On most Monday nights, a musical phenomenon takes place at the Lyric Theatre in Lexington. An eclectic group of teachers, retirees, students, accountants and musicians faithfully put on Kentucky’s own Grand Ole Opry, the Appalachian version of A Prairie Home Companion. Through the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, two million listeners around the world experience a slice of Kentucky each week.
Though many people make WoodSongs happen, it is the singular vision of folk singer Michael Johnathon. Twenty years ago, he had an idea for a different kind of musical radio show, one that was a conversation as well as a performance, with a live audience that would celebrate the passion and spirit of folk music and art. So he started a scrappy little show with a 12-person audience for a college radio station and called it the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour.
After two decades of steady growth, tapings of the show now often fill the 500-seat historic Lyric Theatre. The show plays on 537 radio stations around the world—from Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, to Canberra, Australia—and on American Forces Radio Network. The television show is broadcast from coast to coast on public TV and the RFD-TV network.
This month, WoodSongs celebrates an impressive and rare broadcast milestone: 1,000 shows—a feat that takes a level of dedication and passion hard to come by these days. “It is too fun to stop,” Johnathon says when asked how WoodSongs has lasted. “It is an unselfish part of my career supporting the music world that I love.”
The vision and format of the 1,000th show will be almost identical to that of the very first show. It is a unique alchemy that makes WoodSongs work, proof that something precious can indeed be forged from raw materials and hard work.
Volunteers
In Johnathon’s economy, WoodSongs is a gift, an offering of love from a whole lot of dedicated people. Every single person involved in WoodSongs is a volunteer—from the sound engineer and sign hanger to Johnathon and the artists. They do it for love, not money, and they do it 44 times a year in a place where they have to put up and take down the staging and equipment each week.
“People will work harder when motivated from the heart than from their wallet,” Johnathon says. The 38 crew members deal in a different type of currency, one of love for the music and for the artists. Johnathon is grateful for the talented and motivated citizens of Lexington who have said yes to his harebrained idea.
One of those is Jack Harvey. He is self-employed as a Thoroughbred bloodstock consultant, but on Monday nights, he is a technical assistant. He has been carving out Monday time for WoodSongs for more than three years. “At the 900th show, I got to meet Roger McGuinn and talk with him one on one,” Harvey says. “I have been a fan since I was a boy. WoodSongs is a big commitment, but it is one of the most enjoyable parts of my life.”
Some of the crew have been part of the show for decades. They help the volunteers feel like a family through a strong ethos of mentorship and care. Stage manager Bryan Klausing has been part of WoodSongs since show 30. His first job was to hold up the cardboard-on-a-paint-stick applause sign at the appropriate times. He has since mentored a diverse community of hundreds of volunteers, from retired mothers to college students, with his capable and calm demeanor.
“Michael and the long-standing crew have cultivated a great group of people,” says Technical Director Isaac May. “It is a very safe place to learn. Mistakes are not a big deal.” May’s first exposure to WoodSongs was as a musical guest. His on-the-job crew experience has given him confidence in being backstage, too.
Partners
One of the ways WoodSongs fills its live audience is with partners who pay a modest annual fee and attend all tapings for free. These music lovers do much more than attend shows; they take seriously their role in the WoodSongs community.
About once a year, partner Zelma Hack of Leitchfield gets up at 3 a.m. for a full day of baking. She churns out upside-down apple pie and an entire laundry basket full of goodies. Then, she and husband Martin drive two hours to give the treats to the crew and watch WoodSongs. “At the show, Michael always says to give the crew a big hand,” Martin says. “We thought they needed more appreciation than just a hand. We just love the people here!”
Partner Gary Davis is an ambassador for WoodSongs. He chooses the family partner plan just for himself so he can give away his extra tickets. He loves introducing others to the show—friends and strangers—and has been known to walk around Lowe’s, inviting people as he shops. “WoodSongs is the best kept secret in Lexington!” he insists.
Guests
No matter how strong a community, a music show would not last if it didn’t have really good music. By all accounts, WoodSongs does. Johnathon has an ear for guests and lives by the motto, “You don’t have to be famous; you just have to be good.” For him, it is not just about brilliant musicianship. “It’s about the hard-driving spirit of the artists. Whose heart is big, and whose story is powerful and will move the audience?”
Famous people have been guests on WoodSongs—household names like Brandi Carlile, Judy Collins, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Indigo Girls, George Winston and Ben Sollee. But often, real magic happens with a more obscure guest or the weekly WoodSongs kid, a 6- to 16-year-old musician who performs. “I sometimes go to a show thinking I won’t like the music, and it ends up being one of the best ones ever,” Davis says.
The range of guests’ musical styles breaks out of the traditional idea of folk music. Show 990 featured Janiva Magness, a blues singer and one of only two women awarded the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award. Listeners are treated to international artists, rock ’n’ roll and hybrids like “gangster grass” (hip hop and bluegrass). Instruments on stage might include a harp, a banjo or Andean flutes.
Coffeehouses & SongFarmers
A few years back, Johnathon launched two initiatives to share the WoodSongs spirit in local communities. WoodSongs Coffeehouses are grassroots concerts hosted by listeners like Richard Stewart. He has been a WoodSongs online listener for more than 20 years and was quick to sign up when he heard about Coffeehouses. It has helped him connect with talented artists for his professional concert venue, Garage Ma Hall in Las Vegas, Nevada. While on a cross-country road trip in September, Stewart routed his trip through Lexington and drove a 12-hour day on a pilgrimage to his first WoodSongs taping.
SongFarmers host community song gatherings with artists who want to make a difference in their hometowns. The idea has struck a chord; there are now 60 SongFarmer chapters from Hawaii to Vermont. One of those is in Cabot, Arkansas, where 200 WoodSongs listeners and friends gather in the local library each month to sing together. The fifth national gathering of SongFarmers was held this October in Berea.
Maybe Johnathon’s greatest work of alchemy is gathering a far-flung group of music lovers and making them a front-porch community through a distinctly Kentucky broadcast. These two stories hint at how he does it:
Gary Davis attends nearly every Monday and always sits in the same seat. Recently, he had a lengthy stint in the hospital. Not only did the WoodSongs crew notice he wasn’t there, but Johnathon also made a special visit to see him in the hospital. “That really meant a lot to me,” Davis says.
Richard Stewart’s Garage Ma Hall had hosted several WoodSongs Coffeehouse shows when he got a call from the WoodSongs office. Could Johnathon come play at his Coffeehouse? “He is probably the best-known person who has played there,” Stewart says. “His visiting our little 60-person venue all the way in Nevada made a big impact on me.”
Johnathon says that love is the greatest transaction of the arts. Yes, it sounds a bit idealistic and folksy. But thanks to the longevity of WoodSongs and the astounding community of volunteers, partners and artists who rally around it, he has proven it is true.
The 1,000th show will be taped on Nov. 19, with Riders in the Sky as the headliner.
Doors open at 6:20, with show time at 6.45. Tickets are $35 general admission; $25 for WoodSongs Partners.
For tickets, please contact the Lyric Theatre box office: 859.280.2218 or WoodSongs.com.
To attend a WoodSongs taping, check out WoodSongs.com for upcoming shows and to make a reservation. Annual partnerships start at $75, and the general public can attend individual shows for $10-$20. Shows are streamed live online, are available in the extensive archives, and are played on affiliate radio and television stations.