This week’s program starts with Frank and Allie Lee of the Freight Hoppers, The Freight Hoppers with Frank Lee released two albums on Rounder Records in the 1990s, which blazed the way for a generation of string bands to come. Today, we’ll hear a few songs which Frank and Allie recorded by the stream in front of their house in Bryson City, North Carolina. Frank and Allie’s latest album, Treat a Stranger Right, was number one on the FAI Folk Charts in January and February of 2020.
Next, we hear from Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, who recorded a set of songs for us from their home in Bennington, Vermont. Steve and Cindy have been performing and recording together for more than three decades, but their separate music careers began long before that. Steve’s book “Songwriting and the Creative Process” is considered a standard text in songwriting groups, and Steve and Cindy’s music has been recorded by everyone from Ian and Sylvia, to Josh Ritter, Nanci Griffith, Michael Smith, John Denver, and the list goes on.
And finally, we hear a couple songs from Steve Poltz. Steve was a founding member of the nineties band, the Rugburns, and the co-writer of the 1996 hit, “You Were Meant For Me“, with Jewel. The songs we’ll hear today are from an April, 2020, livestream from Steve’s home in Nashville.
Listen to the Episode
Playlist
| time | artist | title | album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Allie & Frank Lee | “Turn Your Radio On” (Albert E. Brumley) | 2020-05-23 Bryson City, NC |
| 02:23 | Andru Bemis | “Two Years Too Late” | Rail to Reel |
| 04:07 | Allie & Frank Lee | “Riley the Furniture Man” (Paul & Leon Cofer) | 2020-05-23 Bryson City, NC |
| 06:28 | Allie & Frank Lee | “Train That Carried My Girl From Town” (Frank Hutchison) | 2020-05-23 Bryson City, NC |
| 09:15 | Allie & Frank Lee | “Frankie” (Hughie Cannon, Bill Dooley) | 2020-05-23 Bryson City, NC |
| 12:04 | Allie & Frank Lee | “When I Was a Cowboy” (Huddie W. Leadbetter) | 2020-05-23 Bryson City, NC |
| 16:55 | Gillette & Mangsen | “When the First Leaves Fall” | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 19:59 | Gillette & Mangsen | “Imaginary Gifts” (Geoff Bartley) | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 23:16 | Gillette & Mangsen | “Home by Dark” | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 27:31 | Gillette & Mangsen | “Annan Water” (Nic Jones) | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 33:27 | Gillette & Mangsen | “Corinna” (trad.) | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 36:41 | Gillette & Mangsen | “Murder on This Train” (Tom Taylor) | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 41:50 | Gillette & Mangsen | “Now Everything Does” (Peter Berryman) | 2020-09 Bennington, VT |
| 46:09 | Steve Poltz | “Mother Russia” | 2020-04-19 Nashville, TN |
| 48:59 | Steve Poltz | “Folk Singer” | 2020-04-19 Nashville, TN |
| 54:57 | Steve Poltz | (unknown title) | 2020-04-19 Nashville, TN |