Banjos Pt. 1: From Gourds to Grammys

Today we're sharing an episode of our sister show Smash Boom Best! In today’s debate, we’ve got two sweet treats that are delights to eat. We have Forever Ago host Joy Dolo arguing for watermelon, the colorful fruit that’s hydrating to boot. And Brant Miller is repping cotton can ...  Show more

Chocolate. You know it. You love it. You can’t get enough of it. Today, we think of chocolate as a sweet treat, but for most of human history, it was actually a bitter drink. This week Joy and co-host Camila go coo-coo for cocoa history and learn how indigenous people in Mesoamer ...  Show more

This episode is part one of The Soul of Music—Overheard’s four-part series focusing on music, exploration, and Black history. Our guest this week is two-time Grammy award winner Rhiannon Giddens, a singer, songwriter, and banjo and fiddle player. A self-described “armchair histor ...  Show more

Johnny Baier, Executive Director of the Banjo Museum in Oklahoma City, takes us through the history of the Banjo starting from the beginning until today.Support the show ( https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate) Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwo ...  Show more

So much of today’s music takes inspiration from the Blues, but where did Blues music itself come from?Kate is joined by Lamont Jack Pearley - applied folklorist, ethnographer and historian of African American traditional music - who takes us through the history of Blues music, fr ...  Show more

Black culture is a pivotal pillar of broader American culture. From fashion, to language, to being the sonic foundation to much of American music. In this special episode, our hosts do a deep dive into country music and how its roots are grounded in Black music. Using Beyoncé’s l ...  Show more