{"id":139502,"date":"2024-05-22T11:38:51","date_gmt":"2024-05-22T16:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=139502"},"modified":"2024-05-22T11:38:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-22T16:38:53","slug":"thacker-mountain-radio-summer-of-buzz-show-welcomes-pulitzer-prize-winner-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/thacker-mountain-radio-summer-of-buzz-show-welcomes-pulitzer-prize-winner-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Thacker Mountain Radio Summer of Buzz: Show Welcomes Pulitzer Prize Winner and More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When the prestigious 2024 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on May 6, producers at Thacker Mountain Radio Hour<\/a><\/strong> took notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long-running Oxford-based music and literature program hosted Jayne Anne Phillips<\/strong> as one of its guest authors last fall. Phillips was announced as the winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her post-Civil War novel, Night Watch<\/strong><\/em>, set in (then referred to as) an \u201cinsane asylum\u201d in West Virginia.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thacker producers immediately scheduled Phillips\u2019 November 2023 show as part of this summer\u2019s re-broadcast series. That\u2019s when things became interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe looked over our other shows from the recent past and realized we had the makings of an incredible, very ‘buzzy’ summer line-up,\u201d says Jim Dees<\/strong>, host and associate producer of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, the \u201cSummer of Buzz\u201d was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next three months, Thacker Mountain Radio Hour will present encore presentations of recent shows featuring its usual, eclectic mix, including: superstar country trio Chapel Hart<\/strong>; bluesman (and homemade guitar maker) James \u201cSuper Chikan\u201d Johnson<\/strong>; 1980s movie heartthrob-turned-author Andrew McCarthy<\/strong>; bestselling novelist Kaveh Akbar<\/strong>; beloved southern essayist Sean \u201cSean of the South\u201d Dietrich<\/strong>; fife and drum master, Sharde Thomas<\/strong>; bestselling mystery\/thriller author Ashley Elston<\/strong>, and Mississippi gospel rockers, the Staples Jr. Singers<\/strong>, among many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Times and schedules for all shows are available at the Thacker Mountain website,\u00a0 https:\/\/thackermountain.com\/<\/a>.\u00a0Mississippi listeners can tune in on Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB)<\/strong> every Saturday at 7 pm, as well as on demand platforms such as Spotify<\/a><\/strong> and Soundcloud<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Host Dees says the show\u2019s powerhouse line-up, week after week, year after year, is no accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have (Oxford bookstore) Square Books booking our authors,\u201d he notes, \u201cand we have Tim Lee<\/strong>, who has 40 years\u2019 experience in the music business, as our production director in charge of music. That\u2019s about 80 years of know-how between the two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each broadcast also features the Thacker house band, the Yalobushwhackers<\/strong>, led by veteran guitarist Paul Tate<\/strong>, who open and close each show and often accompany guest performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dees notes that authors and musicians who appear nationally on shows such as NPR\u2019s All Things Considered<\/em>, or in publications such as the New York Times<\/em>, often appear on Thacker Mountain Radio Hour the same week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot bad for a little radio show in Mississippi with a fraction of the budget,\u201d Dees declares. He encourages new or unfamiliar listeners to jump on board, noting the show is funded by grants and listener donations at its website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, the music and literature roll on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This summer the program will travel around Mississippi to Clinton<\/strong>, to the Neshoba County Fair<\/strong> in Philadelphia<\/strong>, and to the Gulf Coast in Ocean Springs<\/strong> for ticketed performances.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All fall season shows in Oxford will take place from September 5 through November 21 and are free and open to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMississippi is known for its music and writers,\u201d Dees states. \u201cOur show is perfectly positioned to continue to be a vital voice for these artists.\u00a0\u201cPlus,\u201d he says with a laugh, \u201cwe somehow manage to have a lot of fun. We invite everybody to tune in and join up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, keep \u201cthe buzz\u201d going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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