This Is Nashville

On days when someone is executed at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, community members are generally allowed to gather outside the prison in a large field. Separated by fences and distance are the "against" and "for" sides. The "againsts" are usually made up of a few dozen clergy and abolitionists, including one of our guests today — death row chaplain Rev. Tim Holton. The "for" side tends to be much slimmer. Frequently, there's just one man: our other guest, Rick Laude.During the course of their conversation in the TIN studio, they learn their lives have a lot in common, particularly the childhood trauma they experienced. This organically turned into a conversation between them and not an interview by us. We're along for the ride with you — and grateful to be in the room.

When Andi Marie Tillman moved to Nashville from Scott County, Tennessee, she had dreams of writing the next hit song.But after years of struggling, she looked at her own story and got creative with how she wanted to share it with her audience. After the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic passed, Andi Marie began posting videos on social media. They made waves almost instantly. Now, she works as a full-time humorist and digital creator in Nashville. She joins us in the studio to share her journey, her process, and her plans for bigger projects.This episode was produced by Josh Deepan.Guests Andi Marie Tillman, humorist

It’s Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout.This week, our weekly Roundabout panel turns its attention to issues of religion. We're discussing evangelicals and Nazi ideology, Christians’ relationship to the death penalty, and ICE raids taking place in churches. We welcome Vanderbilt’s Dr. Phillis Sheppard, Russell Moore of Christianity Today and Liam Adams from The Tennessean to help unpack these urgent and complex topics.And The Roundabout also welcomes your voice on the big stories of the week. Give us a call at 615-760-2000 to weigh in – or join us live streaming on YouTube at noon and pop your question into chat.This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.Guests: Liam Adams, religion reporter, Tennessean Russell Moore, Editor at-large of Christianity Today; host of The Russell Moore Show podcast; author of Losing Our Religion: An Altar Call for Evangelical America Dr. Phillis Sheppard, E. Rhodes and Leona Chair Professor of Religion and Psychology and Culture; Faculty liaison for research and education, James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Non-violent Movements

Today we travel along with Music Citizens to go inside the highest stakes job in the industry – A&R.Through the lens and life of A&R lifer Kim Buie, we get to see that this glamorous job is mostly about losing. Missing out on artists who become superstars (her near-miss tale of N.W.A. is amazing), knowing that the majority of albums you help shepherd into the world will flop and being the person who has to say no to a musician’s lifelong dream.Buie, and guests Stevo Robertson and Anay Richardson, explain what keeps them going, what shapes their tastes and how their approach to the job differs. It is the TikTok era after all.This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.Guests Kim Buie, A&R veteran Anay Richardson, A&R coordinator, Prescription Songs Steve Robertson, Label founder & Co-president, Severance Records Music Citizens is a podcast series by WNXP and Nashville Public Radio about the people who make music work. Each episode will explore what it takes to do the jobs that keep the music business moving and introduce you to the characters who are often well known within their worlds but whose vital work goes largely uncelebrated. Listen to all episodes at wnxp.org.

There aren’t many states like Tennessee with three distinct regions so unique each has its own star on the state flag.West, Middle, and East Tennessee are not just general directions to help explain where we’re from. They're lines drawn in state law representing our cultural heritage and political history. Because Mountain City is a long way from Memphis — in fact, it’s closer to Canada than the western corner of our state — we’re talking with historians about how we divided ourselves up this way. Guests Jeff Sellers, Tennessee State Museum Director of Education & Community Engagement Warren Dockter, President and CEO of East Tennessee Historical Society Walter Battle, UT Institute of Agriculture Scott Williams, President of Discovery Park of America

When Dr. Britt Stone was growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, her Bahamian mother made her choke down a spoonful of cod liver oil each morning. The daily ritual was part of a “bush medicine” philosophy that incorporated an array of natural supplements and remedies. While training at Meharry Medical College and later specializing in neurology, Stone turned her attention away from herbal medicine. But during the COVID pandemic, she revived her interest in so-called “integrative medicine” to help her patients cope with symptoms.“We never know what kind of traditional wisdom we have forgotten and then feel like we’ve discovered and then actually we have just remembered again,” Stone tells This Is Nashville. In this interview, she talks about how her “mother was right,” how to separate snake oil from truly beneficial supplements, and how her colleagues at Vanderbilt are also seeing the benefits beyond modern medicine.

This time of year, we like to recommend some of the best podcasts of the year. So we've sprinkled a few recommendations throughout the show today while we let you enjoy our most downloaded episode of the year. It's about the history of the historically Black university that we never knew – Roger Williams University.Nothing remains of Roger Williams except a couple of historical plaques tucked away on Vanderbilt’s Peabody Campus. Founded in the wake of the Civil War alongside Fisk and Meharry, this historically Black institution once thrived before being destroyed in two suspicious fires in 1905. Today we uncover the forgotten history of Roger Williams, visit the nearby The Curb Center for Art, Enterprise & Public Policy, and meet artists and scholars working to both memorialize the university as well as honor their ancestral heritage through monuments and art.

It became the calling card for trailblazing WSM, the radio station that reached the wider world with old-time hillbilly music. Just five short years after the first commercial radio broadcast, WSM launched with the “WSM Barn Dance,” the precursor to the Opry, and began to attract musicians and fans to the city. And it put Nashville on a national stage. Today, we sift through the archives to highlight the Opry and a century of stories behind the radio station that laid the groundwork for what Music City has become. Join us for the incredible 100-year history of the Opry and WSM.GuestsKyle Cantrell, former Opry announcer, founder of banjoradio.comCraig Havighurst, editorial director, WMOT, author of Air Castle of the SouthJewly Hight, senior music writer, Nashville Public RadioEric Marcum, general manager, WSM

As the Grand Ole Opry celebrates its 100th birthday this week, we hear from its longest-serving member.Whisperin’ Bill Anderson hasn’t just weathered a 65-year music career, he’s thrived through versatility. A six-time Songwriter of the Year winner, he’s a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His songs have earned Grammy nominations, Dove Awards, the ACM Poets Award, and BMI’s first Country Music Songwriting Icon honor. He’s written for himself and legends like Vince Gill and Brad Paisley. He made it to Hollywood and back. Last year he released his 73rd album. At the center of it all has been the Grand Ole Opry. He joins This Is Nashville to talk about his love and reverence for the institution and all that's going on in "Whisperworld."

It’s Thursday and time for another episode of The Roundabout.The Roundabout is the news of the week, analyzed by our panelists from points of view that span left, right and center. Joining us today are Maryam Abolfazli, Shaka Mitchell and Pat Nolan.Today we talk about a tightening 7th congressional district race, political pardons, school voucher expansion, plus a smile story or two and more.And The Roundabout also welcomes your voice on the big stories of the week. Give us a call at 615-760-2000 to weigh in — or join us live streaming on YouTube at noon and pop your question into chat!This episode was produced by Mary Mancini.Guests: Maryam Abolfazli, former congressional candidate and founder of Rise & Shine TN Shaka Mitchell, Sr. Fellow for the American Federation for Children Pat Nolan, political analyst and retired journalist

Stream video on YouTube.Now that tariffs levied by the second Trump administration have taken effect, small businesses in Nashville are beginning to feel the pinch and praying for relief.Importers of coffee and tea and artisans making apparel and musical instruments join the show to explain how tariffs have challenged their small businesses. Professors from Vanderbilt and MTSU bring global context to the local impact of tariffs in 2025.This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. Guests  Eric Bond, Joe L. Roby chair & professor of economics at Vanderbilt Leah and Joel Larabell, High Garden Tea (Instagram: @highgardentea) Sean Stewart, Coffee Importer Michael Stricklin, Loyal Stricklin (Instagram: @loyalstricklin) Manuel Delgado, Delgado Guitars (Instagram: @delgadoguitars) Chaney Mosley, associate professor of agribusiness at MTSU Further listening:Nashvillager Podcast: A bad year for a major cash crop

Our question today: What is a "Chicago-style gyro," and why are there so many shops with that name in Nashville?Little did we know that trying to figure this out would take us way beyond Nashville and lead us to uncover the very creation of the gyro as we know it. WPLN reporter Justin Barney is taking you along as he crisscrosses the country, plunges into culinary history, hits the factory floor, and gets face-to-face with the man who elevated a niche menu item into a cultural staple.You can find more Curious Nashville stories at WPLN.org/Curious and submit a question to our team below.This episode was produced by Tony Gonzalez and Justin Barney.Special thanks to Blake Farmer, Tasha A.F. Lemley, Mack Linebaugh and Cynthia Abrams

It might look like anything Mike Curb touches turns to gold. But he says he’s never been great at anything – just passionate. After more than 60 years in the record business, Curb is still looking for the next big hit. He's also looking for a way to preserve the thing that brought him to Nashville and made his career so successful — Music Row. In this career-spanning interview, Curb talks music and business, politics and philanthropy. Further Reading: 'Music Row is the new Sunset Strip' Mike Curb's Belmont Partnership Looks to Bolster Future Music Business At the opening of the Curb Gallery at the Rock 'n Soul Museum in Memphis Mike Curb Donates Funding For New Student Recording Facility At UCLA The 71st Mike Curb Gold Cup Race Curb challenges Tennessee's transgender bathroom law in court New York Times profiles Curb as Lt. Gov of California (1979)

From a young age, Colby Keegan said he hoped to "affect positive change." He was homeless when he died of an overdose at the age of 23. His mother, Lisa Wysocky, founded Colby's Army in his honor. Our In My Place series has taken us through the steps of homelessness to housing and beyond. That’s from the first point of contact between a service provider and someone experiencing homelessness — through all the twists and turns to an apartment — and then sometimes doing it all over again more than once.In this episode, which is the season finale, we're spending the whole hour with Wysocky, looking through the eyes of family members of people who have experienced homelessness.Further listening: Get all episodes at the In My Place page or as a podcast on Apple, Spotify or wherever you do your listening Nashville Scene: Best News Podcast: 'In My Place' In My Place is a special project of WPLN’s This Is Nashville, supported in part by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

It’s now just a matter of time before federal benefits are restored that help nearly 700,000 Tennesseans put food on the table. But the government shutdown exposed just how many people struggle to keep their families fed. So we’re putting hunger at the center of our Roundabout episode today. We’ll bring you the latest on SNAP and food distributions. We’re also taking your calls about your own experience as a recipient or a volunteer. That number is 615-760-2000. And if you’ve got a pop-up feeding program, please share. It’s SNAP and hunger in the roundabout. This episode was produced by Josh Deepan and Mary Mancini. GUESTS Signe Anderson (via phone), Tennessee Justice Center Senior Director of Nutrition Advocacy Alexus Lawless, SNAP recipient Josh Rosales, Break-Thru Nashville Catherine Sweeney, WPLN Health Reporter Additional Reading: WPLN'S SNAP Coverage 

On today's show, we honor those who’ve served their country by welcoming three combat veterans from Middle Tennessee, all from the decade after 9/11.A cook. An HR specialist. And an intelligence officer. It takes more than the infantry to go to war. Wisdom from our neighbors who answered the call of duty and were forever changed. This episode was produced by Josh Deepan. GUESTS Jerome Norman, U.S. Army Veteran Keyanna Jones, U.S. Army Veteran Aaron Dorn, Marine Corps Veteran

Bill DeMain has been creating and evolving for decades. A prolific songwriter, music journalist, walking tour guide, and one half of the pop duo Swan Dive, he’s still not slowing down. In fact, during the pandemic, he added yet another career to his résumé: cartoonist. Today, Bill tells us how it all started, why he continues to try new things, and his thoughts on the untimely death of his friend and co-writer, Jill Sobule.Further reading and listening Listen to Bill DeMain on BBC Radio Scotland's Another Country with Ricky Ross Meet Bill's alter ego, prolific correspondent Sterling Huck Visit one of the publications Bill writes for, Mojo Magazine Learn more about Bill's walking tour, Walkin' Nashville Read Bill's article about his memories of Paul McCartney and Wings’ working vacation in Nashville in 1974

The latest wave of Kurds is arriving from Turkey — fleeing political repression and nationalist hate groups. They're coming to a very different America than the Kurds who have called Nashville home for generations. It’s an America in turmoil — a place where immigrants are increasingly seen as enemies within, to be rooted out and sent back to where they came from.In this final installment from The Country In Our Hearts, we meet a new generation of Kurdish Nashvillians and leave on a hopeful note with a Kurdish new year celebration.Series Credits:The Country In Our Hearts was reported and produced Rose Gilbert, who also produced the visual trailer. Meribah Knight edited and co-produced the series. Sound design by Martin Cruz, and traditional music is by Arkan Doski. The original logo artwork is by Nuveen Barwari.Special thanks to Paul McAdoo and Jennifer Nelson and huge thanks to Mehmet Ayaz, who made so much of this storytelling possible. Additional thanks for all of the people who welcomed Rose in Kurdistan, like Azad Sameen, the Barmarne family and the village of Chalke; and, of course, the many journalists she met along the way, Suha Kamel, Makeen Mustafa, Paul Idon, Namo Addullah and Wladimir van Wilgenburg.

They opened businesses and raised their kids. As those kids grew up, they had to figure out how to navigate the world of a first-generation Kurdish-American teenager. And in that world, something new was forming — something that threatened to tarnish the sterling reputation their parents worked hard to build.The Country in our Hearts is the story of how Nashville became home to the largest Kurdish diaspora in America is an epic one. A tale of bloody genocide, of freedom fighters, of stunning perseverance.But the story of the Kurdish people, no matter where they are, is a story about a country that only exists in the hearts of its people. And the lengths they’ll go to make it real.Guest: Meribah Knight, editor and co-producer of the podcastSeries Credits:The Country In Our Hearts was reported and produced by Rose Gilbert, who also produced the visual trailer. Meribah Knight edited and co-produced the series. Sound design by Martin Cruz, and traditional music is by Arkan Doski. The original logo artwork is by Nuveen Barwari.Special thanks to Paul McAdoo, Jennifer Nelson and Samantha Max.

In this special broadcast, featuring episode 2 from The Country In Our Hearts, we see all this family lost to war and displacement. But also, what they are determined to reclaim and rebuild.The story of how Nashville became home to the largest Kurdish diaspora in America is an epic one. A tale of bloody genocide, of freedom fighters, of stunning perseverance.But the story of the Kurdish people, no matter where they are, is a story about a country that only exists in the hearts of its people. And the lengths they’ll go to make it real.Guest:Dilman Yasin, cultural advisor of the podcastSeries Credits:The Country In Our Hearts was reported and produced Rose Gilbert, who also produced the visual trailer. Meribah Knight edited and co-produced the series. Sound design by Martin Cruz, and traditional music is by Arkan Doski. The original logo artwork is by Nuveen Barwari.Special thanks to Paul McAdoo, Jennifer Nelson and to the village of Chalke, and the people there who showed Rose so much hospitality.