Across the Blue Ridge #110 - Blue Ridge Music Trails, WPAQ celebrates its 70th

This week's program starts with a powerful collection of fiddle tunes, bluegrass, and old time songs.  From there, we move into our latest Blue Ridge Music Trails episode, featuring the Mount Airy, NC radio station WPAQ – where Across the Blue Ridge host Paul Brown got his start in professional broadcasting and journalism in the early 1980s.  A rarity in the media landscape, WPAQ is a commercial station which since its start in 1948 has embraced the music and culture of its own region, rather than simply presenting mass popular culture and music dictated by recording executives.  February 2, 2018 marks the station's 70th broadcast anniversary. WPAQ is now online as well as on the AM band (740 on the dial) – and it will soon expand to the FM band at 106.3, while keeping its AM service intact.  Paul Brown offers memories from WPAQ, plus lots of music from 1948 through 1984, giving us a sense of the continuity of tradition there.  We also find out about how you can experience WPAQ in person at the Earle Theater in Mount Airy, as well as online and on the air. 

Playlist

1. Crazy Creek
   Tommy Jackson
   Square Dance Tonight
    
2. Fine Times At Our House
   Adam Steffey & Eddie Bond
   New Primitive
    
3. Waste Not, Want Not
   Big Country Bluegrass
   Let Them Kno I'm From Virginia
    
4. Blue Ridge Cabin Home
   Flatt & Scruggs
   1948-59 Vol. 3
    
5. Bug In The Taters
   Hill Billies
   The Hill Billies
    
6. Roll On Buddy
   Roscoe Holcomb
   The High Lonesome Sound
    
7. Break 1 - Natural Bridge Blues
   Lefty Hall with the Green Valley Boys
   WPAQ: Voice of the Blue Ridge Mountains
    
8. Turn Your Radio On
   The Hall Twins
   Broadcast sound track
    
9. Paddy On The Turnpike
   Esker Hutchins, Benton Flippen, Leake Caudle
   WPAQ
    
10. How Will I Explain About You
    Skyline Serenaders
    WPAQ: Voice of the Blue Ridge Mountains
     
11. God Loves His Children
    Mt. Zion Quartet
    WPAQ: Voice of the Blue Ridge Mountains
     
12. When Was Jesus Born?
    Silvertone Gospel Harmonizers
    WPAQ
     
13. Cripple Creek
    Benton Flippen & Leake Caudle
    WPAQ
     
14. Under The Double Eagle
    Pate & Leroy Martin
    WPAQ
     
15. Break 2 - Chicken Reel
    Reid Rakes
    WPAQ: Voice of the Blue Ridge Mountains
     
16. Mountain Swing
    The Murphy Brothers with Dee Stone
    The Murphy Brothers & The Original Blue River Boys
     
17. Get Down On Your Knees & Pray
    The Murphy Brothers
    The Murphy Brothers & The Original Blue River Boys
     
18. Yankee Doodle
    The Old Timers
    WPAQ
     
19. Going Home
    The Old Timers
    WPAQ
     
20. John Henry
    Carlie Marion & Paul Brown
    WPAQ