The String

The String is thoughtful radio featuring conversations and features on culture, media and American music - anchored by veteran journalist and broadcaster Craig Havighurst. It airs Mondays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 am on WMOT Roots Radio, 89.5, NPR affiliate serving Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Music makers, enablers, instigators and documentarians are featured with enough time to go deep and burrow into issues, while letting the music play too.

Luther Dickinson Returns 11/24/2025

Luther Dickinson Returns Episode 341: Since co-founding the history-making, history-preserving North Mississippi Allstars almost 30 years ago, Luther Dickinson has taken his guitar, his deep blues repertoire, and his Memphis soul around the world and into all kinds of collaborations. In his latest return to The String, we talk about the nature of improvising and some of his recent experimental and instrumental projects, plus the 2025 Allstars album Still Rollin’, marking the 25th anniversary of the band’s debut album. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/39151525

Robert Randolph 11/20/2025

Robert Randolph Episode 340: Robert Randolph had no plans or dreams to take his fiery talents on the pedal steel guitar beyond the New Jersey church where he grew up and the network of pentecostal Black churches around the country that made the “sacred steel” a core part of their services. But his passionate sound and his joyful improvisational spirit were a perfect match for the jam/rock scene of the early 2000s. He’s been a steady contributor ever since, through wide collaborations and a string of albums with his “Family Band.” Now he’s leading the band under his own name and he has a fabulous new record on the revitalized Sun Records. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/39110070

Marcus King 11/12/2025

Marcus King Episode 339: South Carolina guitar wizard and powerhouse singer Marcus King has come through the valley of shadows, breaking self-destructive habits and arriving at a place of contentment and love on his latest album Darling Blue. In a career-spanning conversation, King talks about his unique path to finding his voice on the guitar, his collaborations with a series of very different world-class producers, and his place in the shifting ecosystems of jam band and Americana music. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/39014180

Tift Merritt plus Tony Kamel 11/04/2025

Tift Merritt plus Tony Kamel Episode 338: North Carolina songwriter Tift Merritt became an instant star of Americana music when she emerged in the early 2000s with Bramble Rose (2002) and Tambourine (2004), but only with time have we learned that her relationship with her prestige record label - Lost Highway Records - was tumultuous and dispiriting. After a period of relative quiet on the music front, she’s re-issued Tambourine on vinyl for the first time and put out a collection of demo/kitchen tapes that contextualize that classic. From her home in Raleigh, Tift lets us in on her diversified creative life. And we round out the hour catching up with Texas songwriter Tony Kamel, who's released We're All Gonna Live, his second in a row made with master Bruce Robison. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38916390

Ken Pomeroy 10/30/2025

Ken Pomeroy Episode 337: Ken Pomeroy, who turned 23 days after this interview, is a fresh voice not just from the Oklahoma lineage of great roots songwriting and musicianship, but also from a new generation of Native American voices in popular music. She talks about her Cherokee heritage and the stewardship that comes with it, plus her emotional bond to music in this introspective hour. You’ll also hear incisive and sometimes sad songs from her acclaimed national debut Cruel Joke, out this spring on Rounder Records. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38849665

Danny Burns and Shelby Means 10/21/2025

Danny Burns and Shelby Means Episode 336: In a time when bluegrass is surging with young talent and mainstream dreams, Danny Burns and Shelby Means offer two profiles in making the string band business work in 2025. Burns is an Irish immigrant who brought his trad training and hearty work ethic from his native County Donegal. Even before releasing North Country in 2018, he’d made a name and reputation among roots music elites, and he shows his flair for cover songs on the new Southern Sky. Shelby Means played bass for Della Mae during their breakout years and became stylishly famous working with Molly Tuttle’s Golden Highway Band. When that came to an end this year, she had her debut solo album ready to go. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38726605

Leslie Jordan 10/16/2025

Leslie Jordan Episode 335: Leslie Jordan, the Nolensville, TN-based songwriter not the late comic actor and singer, makes a major statement in her pivot from a robust career in Christian folk/pop to storytelling Americana with The Agonist. It’s a song cycle that fleshes out the story of her late grandfather, a conflicted and complex man who left his family in Indiana when Leslie’s mother was four years old. Through a unique collaboration with a collection of his posthumous journals and writings, she builds a world and a character, holding him accountable while investing his story with dignity. It’s beautifully produced with Kenneth Pattengale and is one of the most impressive albums of 2025. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38606000

Shawn Camp 10/01/2025

Shawn Camp Episode 334: Shawn Camp arrived in Nashville almost 40 years ago as a 20-year-old guitar picker and fiddle player hoping to find a niche. As he graduated from touring sideman to songwriter to respected recording artist, he found himself working with his heroes. He quietly became an avatar of traditional country music and bluegrass done right. His work with Guy Clark was especially potent, and at long last, their song cycle about a fascinating character from Camp’s youth, has been released on the new concept album The Ghost Of Sis Draper. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38424260

Rodney Crowell 09/09/2025

Rodney Crowell Episode 333: Rodney Crowell let it slip in the middle of this interview that it was the eve of his 75th birthday. One of America’s greatest (and most commercially successful) songwriters is now three quarters of a century old, a steady patriarch. He continues to do excellent work, evidenced by two fine albums in a row, 2023’s The Chicago Sessions and the brand new Airline Highway. In both cases he collaborated with younger producers and musicians, spreading his wisdom around and drawing on their ideas and spirit. In his second appearance on The String, Crowell talks about maintaining his writing discipline, working with Jeff Tweedy and Tyler Bryant, and waking up to Louisiana R&B music as a teenager. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38143865

Tamara Saviano On Americana Music 09/02/2025

Tamara Saviano On Americana Music Episode 332: It’s been 30 years since three music business renegades created a radio chart for an emerging alt-country, roots music wave they called Americana. Now that it’s a mature format and movement, we’re seeing books emerge on the history of this idea. Poets And Dreamers: My Life In Americana Music is Tamara Saviano’s contribution, a warm and affectionate, people-driven story about a community and a big bold commitment to art over commerce. As publicist/tour manager for Kris Kristofferson and biographer of Guy Clark, she’s had an insider’s view, and it comes out in this fun romp of a read. She’s also my old friend, so this is a cozy and fascinating talk. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/38065270

Hayes Carll 08/26/2025

Hayes Carll Episode 331: Hayes Carll is such an admired veteran of the Texas songwriting tradition that his visage is painted on a sign along with Townes Van Zandt at the Old Quarter Cafe in Galveston. Over ten albums, he’s matched cleverness with insight and tenderness with roadhouse rock and roll. In this self-effacing interview, Carll talks about his apprentice years at that storied bar, his adjustments after being signed to a Music Row label, and his vulnerable new album We’re Only Human. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37972495

Mason Via 08/14/2025

Mason Via Episode 330: After a three-year tutelage with Old Crow Medicine Show, multi-faceted Appalachian artist Mason Via has set out on his own road. He was raised in bluegrass festival campgrounds and at picking parties hosted by his dad, songwriter and musician David Via. Bluegrass royalty hung out at his home near the North Carolina/Virginia border, and it rubbed off. After trying a few musical directions, Via’s self-titled album of this year shows range, depth, and a command of bluegrass and country moods. Meet a 28-year-old you’ll be hearing a lot more about if you follow acoustic roots. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37818720

Cody Jinks 07/30/2025

Cody Jinks Episode 329: Few fully independent artists in any genre have been able to grow to the scale and influence that Cody Jinks has pulled off in the outlaw country space. He sells out iconic venues like Red Rocks in Colorado with a sound that layers his boyhood influence from Lefty Frizzell with the edge of the thrash metal rocker he once was. The Fort Worth native “put in the reps” for countless years in bars and honky tonks, nearly going broke, before albums like I’m Not The Devil and Lifers vaulted him to the big time in the years before the pandemic. He’s now out with In My Blood, an album that basks in his newfound sobriety and a new focus on himself and his family, making this a very candid and fascinating interview with a self-made country star whom mainstream radio virtually overlooks. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37609765

Southern Avenue 07/23/2025

Southern Avenue Episode 328: While it’s one of the great music cities in the world, the story of Memphis, TN is generally told as one about Elvis, BB King, Isaac Hayes, and possibly Justin Timberlake - artists from the history books or well on in their careers. Roots music fans might know more contemporary talents like songwriters Amy LaVere and John Paul Keith. Many others simmer along in that city’s bars and clubs, but one has to go there to get up to speed on the talent pool. is different - a breakout band from Bluff City with national acclaim, a renowned record label, and a musical voice grounded in native soil and native soul. It’s the band today’s Memphis has needed. Craig speaks with the married couple out front in the band, guitarist Ori Naftaly and singer Tierinii Jackson. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37520710

Mike Farris 07/15/2025

Mike Farris Episode 327: To hear Mike Farris sing - an experience a bit like being pinned to the seat of an accelerating - is to believe that he was born to the stage, motivated from childhood, and destined for soul/gospel glory. Yet in Episode 327 of The String, we learn that A) Mike is lucky to be here at all and B) that a singing career was not remotely on his own radar until he was approaching his 20th birthday. And the two are related. In his teens, Farris almost died from drug abuse. Music was part of his rescue. And I’ve never heard him go as deep on these subjects as he does in this hour. His newest album is a powerful, secular record recorded at FAME Studios called The Sound Of Muscle Shoals. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37415525

Andrea Zonn 07/07/2025

Andrea Zonn Episode 326: Andrea Zonn has been on my list of possible Music City star musicians to be a guest on the show for some time, but her new project the HercuLeons and their debut album of the same name sealed the deal. She’s been a leading studio and road musician since the 1990s, when she sweet talked her way into a touring spot with burgeoning country star Vince Gill. Her background is in classical violin, so she’s respected in town for her versatility and her gorgeous voice. She’s also a songwriter and recording artist with two fine albums to her credit. Now, working with her old friend John Cowan (my guest last week in Episode 325), she’s part of a nimble top-flight band that draws from soul, jazz, the blues, and Nashville roots music for one of the year’s best albums. We cover her whole journey, up to her breathtaking vocals on songs like “Face Of Appalachia.” /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37325385

John Cowan 07/07/2025

John Cowan Episode 325: In 1972, a 19-year-old bass player and natural born singer from Kentucky and Indiana auditioned for an emerging band called New Grass Revival. Over almost 20 years, John Cowan would be the voice of that ensemble, through mega tours supporting Leon Russell, improbable country radio success, and the emergence of a whole new genre of roots music they gave a name to. NGR got Cowan into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame, but there’s so much more - a mighty solo career, abundant collaborations, and a steady gig in the Doobie Brothers. Now his latest project is the new band The HercuLeons, a Nashville supergroup with fiddler/singer Andrea Zonn. Here, John covers his life in music. Next week, Andrea Zonn gets her turn. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37309870

The SteelDrivers 06/24/2025

The SteelDrivers Episode 324: It’s hard to believe that Nashville’s SteelDrivers have been making their unique brand of hard-core string band music for nearly twenty years. They were the vehicle through which many of us were introduced to the epic voice of Chris Stapleton, back when he and Mike Henderson co-wrote that band’s high impact debut album of 2008. When Henderson and Stapleton had to move on, the band pulled its greatest trick, bringing on great new voices, growing bigger, and building a legacy that’s like nothing else in 21st century bluegrass. In Episode 324 of The String, Craig talks with original members Mike Fleming, bass player and baritone vocal, and Tammy Rogers, the fiddler and harmony singer who now leads the way with the band’s songwriting. We talk about the whole ride, up to the new album Outrun, out now on a revived Sun Records. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37137880

Larry & Joe 06/20/2025

Larry & Joe Special Episode: The story of how global banjo explorer Joe Troop (formerly of Che Apalache) met Venezuelan harpist and all-around folk music master Larry Bellorín is testimony to the magic of global culture and a cautionary tale about the stark turn US policy has taken against working asylum seekers this year. Over three years as the bilingual, genre-fusing, and multi-instrumental duo Larry & Joe, they’ve toured widely and made two albums together to great acclaim among folk music lovers. They’re one of the most charismatic and culture-crossing acts to come out of roots music in the past decade. Here in a special episode of The String, they tell their story in an interview that took place in Knoxville, TN in March. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/37090660

Music City Postcard: Durham, NC 06/04/2025

Music City Postcard: Durham, NC Episode 323: This episode of The String is a field report from the city that raised me in the 1970s and 80s and gave me my foundation in music, from college rock radio, to youth orchestra at Duke University, to jazz tutelage at a Black Muslim community center. It’s an arts-forward city that in the past decade has become something of a magnet for roots music, building on a history of gospel, blues and string band music, while Biscuits & Banjos, the new festival conceived by Rhiannon Giddens, has put itself in a position to be a bridge from the past to the future and give Durham the identity it’s lacked as a national music hotspot. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36847890

Vincent Neil Emerson 05/26/2025

Vincent Neil Emerson Episode 322: Texas songwriter Vincent Neil Emerson graduated from playing on the streets and in the bars of Fort Worth to tours with Colter Wall and American Aquarium and then a well-received debut album (2019’s Fried Chicken And Evil Women). That inspired none other than Rodney Crowell and Shooter Jennings in turn to take an interest in producing the young country troubadour, resulting in a self-titled release in 2021 and the more recent The Golden Crystal Kingdom of 2023. They heard what I hear - an artist pxrocessing his past and making his struggles universal, a singer with an honest voice and a distinct point of view. He paused during his ongoing touring to sit down with WMOT after a show at Skinny Dennis. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36712370

Kristina Murray 05/15/2025

Kristina Murray Episode 321: Atlanta native Kristina Murray moved to Nashville in 2014 with a fresh and original debut album and steely determination. The country singer and songwriter carved out a respected space at honky tonks like Santa’s Pub and the American Legion. When hard work and critical acclaim for her two releases didn’t launch her career to a new orbit, it felt like defeat. That, plus the pandemic, fueled some challenging times and emotions that inspired her new one, Little Blue, a lovely, lament-filled album on New West’s Normaltown imprint. Murray is due for new waves of attention, and we talk about how hard that is to manifest in this edition of The String. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36580115

JD Clayton 05/12/2025

JD Clayton Episode 320: JD Clayton is one of the first emerging artists to release music in an era of new leadership at the historic Rounder Records in Nashville. He’s an open-hearted guy who got the songwriting bug growing up in Fort Smith, AR and who then found his songs and his way on stage led to organic growth. His 2023 album Long Way From Home got him out on the road in a big way and led to some high profile opening shows. He produced his new album Blue Sky Sundays, a fresh and catchy take on country rock, with his brotherly band. He seems to embody the ethos of his feel-good song “High Hopes & Low Expectations.” /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36542370

Jeremie Albino and Tyler Grant 04/30/2025

Jeremie Albino and Tyler Grant Episode 319: This week’s split episode looks at songwriting and musicianship from two very different points of view. Toronto’s Jeremie Albino is a powerful roots rock singer/writer whose early love of blues and old rock and roll comes through in his self-effacing, easy grooving songs. A call from Dan Auerbach opened up new avenues for him through the production of his late 2024 album ‘Our Time In The Sun’. Champion guitarist Tyler Grant writes his material more about stories from the history and geography of the American west, where he’s been based for about 15 years. He’s also set aside his twangy electric country rock for a return to the bluegrass music that brought him to national attention. His newest is a mix of instrumentals and songs but the title indicates the focal point: ‘Flatpicker.’ /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36376955

Miss Tess 04/18/2025

Miss Tess Episode 318: Over a 15-year career that began in Boston’s jazz and old-time scene, Nashville-based Miss Tess has distinguished herself with a hybrid blend of contemporary songwriting and vintage, swinging Americana. On her newest, the widely traveled artist taps a long love affair with Cajun country in Louisiana, yet it’s her own blend rather than a traditional homage. Our conversation spans her upbringing in Maryland, her passion for early blues and jazz, her fascinating musical relationships and her annual immersion in the Blackpot festival in Lafayette, where she made the new Cher Rêve. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36220065

Olivia Wolf 04/15/2025

Olivia Wolf Episode 317: As the new year dawned, the first emerging artist that started buzzing on our radar was a California native living in Nashville with an emotional country-noir debut album called Silver Rounds. She was Olivia Wolf, and now months later, her album has proven its staying power, with critical acclaim and a long run on the Americana chart. She’s no youngster, so our conversation dives into her background and her long, patient journey to fully committing herself as a songwriter/artist. That story includes coming of age at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival and a tragic event in her life that inspired many of her best songs. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/36153755

Sean McConnell 04/02/2025

Sean McConnell Episode 316: Sean McConnell was born to do this. His parents were working songwriters who helped him get started as a teen in Atlanta. He landed a long-term song publishing deal while still in school at MTSU and earned cuts by Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Brett Young, and the TV show Nashville. Over 15 recordings - his latest is the lovely and agonizingly honest Skin - McConnell has become a beloved troubadour on the indie folk circuit and an honorary red dirt Texas poet through extensive touring there. Now he’s grown as a producer working out of his unique studio in Nolensville. I made a trip down there to interview Sean in his cozy working habitat. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/35975540

Adam Wright 03/21/2025

Adam Wright Episode 315: Adam Wright is one of the most thoughtful wordsmiths in the Nashville songwriting community, one who’s seen all sides of the Music Row machine. Working for a dozen years with Carnival Music, he’s carved a niche for himself, scoring a couple of Grammy Award nominations and landing cuts by Lee Ann Womack, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Brandy Clark and Bruce Robison, among others. When he sets aside time to write songs purely for himself as an artist, remarkable things happen, and now he’s releasing an epic 18-song collection called Nature Of Necessity, a masterwork that could only have been realized in Music City. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/35815020

Pete Bernhard of The Devil Makes Three 03/13/2025

Pete Bernhard of The Devil Makes Three Episode 314: The Devil Makes Three has been one of roots music’s outstanding if quiet success stories of the past twenty years. Formed in Santa Cruz, CA in 2001, they got out ahead of the O Brother phenomenon and built a unique, crowd-pleasing sound through a renegade admixture of early blues, hard country, gospel and punk rock. In this hour, founding singer and songwriter Pete Bernhard reflects on a career that’s surprised him and, after a season of personal loss, the cathartic process behind the rather dark and candid album Spirits, their tenth as a band. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/35672795

Sierra Hull 02/28/2025

Sierra Hull Episoded 313: Sierra Hull brings a measure of small-town delight and innocence to roots and bluegrass that perfectly compliments her innate gifts and her formal schooling in high level music-making. The mandolinist, songwriter, singer, and band leader has emerged, since her youthful debut in 2008, as a star of her field and an inspiring figure in Americana. Her four IBMA Mandolin Player of the Year awards are part of the story. But so is her composing, her collaborating and her records. The first in five years - and her first independent release - is A Tip Toe High Wire, coming March 7. This episode complements a bio-oriented show in 2018, emphasizing Hull’s recent work with Béla Fleck, Cory Wong and others, and of course the thought behind and production of her newest release. /episode/index/show/thestring/id/35481690

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