We take a deep dive into the history of pianos and guitars, from studio to stage in jazz, blues, roots rock and soul. First, we cruise New Orleans to hear pianos played live to order in front of your house on a truck, and hear favorite studio recordings from heroes of the 88s including Ray Charles, Nina Simone, McCoy Tyner, Papo Lucca and Professor Longhair. Then we go to the stage at the National Folk Festival in Salisbury, Maryland for a round robin guitar session with Jerry Douglas, Bill Kirchen, Eddie Cotton and Steve Lewis. Plus some recorded guitar heroines: Mother Maybelle Carter, Sister Rosetta Tharp, Bonnie Raitt, and Lydia Mendoza.

Join us for a Louisiana New Year’s Party, complete with Cajun and Creole zydeco tunes to get you up and dancing, and New Orleans piano and song. First stop, live on stage in Lafayette with Beausoleil and Terrance Simien’s Zydeco Experience. Then, back home to New Orleans for a special live set with piano man Tom McDermott and vocalist Meschiya Lake, who bring us favorites from pianists, Jelly Roll Morton, Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, and singers Memphis Minnie, Mahalia Jackson and Patsy Cline.

Dolly Parton talks about her musical and family roots in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee where she first broke into song, performed on the radio, and admired the fashion of the local trollop. With Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors” and hear music from across the American spectrum.