David Weintraub will be presenting a special series this week during NPR’s Morning Edition, produced by WNCW's Kim Clark. The feature is a radio adaptation of A GREAT AMERICAN TAPESTRY: The Many Strands Of Mountain Music - the latest documentary film from Weintraub and The Center for Cultural Preservation, based in Hendersonville, NC.
The Southern Appalachian Mountains were once home to a diverse mix of Europeans, African-Americans and indigenous native peoples. The area became a vibrant musical cauldron that combined and synthesized the tremendous contributions of many traditions to create a musical legacy that inspired the world, a great American tapestry.
The five-part documentary tells an eye-opening story of the Scots-Irish ballad tradition, the lost chapters of African-American banjo and fiddle history, and the role of controversial blackface minstrelsy music in creating what we now know as "Old Time Music.” Weintraub will also take a look at Cherokee music, tribal dance traditions, and much more.
Stay informed with National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on WNCW, catch up on regional news with Host Paul Foster, and listen for this intriguing, historical series airing Monday, November 27, through Friday, December 1, at 8:45a.m. each morning.