Songs of the South (on BBC)

Subject: Folklore: Songs of the South
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 21 Feb 15 - 12:07 PM

The first of a three part musical trawl through the southern states by Reginald D Hunter. The write-up of the first one looks interesting.

BBC2 (UK) 2100hrs GMT today (Saturday)

R

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC2)
From: GUEST,CJB
Date: 21 Feb 15 - 01:09 PM

You meant the South of the USA. And I thought it was going to be about the South as in Sussex etc,

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC2)
From: Stanron
Date: 21 Feb 15 - 04:38 PM

Watching it right now. Nice car.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC2)
From: Will Fly
Date: 21 Feb 15 - 04:47 PM

Watching it now - interesting programme, and Reg is a sharp bloke.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC2)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 21 Feb 15 - 07:57 PM

1 Tennessee and Kentucky
2 Alabama and Georgia
3 Louisiana?

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC2)
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 22 Feb 15 - 04:55 AM

I had reservations about the choice of presenter, but it was inspired.
Looking forward to 2 and 3.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC2)
From: Tradsinger
Date: 22 Feb 15 - 05:22 AM

I thought it was sensitively presented and showed a good range of music. Pity he didn't take to the square dancing, but you can't win them all.

Tradsinger

Subject: 'Songs of the South' BBC TV
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 22 Feb 15 - 02:57 PM

Reginald S Hunter is a well-known face on British TV.
He is originally from Georgia but is now a stand-up comedian resident in he UK.
He is now fronting a BBC show called "Songs of the South" he which he tours the southern states of the USA looking at their musical heritage.
The first in the series was aired last night and had Reginald in Tennessee and Kentucky
It's definitely worth checking out!

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 22 Feb 15 - 07:28 PM

Reginald D Hunter!

D for Darnell

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST,DTM
Date: 22 Feb 15 - 07:41 PM

Good show but very disappointed he never mentioned Don & Phil - Kentucky's finest.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 06:10 AM

I found this very enjoyable, more so as I have musician friends i Tennessee and hope to take a trip there. But also because I saw Reg D Hunter in his Stand Up guise a few years back in Kilkenny Eire, then met him the following morning checking the town out. Lovely guy and very friendly, Kilkenny is my home town and Reg came up the best description of Kilkenny (ver old medieval town with big castle and 55 pubs in the small centre, he said "Man this is like Disneyland, Disneyland for f***ing Alcoholics!"

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST,Mike Yates
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 06:23 AM

I agree, Hunter has a charm that works when talking to people. I would have liked to have heard more of the music at Mt Airy, but suppose that you cannot have everything. As to the square dancing, don't know. Most of the dances that I have been to in the mountains have been pretty boring, with the musicians playing one tune over and over for maybe 10 - 15 minutes. They only changed tunes when one dance ended and the next dance began.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 11:26 AM

I really enjoyed the first programme as well. RDH really seemed to 'get' the idea of playing music for fun and companionship rather than purely for performance, he was skilled at persuading his interviewees to open up, and he was quite prepared to leave behind his stated prejudice against the 'White South'. In fact he seemed to be pointing to common ground between poor white and poor black communities.

I was a bit worried when 'experts' tried to tell us that an old British broadside ballad was obviously the product of a specific kind of society that existed in the Appalachians, but fortunately the historian at Knoxville was able to set the record straight.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: Sir Roger de Beverley
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 01:58 PM

Having flagged this up before the event, I can say that I,too, enjoyed it. As with all travelogues, it didn't give enough of the things that I liked but neither did it pass over everything so quickly that there was no merit in anything.

The racism was an interesting undercurrent - and obviously more than just "interesting" for Reg.

Looking forward to the next two episodes.

R

ps

How nice to have got this far through a thread without any trolls spoiling things :-)

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 02:34 PM

"How nice to have got this far through a thread without any trolls spoiling things :-)"

Seconded and passed.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 03:02 PM

In 1997 Reginald D Hunter swapped Georgia for London, in this three-part music documentary series Reg returns to his homeland to explore its rich musical heritage and sample the new South, a world he left behind with mixed feelings. Reg's adventure is tempered by original and thought-provoking ruminations on the southern issues of race, pride and identity. A beautiful, original and hot evocation of the cradle of American music.

1 Tennessee and Kentucky 27 days left to watch

In the first of a three-part road trip, Georgia-born but London-based Reginald D Hunter returns home to explore the American south both past and present through its world-famous songs. Reg begins by exploring the sounds of Kentucky and Tennessee and the disturbing tradition of blackface minstrelsy.

Hunter is led through the south by its signature songs, including Dolly Parton's My Tennessee Mountain Home, Knoxville Girl, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Chattanooga Choo Choo and minstrel songs such as My Ol' Kentucky Home and Old Folks at Home.

On his voyage Reg visits Dollywood, a slave plantation in Bardstown, Nashville - the home of country music, a moonshine distillery in Gatlinburg and a string band festival in Mount Airy.

Featuring Dolly Parton, the Handsome Family and Del McCoury.

2 Alabama and Georgia 21.15 Saturday 28 February BBC2 - except Scotland

In the second of a three-part road trip, Georgia-born but London-based Reginald D Hunter heads home to explore the interplay between gospel, soul and hip hop.

Passing through Alabama, Reg witnesses a Lynryrd Skynyrd gig and discovers the soul riches of the town of Muscle Shoals. Arriving in Georgia, Reg visits the Athens of the B52s and REM, as well as Martin Luther King's and Ludacris's Atlanta.

Featuring Arrested Development, St Paul & The Broken Bones, Clarence Carter and Sharon Jones.

3 Mississippi and Louisiana

In the final film, Reg's journey evokes a classic Huck Finn Mississippi adventure from Memphis to New Orleans. In Memphis Reg meets soul icons Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd at Stax Records before heading back in time to the juke joints.

Reg's final port of call is post-Katrina New Orleans where he is given a spectacular musical send-off by the city's royalty including Dr John, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint and the Soul Rebels.

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST,cnd
Date: 24 Feb 15 - 07:03 PM

He skips NC? North Carolina is famous for its development in bluegrass, gospel music, Piedmont blues, and more "modern" bands like Allman Bros, Avett Bros... I could go on

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 04:40 AM

I too enjoyed this pro gramme,I am looking forward to the others.
Al

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: GUEST
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 04:50 AM

Great programme. With my French blood I am looking forward to the Louisiana segment in particular.
Charlie

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: BanjoRay
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 09:30 AM

He didn't skip North Carolina - that's where the Mount Airy Fiddle Convention is, and the home of Tommy Jarrel and Round Peak music.

Doesn't look as though he's meeting any Cajuns though....
Ray

Subject: RE: Songs of the South (on BBC)
From: Stu
Date: 25 Feb 15 - 09:45 AM

Was in NC a couple of years ago and took a drive out to the Smoky Mountains. Fantastic part of the world and I picked up a mandolin from the Carolina Mountains guy, who was a loverly chap. Love the music around there, and the woods are something else.