Arts and Entertainment

As the Po’ Ramblin’ Boys emerged as one of the most in-demand and important bluegrass bands of the past 10 years, its founding mandolinist C.J. Lewandowski didn’t focus only on the group’s art and career. C.J., now 37, became an avid collector and caretaker of music history, a board member of the International Bluegrass Music Association, and a record producer. All of those pursuits informed his latest project, a special one for the genre, because Keep On Keepin’ On is the final studio album by bluegrass Hall of Fame singer and mandolin player Bobby Osborne.

Todd Snider left a remarkable legacy of recordings and performances that ensure his art will live on in our collective memory. Some of that was for WMOT, where he was a fast friend and collaborator. We’ve assembled some of his best moments from our coverage and events.

Todd Snider, one of the most admired and whimsical songwriters to ever call Nashville home, died on Friday, Nov 14 after a health crisis suffered while on tour for the new album High, Lonesome, And Then Some. Sometimes called the Mayor of East Nashville, he was a free spirit, an irresistible barefoot troubadour, and a masterful lyricist who could dissect modern life’s absurdities and tell vivid stories that could be melancholy and hilarious. Craig Havighurst offers this appreciation.

Robert Randolph had no plans or dreams to take his fiery talents on the pedal steel guitar beyond the New Jersey church where he grew up and the network of pentecostal Black churches around the country that made the “sacred steel” a core part of their services. But his passionate sound and his joyful improvisational spirit were a perfect match for the jam/rock scene of the early 2000s. He’s been a steady contributor ever since, through wide collaborations and a string of albums with his “Family Band.” Now he’s leading the band under his own name and he has a fabulous new record on the revitalized Sun Records.

The fast-ascending, protest-singing Jesse Welles, and the tried-and-true Kentucky song craftsman Tyler Childers secured four Grammy Award nominations on Friday, leading a strong field of roots, folk and country artists who’ll be on the edge of their seats on Feb. 1, 2026. Americana stars received nods in a new Contemporary Country Album category. Jason Isbell, a seven-time Grammy winner, received his first-ever nod in Best Folk Album.

South Carolina guitar wizard and powerhouse singer Marcus King has come through the valley of shadows, breaking self-destructive habits and arriving at a place of contentment and love on his latest album Darling Blue. In a career-spanning conversation, King talks about his unique path to finding his voice on the guitar, his collaborations with a series of very different world-class producers, and his place in the shifting ecosystems of jam band and Americana music.

North Carolina songwriter Tift Merritt became an instant star of Americana music when she emerged in the early 2000s with Bramble Rose (2002) and Tambourine (2004), but only with time have we learned that her relationship with her prestige record label - Lost Highway Records - was tumultuous and dispiriting. After a period of relative quiet on the music front, she’s re-issued Tambourine on vinyl for the first time and put out a collection of demo/kitchen tapes that contextualize that classic. From her home in Raleigh, Tift catches us up on her diversified creative life.

Happy Public Radio Music Day to all who celebrate! To celebrate PRMD 2025, WMOT asked listeners to help curate the essential list of songs about radio, and WOW you understood the assignment! Y'all came up with an eclectic list of 237 songs ranging from bluegrass to 90's grunge! Listen from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on 89.5 FM and WMOT.org as WMOT hosts and staff play back your favorite radio songs.

We’ll never get bored of revisiting September’s Americanafest Day Stage for 2025, whether via the complete livestream archive or through John Partipilo’s magnificent photos. This was our first year in Riverside Revival, and John, one of Nashville’s greatest-ever documentary photographers, captured the beauty of the space, the focus of the artists, and the joy among our wonderful crowd.

For years, various musicians and instigators have dreamed of a festival to showcase Nashville’s hometown jazz talent, and it’s finally coming to pass this weekend at 3rd & Lindsley with a distinguished and varied lineup. Both days of The Inaugural Nashville Jazz Festival are technically sold out, but if you can’t finagle a ticket, both days will be streamed on a donate-what-you-can basis. Either way, it’ll be high energy and historic.