(First aired on WUTC 10/8/2022) The inaugural episode of “The Songbirds Radio Hour” focuses on Chattanooga's famous 9th Street —now known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard—and how the thriving Black community helped shape the music career of legendary blues singer Bessie Smith. Guests: — Dr. Michelle Scott, the author of "Blues Empress in Black Chattanooga: Bessie Smith and the Emerging Urban S...