East Tennessee's Own WDVX

Taps & Tunes on the Corner - 12/1 - Michael Prewitt
2023-12-01 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
“International Bluegrass Music Association award winner Michael Prewitt was born and raised in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains in rural Whitley County, Kentucky, outside of the town of Williamsburg. It was there he learned to play bluegrass music, first on the fiddle and then on what would quickly become his life’s musical love, the mandolin. Throughout middle school and high school he played in his school district’s after-school bluegrass band, Colonel Strings, and after graduating he played with the Eastern Kentucky bluegrass band Mountain Drive. Michael then took a hiatus from playing music to attend college at the University of the Cumberlands. He moved to North Dakota after graduating to begin graduate school in English literature, and while there began playing mandolin and banjo with the North Dakota-based Flatt Mountain Bluegrass Boys. After a few years of teaching English at the University of North Dakota, he decided to focus his attention on his musical career by relocating to Minneapolis, Minnesota where he co-founded the neo-traditional bluegrass band Back Up & Push. The band released a regionally well-received album with Michael playing guitar, singing lead vocals and contributing multiple original compositions. In 2021 he joined the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Special Consensus, where he currently plays the mandolin and sings lead and harmony vocals. An album of instrumental music, “The Peerless Mountain Sessions,” is slated for release in early 2024 on Common Loon Records. He currently lives outside of Nashville, Tennessee.”

The Smoky Mountain Jamboree - 12/1 - Cruz Contreras / Wyatt Ellis
2023-12-01 19:00 | Clayton Center for The Arts, 502 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Maryville, TN, 37804, United States
East Tennessee’s Own WDVX and ORNL Federal Credit Union present the Smoky Mountain Jamboree at the Clayton Center for the Arts on the campus of Maryville College Friday night December First at seven with your host Jay Clark.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
The Smoky Mountain Jamboree will feature two, nationally recognized artists that just happen to call Blount County home. Wyatt Ellis, acclaimed bluegrass prodigy, will co-headline the Jamboree with the debut release party for Wyatt Ellis and his All Star Band along with Americana front man and singer-songwriter, Cruz Contreras. The show will be broadcast live on “East Tennessee’s Own” WDVX.
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Cruz Contreras has roots in Tennessee and Michigan, but has impacted Americana music worldwide.
The frontman, founder, and driving force behind The Black Lillies’ raw and rootsy sound also co-founded Robinella and the CCstringband, and has collaborated with musicians ranging from John Oates and Jim Lauderdale to Langhorne Slim and The Turnpike Troubadours. His projects have topped both the Billboard and Americana radio charts, won Independent Music Awards, and been nominated for the Americana Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year award. After over a decade touring under the name The Black Lillies, Contreras wrapped up the band in 2019 and is performing under his own name.
Over the years, Cruz has appeared on nationally broadcasted television including Late Night with Conan O’Brien, CMT, VH-1, GAC, Bluegrass Underground and PBS Television’s Sun Studio Sessions. His music has been lauded by outlets as diverse as American Songwriter Magazine, Rolling Stone, NPR’s Morning Edition and Vanity Fair, among others. As an independent artist, Cruz has played Nashville’s lauded Grand Ole Opry 40 times over the years. Contreras is currently at work on his debut solo album, ‘Cosmico’.

Born not far from the Great Smoky Mountains, Wyatt Ellis‘ first recollection of hearing the mandolin was Bobby Osborne’s iconic solo on the Osborne Brothers’ bluegrass classic “Rocky Top.” Hearing the Tennessee bluegrass anthem echo throughout the early years of his childhood is what led Wyatt to set his sights on learning to play mandolin. With his schedule packed with school, Boy Scouts and team sports, it was hard to find time for music.
When he was almost 10 years old, Wyatt talked his dad into buying him a used mandolin so he could learn to play it just like Bobby. Soon, he began weekly mandolin lessons in his hometown and quickly developed a strong desire to attend local bluegrass jams. He told his non-musical parents that he wanted to play his new mandolin alongside other bluegrass pickers.
The COVID lockdown began just as he was forging those real-life musical friendships. Team sports, local lessons and bluegrass jams came to an abrupt end. At the same time, festivals and in-person recording sessions suddenly stopped, parking the most in-demand bluegrass musicians at home. Many of his favorite mandolin players started teaching or simply spending more time connecting within the community online.
In the fall of 2020, Wyatt was chosen by his hero Sierra Hull, herself a former mandolin prodigy, for a Tennessee Folklife apprenticeship. Eager to improve under the watch of a true virtuoso, Wyatt describes those one-on-one tutorials as “working on exactly what I needed to work on at the time. Details. Timing. Tone. Getting all the little things right by slowing down was a really big deal in that situation. Sierra has taken bluegrass mandolin to another dimension and I was excited to start my journey with her. I’ve played my mandolin every day since then.”
Having never been a fan of watching television or playing video games, playing mandolin became Wyatt’s preferred pastime. With no close neighbors and the music world suddenly at his fingertips, his passion for the instrument grew. As word circulated in the bluegrass community about his accelerated abilities, Wyatt befriended many of the genre’s top mandolin players through camps, workshops, and individual lessons.
In October 2022, Wyatt performed alongside former Bluegrass Boy Peter Rowan and Grammy winner Molly Tuttle at Rowan’s induction into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Wyatt was invited by his ultimate mandolin hero, Marty Stuart, to help kick off the Grand-Reopening of the Ellis Theater in Philadelphia, Mississippi. In February 2023, at 13 years old, he made his Grand Ole Opry debut appearance with bluegrass duo Dailey & Vincent. Moments after his debut appearance he was jamming backstage with acoustic icons Vince Gill and Mark O’Connor. In March 2023, Wyatt joined the genre’s newest superstar, Billy Strings, to honor Doc Watson at his 100th birthday celebration. The now fourteen-year-old was recently invited to play the iconic Merlefest event Mandolin Mania with five of his mandolin heroes.
As a young musician just starting out on his musical journey, Wyatt has found that the bluegrass community is full of supporters, kind words, and encouragement. He has accrued more than 90,000 followers on combined social media before ever releasing a single.

Thank you to:

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/2 - Corrie Lynn Green / Jeremy Wells
2023-12-02 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Corrie Lynn Green is an Appalachian Folk Singer from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. She was discovered by well-known producer and recording equipment engineer D.W. Fearn during the pandemic. She had been writing stories about her life growing up in rural Appalachia since she was young, challenging the ideas instilled by her evangelical upbringing, and education status and bringing authenticity and grit to the stage as if her life depended on it.
Creating a new spin on folk/americana/appalachia genre, self taught singer/songwriter Corrie Lynn Greeen writes and reflects the secrets and stories of life in a small holler town drawing from her deep roots in rural Appalachia, she also walks down a path of self discovery through personal heartbreak, rebellion, hardship, joy and acceptance.
At some point in her young adult life during a walkabout, she found a broken down abandoned, handmade clawhammer banjo and slowly taught herself to play.
After walking down a path of personal healing, Corrie Lynn became serious about writing, playing and singing with what has become known as her very engaging, signature voice. At this time she continues to ride the waves of this very fast moving musical current. After listening to Corrie Lynn Green’s vocals and lyrics, you will find they cut through time and render genre obsolete.
She released “Blow Away”, her debut album in May of 2022, then went on to win third place in the acclaimed Stephan George SongWriter’s competition in Tuscon, Arizona for 2022 and has been recognized in other national songwriting competitions for 2023. With a new album on the horizon, Corrie Lynn Green hopes to take you on a storyteller’s journey through the stages of a life lived the mountain way.

Jeremy Wells. Movement and musings from a washed up wood pushin widower in North Georgia.. no trends. No influence. No mass following. Just a drop in the pail.. a coffin for the nail.. a hole in the sail..

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/4 - The Pirkle Trio
2023-12-04 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own The Pirkle Trio joins us this day bringing real live music to the WDVX stage.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/5 - Brand New Box of Matches
2023-12-05 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Ryan and Elizabeth aka Brand New Box of Matches is a Bluegrass-folk & roots inspired duo band out of Knoxville, TN.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/6 - AC Sapphire / Jobi Riccio
2023-12-06 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Whether solo or full band, AC Sapphire‘s powerful voice fills a room. Her songwriting chops make instant fans of first time listeners and keep her following coming back. A particularly gifted singer, AC also has a lifetime of performing experience that began in her early teens. Her latest album Desert Car released on American Standard Time Records is a stunning, shimmering collection of electric rock songs served as nostalgic souvenirs. She’s been featured as a Bandcamp new and notable, in Glide Magazine, Pop Mattters, and XS Noize, Relix Magazine, And Americana Highway. Her songs can be found on official AppleMusic playlists “Desert”, “Indie Folk”, and “Fresh Blood”.
Half the fun of seeing her live is watching a crowd melt into a pool of new fans.​
AC Sapphire was the winners of Relix Magazine’s 2022 Sonic Showdown contest. featured in the December issue and flown to New York City to perform for a live session for recording. AC was also chosen as the grand prize winner in the 21st Annuel New Song Music competition. She can be heard singing alongside Shirley Manson (Garbage) on the eponymous single “We’re Still Here” from HIRS Collective new album. Always in motion, AC now also has a duo project called Caliko with long time singing partner Kendall Lujan.​
In the coming year AC will be performing across the US, recording an EP at Citizen Vinyl and making appearances at Treefort Music Fest and more.

Born and raised in Morrison, Colorado – a tourist town in the foothills outside of Denver that’s home to Red Rocks Amphitheater – Jobi Riccio grew up surrounded by music and found inspiration in artists ranging from Sheryl Crow to Joni Mitchell. Sonically, Jobi’s music exists between worlds, melding the classic craftsmanship of her songwriting with modern indie-leaning production to forge a lush, expansive sound that feels traditional and experimental all at once. She has received acclaim for her songwriting, including winning the 2019 NewSong Music Competition, performing at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, receiving the 2019 Lee Villiare Scholarship from her alma mater Berklee College of Music, and being named a finalist in the 2018 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriters Showcase. In 2023 Jobi was awarded the Newport Folk Festival John Prine Fellowship.
Her previous release, EP “Strawberry Wine” (2019), is an ode to the women of classic country and bluegrass she grew up learning to sing from. Her debut album, “Whiplash” (out September 2023 on Yep Roc), follows in similar footsteps but introduces influences from a variety of genres, while still holding space for Riccio’s love for all decades of country and americana music.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/7 - Rachel McIntyre Smith / Tin Roof Echo
2023-12-07 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
With her lyrically driven songs, Rachel McIntyre Smith’s comfort twang music reminds listeners of the classics while also adding a relevant and fresh perspective. Holler magazine calls her “Loretta Lynn for the TikTok Generation.”
In 2022, Rachel independently released her debut EP “Glory Daze”, which went on to be featured on BBC Radio, Spotify’s Best of Fresh Finds Country 2022, and Grady Smith’s Youtube Channel where he named the title track one of the best country songs of 2022.
Her brightly colored style, smooth vocals, and small-town charm leave a lasting impact on audiences. Americana Highways states she is “a vocal descendant of Alison Krauss.” Rachel’s had the privilege to share the stage with some impressive names in country music, including Lee Roy Parnell, Larry Fleet, Paul Thorn, Boy Named Banjo and Caleb Lee Hutchinson.

Although originally hailing from the musically rich city of Macon, Georgia, Joe Hooten has called Asheville, North Carolina home, off & on, since the late 90’s, but more permanently beginning in 2007. Following his 2014 debut, The Original Plan, seven albums (six LPs and one EP) have been released under the Tin Roof Echo moniker-each demonstrating the DIY recording style that ultimately allows his uniquely introspective songwriting & production style to be highlighted along with his varied influences. He’s performed at notable festivals such as Durham NC’s Enofest, Northeast Georgia’s fabled Finsterfest, and Asheville’s inaugural AVLFest. He’s shared respected stages with a diverse range of talents like alt-country hero Scott Miller (The V-Roys) & punk pioneers Agent Orange. His solo shows- whether in a festival setting, radio show, or an intimate listening room- are not to be missed.

The WDVX Big Plate - 12/8 - Alyssa & Wayne Brewer / Hearth
2023-12-08 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
When youthful passion and timeless songs intersect, it’s a creative crossroads where everything old seems new again. That’s definitely the case with husband and wife country duo Alyssa & Wayne Brewer’s new album Alyssa and Wayne Sing George and Tammy, due for release on Friday, September 15.
Wayne Brewer, a sixth-generation musician well-known for his work with Gary Brewer & The Kentucky Ramblers, and his talented wife Alyssa teamed to salute country legends George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The Brewer’s debut album finds the couple covering such well known classics as the first single, “Golden Ring” and “We’re Gonna Hold On” in addition to lesser known gems like “Rosie Bokay.”
Wayne and Alyssa approached the project with equal amounts of unbridled enthusiasm and humble trepidation. “We committed and agreed to do our debut release as a tribute to the two best country singers of all time. It was a major undertaking,” Wayne recalls. “We did all these in the original keys that George and Tammy cut them in, except I did ‘Rosie Bokay’ as a nod to Bobby Osborne, who cut it up a key high. All the rest of the songs are in the original keys, which I thought was important.”
Married since 2015, Wayne says recording a duet album has been a goal since he and Alyssa began dating, but other career demands kept them busy. Wayne not only performs with the Ramblers, but is also CEO of SGM (Stretch Grass Music) and Alyssa serves as COO of the label. Eventually, the couple found time to get in the studio and recorded the Townes Van Zandt classic “If I Needed You,” a song they had sung to each other at their wedding. The combination of Wayne’s earnest approach and Alyssa’s achingly vulnerable vocals earned them instant fans.
A friend at SGM’s distribution company, Sony/The Orchard, encouraged them to record an entire album and suggested they revive the Jones/Wynette catalog. Both Wayne and Alyssa had grown up listening to the country music icons and the project seemed a natural fit. “We’ve always been big fans of theirs, but who isn’t? Everybody knows George’s range was unlike anybody’s that ever has been or ever will be, so it was an undertaking,” Wayne says.
Yet the couple rose to the challenge, even though they were recording at the same time they were adjusting to being first-time parents. “After we had a baby, we started working on it when she was a newborn, so we waited until we had the least amount of time to start this,” Alyssa laughs about the challenging circumstances. “This was only my second time ever in the studio, but I had a lot of guidance from Wayne because he’s been producing so many albums over the years.”
Alyssa and Wayne Sing George and Tammy became a labor of love for the young couple and the recording sessions were intimate and emotional with Wayne alone in the control room and Alyssa singing directly to him. “I said, ‘I’ll sit on the board, and you’ll be in the tracking room, looking right at me through the glass. I’ll track all your vocals with you singing directly to me,’” he recalls. “So that’s how this was cut, and I feel like you can hear that in the album.”

East Tennessee’s Own Alex & Miranda Leach join us as a new duo called Hearth.

Secret City Radio Show - 12/8 - Grove Theatre
2023-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Grove Theater, 123 Randolph Rd., Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, United States
East Tennessee’s Own WDVX and Oak Ridge Periodic Tables present the The Secret City Radio Show featuring Tim O’Brien with Jan Fabricius, Four Leaf Peat, and host Chad Beauchaine at the Grove Theatre in Oak Ridge with a live broadcast on December 8th. These shows will continue in 2024 with quarterly broadcasts.
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
Multi-Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien and his wife Jan Fabricius have performed together nationally and internationally either as a duo or as part of the Tim O’Brien Band since 2015. In a duet setting with a guitar, a mandolin, and their two voices, they bring an intimate and warm acoustic music roots repertoire that’s at once both original and traditional.
Singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist O’Brien, born in Wheeling WV in 1954, grew up singing and playing guitar in church and in school. After seeing Doc Watson on TV, he became a lifelong devotee of old time and bluegrass music. Co-founder of Colorado’s Hot Rize, he toured the world with that band from 1978 until he started his solo career in 1990. His songs have been covered by Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, and the Dixie Chicks, and his collaborators onstage and in the recording studio include Darrell Scott, Dirk Powell, Mark Knopfler, and Sturgill Simpson. Awarded Grammy’s in both the Folk and Bluegrass categories, he is a member of both the West Virginia and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame. He lives with Jan Fabricius in Nashville TN.
Jan Fabricius grew up in WaKeeney, Ks. and sang from an early age in church and school, taking up clarinet and then mandolin. A registered nurse and mother of two, she kept her hand in music through local jams and regional bluegrass festivals while raising her family.
Jan’s music with O’Brien started informally around their home as he wrote or learned new songs, and she soon found herself singing and playing mandolin in the studio and onstage. O’Brien’s 2021 release “He Walked On”, and his upcoming release “Cup of Sugar” feature original songs co written by Tim and Jan.

Four Leaf Peat is Tennessee’s premier Traditional Irish Band and has been performing locally and regionally since 2004! Traditional Irish music ranges from vibrant dance tunes to soulful songs, and Four Leaf Peat’s performances are always marked by a keen sense of the tradition, mixed with just the right amount of influence from the rich musical history of East Tennessee. Four Leaf Peat’s unique sound is a result of its members’ various musical backgrounds, and their continued passion for traditional Irish music. By taking all of their years of musical training, and building on Irish influences like The Bothy Band, Planxty, Flying Cloud & Silly Wizard, to more modern twists on Traditional music such as Dervish, Open the Door for Three & Lunasa; Four Leaf Peat has built its own brand of Irish music which celebrates the musical bridge that spans the Atlantic.

Kidstuff Live - 12/9 - Will Carter
2023-12-09 10:00 - 11:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
A multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter and record producer, Will Carter is a busy man – performing as a sideman with other musicians (including Jackson Brown, NEEDTOBREATHE, and Ashley Campbell), performing and releasing his own music, and recording projects for other people. But amidst everything else, he has found time over the years to play music for kids at the Boys and Girls Club and in local Knoxville schools.
He’ll bring his many talents back to the Kidstuff stage on Dec. 9. And if you’re getting in the Christmas spirit, you’re in for a treat. Will loves to arrange and perform Christmas songs.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/9 - Lazybirds
2023-12-09 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
The band Lazybirds began twenty years ago, when Jay Brown and James T Browne, who had played acoustic blues and folk together in high-school in Birmingham Alabama, moved up to Boone NC where they became immersed in the rich musical heritage of the Appalachians, while at the same time delving deeper into blues and jazz. Lazybirds was formed with Mitch Johnston on bass and Andy Christopher on tenor guitar and tenor banjo, later adding the great Alfred Michels on guitar and fiddle. More recently, the line-up has changed somewhat, with Asheville musicians Cas Sochacki on upright bass and steel guitar, Brad Pope on tenor guitar and mandolin, and upright bass.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/11 - Nancy Brennan Strange
2023-12-11 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own Nancy Brennan Strange takes the stage today on The WDVX Blue Plate Special!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/12 - Trisha Gene Brady
2023-12-12 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
With her former band TGB followed a rigorous road schedule and had many adventures!! Trisha Gene Brady is a roots musician from Knoxville, TN known best for her seven year run as the female vocalist (guitar, mandolin, percussion) of the nationally touring act, The Black Lillies. Her split from the well known Americana outfit seems to be an open door to the next step in her career.
She has been featured in publications including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Billboard, Wall Street Journal, Consequence of Sound, Garden & Gun, Huffington Post, Relix Magazine, USA Today, PASTE Magazine, No Depression & Country Weekly, NPR’s Mountain Stage (twice) and five separate PBS concert specials, a GAC featurette, Texas Music Scene and a CMT television episode airing nationally.
Trisha Gene is one of the only independent artists invited to play the Grand Ole Opry more than thirty times (debuted June, 2011).
She has performed at festivals including Bonnaroo Music + Arts, SXSW, Americana Music Association’s Americana Fest, 30-A Songwriter’s Festival, Country Music Association’s CMA Festival & Fan Fair, Rochester International Jazz Festival, Pickathon, Strawberry Music Festival, Four Corners Folk Festival, MerleFest, Old Settler’s Festival, The Luck Reunion, and more.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/13 - Les Kerr / The Luv Muffins
2023-12-13 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Les Kerr is a songwriter, recording artist and performer who brings blues, New Orleans music, Zydeco, rock and bluegrass together to create his “Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock & Roll.” A Nashville resident since 1987, Kerr was born in Louisiana and raised in Mississippi.
Les has recorded eleven albums, including his latest, Part of the Show. About Les’ music, national music publication No Depression’s Lee Zimmerman wrote, “Nashville’s Les Kerr creates a sound that’s both jovial and cerebral all at the same time…Kerr takes his stylistic additives from a variety of genres — reggae, country, folk, blues and rock ‘n’ roll — and meshes them into a hybrid that’s philosophical [and] sunny.”
Les has performed at many festivals and has headlined annual Mardi Gras celebrations at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café since 1992. Among the venues and events where he has performed are Nashville’s Official Independence Day Celebration, the Grand Ole Opry House, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Southern Festival of Books and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Nashville (formerly the Country Music Marathon).
Regional performances include shows at the Maple Leaf Bar and Louisiana Music Factory (New Orleans, LA); Decatur, Alabama’s Historic Princess Theatre; The Listening Room (Mobile, AL); The Railyard (Decatur, AL); Hal and Mal’s (Jackson, MS); Atlanta Dogwood Festival; Knoxville (TN) Dogwood Festival; Southern Festival of Books (Nashville and Memphis) and Cookeville, Tennessee’s city-wide “Cooking on the Square” event.
The title song of his 2015 Contributor album was inspired by Nashville’s street newspaper and the premier event of the video raised money for the newspaper, The Contributor. The video for Contributor was seen worldwide and was included on CMT.com.
Mackinac Blues, from Les’ New Orleans Set CD, was included in NPR’s All Songs Considered and the New Orleans-based OffBEAT magazine declared, “Kerr’s musical stylings aptly cover the gamut from rockabilly to boogie to Caribbean beats with ease.”
Les was a three-time award nominee of the former Music City Blues Society and was featured in the TV documentary Civil War Songs and Stories broadcast on PBS stations across the U.S.
Lyrics of several of Les’ songs have appeared in three volumes of Maple Leaf Rag, a New Orleans Poetry Anthology. He is also the co-author of The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook (Harper Collins) and Tennessee (Graphic Arts Press).

East Tennessee’s Own The Luv Muffins joins us this day for the WDVX Blue Plate Special!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/14 - The Runout / Luke Israel & The Allstar Specials
2023-12-14 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
The Runout is an earnest alt-country/Americana band based out of Columbia, SC. Jeff and Kelley Gregory represent the band for duo appearances with Chris Compton, Moses Andrews, and Mike Scarboro joining for full band shows.

South Carolina Song writer, Luke Israel, brings a haunting new experience to old school country sound. Branding the title “Southern Folk and Honest Tunes” bringing the experience to a Honky Tonk near you.

The WDVX Big Plate - 12/15 - Memphis & The Misfits
2023-12-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Memphis & The Misfits
…..i never had a dream in my head to front a band. I’ve been a bass player happy to be in a supportive role for all of my years playing music. I did have a lot of thoughts in my head and things i wanted to say about where i grew up in the Delta, the place i call home, the people around me then and the music , culture and influences that my young years incubated in. From my perspective life in our small town growing up was like scenes from popular movies of the time-part Cool Hand Luke, part Blues Brothers, and part Every Which Way But Loose and part Walking Tall. With plenty of real life characters to cast from. There was always music around-and musical influences. Every time you sat down for lunch at one of the local cafes you had someone in the place that used to tour with someone. We had guys that had backed blues legends. Farmers that drove a tractor every day that used to be in Jimmy Buffet’s band-they came home to work the family farm while others from our area continue on the road with Jimmy until his recent passing. Soul acts. Southern gospel. Black gospel music that was so good it would give you chills. From “Dewey & the Biscuithounds” to the “ Y. S. O.-aka the Yarbro Symphony Orchestra-a prog rock band dedicated to covering Yes, Rush and their own prog originals everything was covered musically within our community.
Within an hour i could be on Beale St or in any one of the hundreds of clubs and juke joints surrounding us in NE Arkansas, Memphis or NW Mississippi. I was both attending blues acts at various places around our region by the age of 16 and playing in them as well with a variety of bands.
Experience gives a person the ability to look back and appreciate what could have been taken for granted. I didn’t realize it at the time but i was being given a rich glimpse of our musical heritage without even appreciating it in the moment. My hope as i continue writing music is to rely heavily on those influences and experiences as a tribute to them. The music of the blues should always be a history lesson. It should always lead you to someone a little further back. It should always tell a little bit of a story that causes one to be curious. I can’t tell the story of the blues because it isn’t my story to tell and to try and do so would make me an imposter. But i can share my experiences and weave those experiences into my own music as we’ve done here. Halfway to Number Nine is my thank you to my beginnings and those strong people and influences that shaped me. The song itself references an old country store with a pot bellied stove, moonshine and dice rolling farmhands just like it says. Walk That Line pays tribute to the working men that ventured North in the Depression to survive and left the one they loved back home. Muddy Waters was one of them…..Simple Life is a look back from today and is asking the big questions we’re all asking…….simple, honest, authentic and original music. That tells our story, tells the old stories of the blues and entertains. That’s all we want. Join us.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/16 - Christopher Wright / Dale J Gordon
2023-12-16 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
From the Piney Woods of East Texas, Christopher Wright Music was borne out of strong conservative Christian values and a steady diet of Merle Haggard and Hank Williams, Jr.
By eleven Christopher was playing guitar and writing music. His art offered a much-needed distraction from his fractured family. In 1986, Christopher, his mother, and sister moved north of Dallas to McKinney, Texas. After some scuffles with the locals, they relocated to Allen, Texas where Christopher firmly planted his boots in the ground.
Around this time urban hip-hop and Seattle grunge were shaping the musical landscape. Christopher’s love for the art of music was fire-roasted by the likes of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Dr. Dre. For Christopher, these artists complemented his respect for music of The Outlaws of Country Music.
High school and college were hastened by good times and trouble. Those days flew by like a Ford Mercury fresh off the line. Christopher was a bit of a hell-raiser in his younger days. Had a few run-ins with the law.​
“I got sidetracked with fast living, illegal shit, and shortcuts. Addiction made my straight lines into circles. Life was all fun and games until it wasn’t. I never shot anybody’s dog or anything, but I surely danced with the devil. After a few cold nights in county, I woke the hell up. Then it was the warm light of God”s word that guided me back to the light. In my desperation I found a deeper appreciation for everything I was losing.”​
In 2016 Christopher was diagnosed with acute liver failure. “That shit brought me to my knees. “Christopher credits his faith to getting him sober. And music for saving his life.
Christopher’s voice is deep, direct, and steady like a locomotive. His music will no doubt resonate with folks who are seeking light in the dark.
https://youtu.be/fDWpG5og7SA?si=eQ-RrroXBkfh2dk2
Dale J. Gordon is a Nashville-based songwriter and performer. His theatrical one-man band show utilizes guitar, a stompbox, and projected videos. His musical style blends elements of John Prine, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, Frank Zappa, and The Butthole Surfers. He has toured the U.S. for the past twenty years and performed at festivals such as Punk Island (NY), Skatopia (OH), Audiofeed (IL), Art All Night (NJ), and Killa Tomato Fest (TN). Dale has shared the stage with notable international music and comedy
acts like: Mishka Shubaly, Sierra Ferrell, Joe Jack Talcum (Dead Milkmen), Dusty Slay, J.T. Habersaat, Josh McLane, Kristin Lytie, Mack Lindsay, Jay Whitecotton, Kyle Pogue, Chad Riden, Ceschi, Matt Pless, Spoken Nerd, The Plurals, HEELS, Jared Grabb, Fate McAfee, Rent Strike, Qwel, Punk with a Camera, LaBaq, Papisa, and FingerFingerrr. Though Dale has seven full-length releases and three singles available on all streaming services; his highest achievement is having one of his songs be barely audible during an interview with Henry Rollins in the Amazon Prime film Riot on the Dance Floor.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/18 - Beth Snapp / Conrad Moore
2023-12-18 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
The pandemic turned the entire musical community upside down, and Beth Snapp’s story was no different… for the most part. 2019 saw her participating in various Folk and Americana festivals and songwriting competitions (including Kerrville’s New Folk Competition, LEAF’s New Song Music, Songwriter Serenade Winner, TN Dept of Tourism’s Songwriter’s Week Winner). She had enjoyed a Folk Alliance Chart top 10 spot from her 2018 EP “Don’t Apologize.” Press and accolades were building. Then, cue 2020.
While lucky to cling to a day job as a healthcare worker in Northeast TN, Beth soon found herself working in the throes of her local COVID unit. This, she reports, took her song away for a while. Some asked if it gave her songwriting fodder. Instead, there were no words, or music, for months. Some moments are too much for words.
As the pandemic halt began to fade and music began to emerge (although in ways no one in 2019 would have imagined), she then found herself in surgery for a nerve injury in her arm that could have proven to completely revoke her of guitar playing. However, it didn’t.
Now, in 2023, Beth is finishing up her full-length project with Barry Bales at the production helm (Alison Krauss and Union Station, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, cowriter with Chris Stapleton, Grammy/IBMA/CMA Song of the Year winner). Album is set to be released by end of fall to early winter. She also has released a folk-pop single “Try Them On,” a positive affirmation of identity which implores the listener to try on whoever they have dreamed of being. 2023 is gaining momentum, and she’s more than ready for it.​
You can also hear Beth’s guest vocal spots with bluegrass super group Blue Highway, Grammy and IBMA winner Tim Stafford, and ‘The Voice’ Contestant Carson Peters.
https://vimeo.com/612033143
Conrad Moore is a North Georgia native singer/songwriter.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/19 - Big Creek Bluegrass
2023-12-19 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Big Creek Bluegrass plays mostly Bluegrass but throw in some Country, Gospel, and a little Classic Rock.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/20 - Sleepy Eyed John Band
2023-12-20 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Sleepy-Eyed John’s Music and Clogging Locally owned and operated by John & Alicia Alvis since 2010, Sleepy-Eyed John’s offers a variety of Music Lessons & Instruction School. 2830 Andersonville Hwy, Clinton, TN, United States, Tennessee (865) 414-5825.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 12/21 - Jay Mac & Stevie
2023-12-21 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Jay Mac & Stevie. Rocking Radio Mama & Freedom Fighting Warrior Princess Bride Of The Most High.

The WDVX Big Plate - 12/22 - Todd Steed & The Christmas Suns
2023-12-22 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
An annual holiday tradition as Todd Steed & The Christmas Suns join us today for the WDVX Blue Plate Special.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/8 - Pistol Creek Catch of the Day
2024-01-08 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own Pistol Creek Catch of the Day brings Guitar, fiddle, bass and vocals on the upbeat to the stage today!

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/9 - The Alternates
2024-01-09 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
The Alternates will join us on this day.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/10 - Tim Fast / Hailey Joy
2024-01-10 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Hailey Joy is an 18 year old singer-songwriter based in Knoxville, Tennessee. Ever since she was young she has been intrigued with music. She loves to write and express her emotions with the hope that someone can relate to the lyrics she’s singing. Hailey Joy is full of life and is always seeking adventure or a good conversation with anybody! She hopes to communicate through her country, singer-songwriter music that there can be JOY found, not just in the good moments of life, but also amidst the pain! She also just put out her first EP that’s on all music platforms called “From The Heart.”

Tim Fast could be a character in one of the gems-of-a-song he writes and sings. He’s a dust-covered man who has traveled the roads in search of whatever song is over the next rise. That sense of adventure has given him a catalog of great original songs that have touched audiences from coast to coast and all the way from his native Minnesota down to the Texas Gulf Coast.
“I know how to write a good song and know when it works but in the end, the audience lets me know,” Tim says as his hands cradle a cup of coffee. A line like that might sound boastful coming from most people, but Tim is too disarming to come off that way.
Tim taught himself to play guitar at a young age (he still doesn’t read music) and his first guitar was a Silvertone his parents bought him after he tried building his own guitar after seeing the Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” when he was 8. He counts the late Chicago singer-songwriter Steve Goodman as one of his biggest early influences. After seeing Goodman perform in Minneapolis in 1975, Tim decided, “That’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life.” From then on, his life was about music.
In pursuit of that dream, he traveled roads that gave him a breadth of experience and would serve him well when he decided to become a full-time troubadour. He worked on crab boats out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, fabricated sheet metal, inspector for the Department of Food and Agriculture of California and worked as a stonemason. Woody Guthrie once advised, “All you can write is what you see,” and Tim let the characters he met and the roads he ambled tell the stories in his songs. “Many of my songs are about life’s experiences because the best songs come from what you know best,” he said. He’s told those stories on four well-received albums — the self-titled Tim Fast in 2003, followed by Starlite Drive-In in 2007, Crooked Door, released in 2011 and long time coming 2023 new release Under Your Moon. It’s no surprise he has 14 award winning songs amongst his collection. Tim has a dazzling repertoire of original songs that leave people humming and thinking — and ready to join him on his journey to see what’s over the next rise.
https://youtu.be/dy3xNs2uaIM?si=oa0TqL2LQgjZn-0h

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/11 - Michael DeLisle / Bernadette Pendleton
2024-01-11 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Michael deLisle is a Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Bassist and Writer.

Bernadette Pendleton will join us as well.

The WDVX Big Plate - 1/12 - Blue Ridge Gathering
2024-01-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Barley’s, 200 East Jackson Avenue, Knoxville, TN, 37915, United States
Blue Ridge Gathering is an Old Time band from Knoxville, TN featuring Cody Bauer, Jessica Watson, and Duck Ryan.

Kidstuff Live - 1-13 - Sarah Pirkle
2024-01-13 10:00 - 11:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
East Tennessee’s Own Sarah Pirkle is a fiddler, singer, songwriter and teacher.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/13 - Long Prairie / Jacc Moran
2024-01-13 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Long Prairie has been serenading venues since the 1990’s getting her start performing at karaoke nights and open-mics. Now frequently playing music around the Texas Hill Country. She has a dynamic and soulful vocal and is a solid rhythm guitarist and has been a devoted songwriter most of her adult life. She has three full-length albums under her belt and is about to start recording her fourth. Born and raised in the Northwoods of Minnesota (hence the name Long Prairie.) Coming from a household that always had music playing (mostly oldies music) she gravitated towards traditional acoustic instruments and fell in love with songwriting. She has been compared to Patty Loveless, Gillian Welch, and Natalie Merchant (to name a few.) She remembers freestyle songwriting as a small child and it just came natural to her, she thought it was fun and still does. She has undeniable talent and enjoys sharing her music. Catch her in coffeehouses, distilleries, bars, wineries, private events, or on the back of flatbed pickup truck.

Jacc Moran will also be joining us.

The WDVX Blue Plate Special - 1/24 - Reed Fields / Tony Slaughter
2024-01-24 12:00 - 13:00 | WDVX, 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States
Reed Fields is an Americana/County singer/songwriter from the rolling hills of Eastern Kentucky.

Tony Slaughter is a Singer/Songwriter born in Georgia, and now resides at the foothills of the Carolina mountains.
He’s no stranger to the music scene at all! Tony cut his teeth on the music scene performing with well-known rock bands such as Socket, Quarterfly, and After August.​
Following the passing of his father, in August 2019, Tony began writing his life stories down in songs. Finding his voice and sound through the lyrics of his songs, Tony Slaughter not only found his form of therapy, but also his songs and stories resonated with so many other people. Two words sum it all up…Outlaw Country!​
With songs from his first album titled Alton Douglas, (His Father’s name) Tony brought us into his life unknowingly. Tracks like Footprint, Sinner or Saint, and Jesus and Tattoos create an image of Tony’s upbringing and what he holds closets to his heart…family and life! But don’t let that fool you either! Tony’s track “Walk of Shame” shows his fun and creative side, while poking fun at one of the local music scene front men Greg Payne from The Piedmont Boys. Don’t worry though…Greg gets the last line in the song to show his approval!
Tony is currently recording new singles with Andrew Crawford, who by himself is a well-rounded musician, as well as no stranger to the Nashville scene! Keep a look out for the new Single “Happy Trails” coming October 2022, as well as many amazing shows lined up this fall with several national and local artists.
