Roots Reunion Radio Show Preserves South Mississippi Musical Traditions
Mon, 11/29/2010 - 11:02am | By: Tearanny Street
Traditional South Mississippi musicians will showcase their talents during the 12th season of the Roots Reunion live radio show from 7-9 p.m. Dec. 4 at Hattiesburg's historic Saenger Theater.
Organized by the University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, the School of Music and Entertainment Industry Program, Roots Reunion gives local musicians an opportunity to share with the public the musical traditions of South Mississippi. The upcoming show features blues, bluegrass, folk and classic country performers.
“Roots reunion is such an important institution for South Mississippi, because it helps preserve and promote our traditional music forums by giving our regional musicians an opportunity to perform before a large audience and it gives the audience a chance to hear from these fantastic artists,” said Dr. Louis Kyriakoudes, associate professor of history at Southern Miss and center director.
This season's performers include host band The Patchwork String Band; bluegrass band Magnolia Drive; jazz and swing by Christy and the Rascals, an acoustic duet by The Thrusty's of Davo Crossing; old-time gospel by The Mississippi Five and contemporary folk by Ekklesia.
Artists are chosen through a programming committee comprised of community members and university experts to maintain a balanced and comprehensive representation of South Mississippi musical traditions.
The show is free and open to the public. Listeners can tune-in to W-USM 88.5 FM to hear the show broadcast live throughout Hattiesburg and worldwide at http://www.usm.edu/wusm.
The Southern Miss College of Arts and Letters, Mississippi Arts Commission, Domino's Pizza, Lenny's Sub Shop, The Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Hattiesburg, Crescent City Café and the Southern Miss Honors College Forum serve as sponsors for the Roots Reunion.
For more information about the Roots Reunion, contact the Southern Miss Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at 601.266.4574.