As many historians look back at 150th anniversary of the start of the civil war, Art looks at some of the songs written during the Civil War. Art takes performances of these wartime naval classics from a new collection from a Smithsonian Folkways collection called Civil War Naval Songs: Period Ballads from the Union and Confederate Navies, and the Home Front.

Art takes a look at the works of Uncle Dave Macon, one of the key figures in old timey music history. Uncle Dave Macon, also known as the Dixie Dewdrop, gained regional fame as a vaudeville performer in the early 1920s before going on to become the first star of the Grand Ole Opry in the latter half of the decade.

On this episode of Backroads and Banjos, Art looks at Easter and Passover songs sung by African American performers. Songs featured in this episode include “Go Down Moses” by Paul Robeson, “He Never Said a Mumbling Word” by Sister Fleeta Mitchell, “Hush and Listen” by Willie Gresham, and “The Lord is Risen.” These recordings come largely from Easter Sunday services in African American congregations through the years, and include musical traditions such as lined-out hymns.

Art takes a look at the life of Clarence “Tom” Ashley. An entertainer before he could walk, Ashley was born in 1895 in his father’s boarding house in Bristol, TN. Unlike many old-timey musicians of the time, Clarence Ashley was more than simply a back porch musician. His career included spending time traveling with medicine shows, entertained in coal-mining camps, and recording with Ralph Pierre

Art pays tribute to Sister Fleeta Mitchell, a good friend and a wonderful musician. Fleeta Mitchell was born in Laurens County in 1913 to a singing family and learned to play the piano and sing at a very young age. Later, Fleeta would attend Georgia Academy for the Blind in Macon with some notable musicians like Willie McTell and Rev. Pearly Brown. While there, she also met Nathaniel Mitchell, who would eventually become her husband. In this tribute, Art plays some of the many spirituals Mitchell was known for playing, recounts some of his favorite memories of Fleeta, and explains how came upon the nickname “Arkansas.”

Art pays tribute to Earl Murphy, his good friend and a wonderful fiddle player. Earl appeared on Backroads & Banjos several times and can be heard on the tune Saline County, which is the song that serves as the theme to Backroads & Banjos. Earl passed away March 12, 2011 at age 93. This segment features numbers from Earl’s “The Kitchen Sessions” CD as well as the final recording of Earl, which is an unaccompanied waltz recorded by Art on February 2, 2011.