The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour Picked Up By Alabama Public Radio

The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour—a weekly literature and music program based in Oxford—has been picked up for broadcast on Alabama Public Radio (APR) beginning Saturday, Sept. 1.

APR will air the show on radio and online on Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m. The one-hour broadcast will continue to be heard on Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB) every Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Thacker Mountain producer Kate Teague says APR’s coming on board to broadcast the show is in keeping with the program’s mission.
“We always say our show is about documenting and celebrating the words and music of a diverse south,” Teague said. “To have APR join us and broadcast our show across the state of Alabama will help us continue and strengthen that mission. We certainly hope that people in Alabama will come to embrace our show as fervently as our Mississippi audience.”
David Duff is Music Director for APR. He believes The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour will be a good fit for Alabama listeners.
“I’m very happy to bring the Thacker Mountain Radio Hour to Alabama Public Radio. The combination of regional music and the focus on authors from the area makes the program perfect for our audience.”
APR operates five signal sites in Alabama including Florence/Muscle Shoals, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa/Cottondale, Selma/Montgomery, and Mobile/Gulf Coast region.
The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour celebrated 20 years on the air in 2017 has and received its home state’s Governor’s award for broadcast excellence as well a citation of merit from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. The program has booked a wide array of authors over two decades, such as bestsellers, Rick Bragg, Elizabeth Gilbert and Jesmyn Ward, as well as newcomers Catherine Lacey, Sloane Crosley and Michael Farris Smith.
Musical guests have also ranged from veterans Elvis Costello, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls and Oscar winner Paul Williams to promising upstarts like Songhoy Blues, Sarah Shook and Memphis soul band, Southern Avenue.
Thacker Mountain host Jim Dees says the show is looking forward to entertaining Alabama listeners.
“When it comes to music and literature, Alabama has a solid tradition in both areas,” Dees said. “We’ve featured many Alabama authors and musicians over the years so I feel like our show will be a natural for our neighbors.”
The first show on APR will be Sept. 1 and will feature a tribute to the Gulf Coast. Guests will include author Jack. E. Davis who has written a history of the Gulf of Mexico, Fairhope, AL-based songwriter Molly Thomas and veteran New Orleans keyboardist Jon Cleary. Along with host Dees, the show is anchored by its four-piece house band, the Yalobushwhackers.
More information on APR and MPB: https://apr.org/ or https://www.mpbonline.org/.
Thacker Mountain Radio schedule and info: https://thackermountain.com/.

Special to hottytoddy.com