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Banjo player Gena Britt grew up in North Carolina and found her way into the bluegrass business with a run of cool bands: Petticoat Junction, New Vintage, Lou Reid & Carolina and Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, plus a spell leading her own Gena Britt Band. Now she’s one of the two founding members of all-woman supergroup Sister Sadie, but she keeps up with her own music too. And that led, on Nov. 7, to the release of Streets, Rivers, Dreams & Heartaches, her second album as a leader. In support are: John Meador on guitar, Alan Bartram on bass, Jonathan Dillon on mandolin, Jason Carter on fiddle, and Jeff Partin on reso-guitar. We noticed that she’s not the only Sadie Sister releasing new music, so we have a block including the band’s founding fiddler Deanie Richardson wailing away with Kimber Ludiker, 2024 IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Jaelee Roberts, and band alum Dale Ann Bradley. Also this hour, new gospel from Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, progressive fiddling from Darol Anger with Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and a new album from multi-instrumentalist trad man Clinton Davis.

Three great artists this week: topical country songwriter and singer Gwen Levey, Tommy Prine, and Nashville folk fusion band Breakfield.

Ashley Monroe moved to Nashville just after 10th grade from East Tennessee with a single-minded drive to sing and write country music. Her career would be the envy of many - including Grammy nominations, several major label albums, and Pistol Annies, an influential supergroup - and yet many in roots music haven’t recognized her as among the greats of our time. Following recovery from blood cancer, Monroe reached deep into herself, producing her most ambitious and daring project yet, Tennessee Lightning.

New Year New You. This week, we're featuring Meghan Hayes(pictured), Al Nicol & Matt Warren.

Blue Highway is going strong more than thirty years into their award-winning bluegrass journey. Their most recent album was last year’s Lonesome State Of Mind, but they’ve been busy this year with new singles, including this week’s Shawn Lane-penned “Muddy Shoes.” I also noticed a new side from the band New Found Road (a highway song as it happens) written by Thomas Cassell and Blue Highway co-founder Tim Stafford. Another timely connection arrived with the single “Honey Babe Blues” by Blue Highway banjo player Jason Burleson. So I put them all together in a set and rounded out the new music with a song from East Tennessee’s Beth Snapp, a friend and frequent collaborator with the BH boys. Other new music comes from Appalachian Road Show, with a truly thrilling song “Won’t Be Long” featuring Victor Furtado on clawhammer banjo and a show-opening collab between Tony Trischka and The Steeldrivers. Finally, check out the old Opry-style Tennessee string band picking from Sumner County old-time band The Luggnutts, who claim descendants of the early WSM band the Possum Hunters.

Last year, The String got a new opening theme tune. “Vera” comes from New York based mandolin virtuoso, composer and band leader Jacob Jolliff. The Oregon native came East when he got a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He’s worked for some big-league bands including Joy Kills Sorrow and Yonder Mountain String Band, but in this decade he’s found an audience for his own four-piece Jacob Jolliff Band. We talk about building the audience for instrumental, improvisational acoustic music and about select pieces from Jake’s fascinating discography.

To say that a lot has happened since Molly Tuttle last appeared on The String in 2019 would be an understatement. She’s won two Grammy Awards and been nominated for two more. She won her first IBMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award, to go along with her two groundbreaking Guitar Player trophies. But most important, she’s been through two entire stylistic swings in her musical vision and recording career. And she got engaged to Ketch Secor. So we cover a lot of ground in our latest conversation.

We hope you're rested and joyful for the start of the new year. WMOT and 3rd & Lindsley are bringing you tunes to help you get back in your normal weekly grind. This week, we'll feature Lilly Hiatt, Tristen, and Sherry Cothran.

Featuring The Waymores, Susan Werner & Chris Canterbury

Featuring Jess Jocoy, Michaela Anne & Del Roscoe