This week, Kentucky Music Hall of Fame member and six time International Bluegrass Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year, Dale Ann Bradley, recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. “Dale Ann Bradley is a Kentucky native who is proud of her state. Her music reflects that love as she often sings of the state’s multiple charms including sparkling streams, rolling hills and mountains, lush hillsides filled with native plants and beautiful landscapes. She also includes songs about coal mines (her father was a miner) and another business, that of moonshine stills. Thanks to a great ..read more

This week, voices. A collection of contemporary folk singers with unique and authentic voices recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Ballad singing is a primary form of expression in folk music. Folk ballads merge melody and story to recount events but also transport the listener to an emotional space. How well a ballad can bring the listener into that space very much depends on the singer. Less important to an effective folk singer are the rudimentary aspects of singing than is the authentic sound of their voice. The timbre and character of the singer’s voice in service to the ballad ..read more

This week, Ozark original ACMA nominated and rising national bluegrass sensation The Casey Penn Band recorded live at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with Casey Penn. As a bonus, music and commentary from Ozark original prodigies and Mountain View’s very own Ozark Strangers. Based in Central Arkansas, Casey Penn is an Arkansas Country Music Award-nominated songwriter and a performing bluegrass and Americana artist. She's represented by Mountain Fever Records, for which she has released three singles and a debut album (One Step Away / February 2023). Her newest single, "We ..read more

This week, authentic Minneapolis old time bluegrass string band Steam Machine recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with the bands founders AJ Srubas and Rina Rossi. Joining AJ and Rina in this performance are David Robinson on banjo and Andrew Deia on upright bass. “Steam Machine is a midwest based old time/bluegrass music project fronted by award winning in-demand Minneapolis fiddler AJ Srubas and Twin Cities old time music & dance instigator Rina Rossi on guitar. A spectacular shortlist of stellar musicians perform with the band on banjo and bass, and when po ..read more

This week, traditional Irish musician, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with Seamus. “It’s hard to think of an artist in traditional Irish music more influential than Seamus Egan. From his beginnings as a teen prodigy, to his groundbreaking solo work with Shanachie Records, to his founding of Irish-American powerhouse band Solas, to his current work as one of the leading composers and interpreters of the tradition, Egan has inspired multiple generations of musicians and helped define the sound of Irish music toda ..read more

This week, hammered dulcimer prodigy, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and Ozark original Ben Haguewood recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Also, an interview with this upstart hammer wielding dulcimer master. Ben Haguewood is an Ozark original hailing from the tiny hamlet of Potosi, Missouri near the heart of the Mark Twain National Forest. Although a relative newcomer to the competitive world of hammered dulcimer playing, Ben has left his mark on the art form both as a player and a composer. Since becoming a regular Ozark Folk Center performer as a teen, he’s voraciously a ..read more

This week, a retrospective of the very first season of Ozark Highlands Radio featuring a variety of outstanding performances recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park. Host Dave Smith and OHR producer Jeff Glover provide context and commentary for this captivating collection. Each year at the Ozark Folk Center State Park, we record many hours of live music. We cherish all of it, but some of these performances stand out as being uniquely interesting or moving. On this episode, OHR producer Jeff Glover guides us through some of the most memorable moments of season one. Featured on this show ..read more

This week, another special road trip episode. OHR visits Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series featuring Ozark original true folk troubadours Chucky Waggs & The Company of Raggs, recorded live at Butterfield Stage in Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers. Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series began in 2021. Held on the city’s Butterfield Stage next to Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers, it features live concerts every weekend throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. All of the Railyard Live events are either free to the public or at very low cost of admission ..read more

This week, another special road trip episode. OHR visits Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series featuring post-folk newgrass phenomenon Arkansauce, recorded live at Butterfield Stage in Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers. Also, an interview with Rogers Arts & Culture Coordinator Kinya Christian. Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series began in 2021. Held on the city’s Butterfield Stage next to Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers, it features live concerts every weekend throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. All of the Railyard Live events are either free to th ..read more

This week, another special road trip episode. OHR visits Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series featuring Eureka Springs folk orchestra, Eureka Strings, recorded live at Butterfield Stage in Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers. Also, an interview with Eureka Strings’ bassist, Dave Gesualdo. Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series began in 2021. Held on the city’s Butterfield Stage next to Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers, it features live concerts every weekend throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. All of the Railyard Live events are either free to the public o ..read more