The Birthplace of Country Music Museum has rolled out its 2021 roster of great literature to be discussed on its Radio Bristol Book Club program; the show airs on the 4th Thursday of each month at 11:00 a.m. EST on WBCM Radio Bristol, which broadcasts from the museum. Unlike your typical book club, Radio Bristol’s doesn’t meet in person. The program, in partnership with the Bristol Public Library, encourages its audience to read along independently and tune in to the show. At-home readers are also encouraged to send in questions or share their thoughts about each book by emailing info@birthplaceofcountrymusic.org. Those who do may hear their questions and opinions on-air! Books are chosen to relate to the museum’s content, music history, a current special exhibit or programming, or stories derived from the Appalachian region. Related music is often incorporated into the show and, when possible, an interview with the author is included. The first Radio Book Club “meeting” in 2021 will air on January 28 with a discussion about the biography I Saw the Light: The Story of Hank Williams by Colin Escott.
2021 Radio Bristol Book Club List:
January 28
I Saw the Light:
The Story of Hank Williams
by Colin Escott
February 25
The Devil’s Dream
by Lee Smith
March 25
Where the Dead Sit Talking
by Brandon Hobson
April 22
Affrilachian Tales: Folktales from the African-American Appalachian Tradition
by Lyn Ford
May 27
Trampoline
by Robert Gipe
June 24
Satan is Real:
The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers
by Charlie Louvin
July 22
Sharyn McCrumb’s Appalachia
by Sharyn McCrumb
August 26
Weaver’s Daughter
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
September 23
The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song by David Laskey and Frank M. Young
October 28
The Moon-Eyed People: Folk Tales
from Welsh America
by Peter Stevenson
November 18
Hear My Sad Story: The True Tales That Inspired “Stagolee,” “John Henry,” and Other Traditional American Folk Songs
by Richard Polenberg
December 23
Songteller: My Life in Lyrics
by Dolly Parton w/ Robert K. Oermann
To access and listen to archived Radio Bristol Book Club programs, visit the show’s webpage at:
ListenRadioBristol.org.
The Radio Bristol Book Club can be accessed by tuning in to 100.1 FM in the Bristol area; it also streams live on ListenRadioBristol.org, and through the station’s free mobile app.
