Biscuits & Jam

Brenda Lee spent the early years of her life in Georgia, and though her family didn’t have a lot of money, they always made sure she had batteries to run the radio so she could listen to the Grand Ole Opry. Between that and singing at their Baptist church, her interest in music became clear, and her extraordinary talent became even clearer. She was still a kid when her mother moved the family to Missouri so she could be a part of a TV program called Ozark Jubilee, and she was signed to Decca Records soon after that. Over the next handful of years, she set a record for the number of top 10 hits by a woman, and she also recorded one of the most famous Christmas songs of all time when she was just 13 years old: “Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.” Sid talks to Brenda about her own Christmas traditions, her friendships with artists like Tanya Tucker and the late Kris Kristofferson, and her thoughts on the increased prominence of women in music over the course of her long career. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jessica B. Harris may have been born and raised in New York City, but she has Tennessee roots through her father and has spent much of her life split between homes in the Northeast and the South – specifically New Orleans. For more than fifty years, she has been a college professor, a writer, and a lecturer, and her many books have earned her a reputation as an authority on food of the African Diaspora, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the James Beard Foundation. A few years back, Netflix adapted her book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, into a 4 part docuseries. And I’m very proud to say that she’s a longtime contributor to Southern Living with a regular column called The Welcome Table. This episode was recorded in the Southern Living Birmingham studios, and Sid and Jessica talked about her mother’s signature mac and cheese, the cast-iron skillet she’d be sure to save if ever her house were on fire, and her dear friend, the late New Orleans chef Leah Chase. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Isaac Nunn- Recording Tech Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Craig Conover is one of the longest running stars of Bravo’s reality show, Southern Charm, which means audiences have been following his roller-coaster dating and personal life for a decade now. But part of Craig’s charm is that he wasn’t always a city kid. He grew up near the beach in rural Delaware, where his dad built a construction business and his mom was a teacher. In high school, he discovered a passion for home ec class, where he learned to cook and sew, eventually preparing meals for his family and friends. Now, despite getting a law degree, Craig runs a business called Sewing Down South, producing pillows, blankets, and clothing, as well as a couple of restaurants in New York and Charleston. Sid talks to Craig about what we can expect from the 10th season of Southern Charm, how sewing and cooking have given him an unexpected career path, and the complicated dual-city life he shares with his girlfriend, Paige DeSorbo. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scotty McCreery burst onto the country music scene when he became the youngest male singer to ever win American Idol back in 2011, when he was just 17 years old. He grew up in Garner, North Carolina, just outside of Raleigh, where he developed his talent by singing and playing music at the local Baptist Church. Scotty talks with Sid about his new album, Rise & Fall, which showcases some different sides of his personality, from being a man of faith and family to being a man who occasionally likes a cold drink and a good time. He also talks about his Puerto Rican heritage, the ups and downs of his career, and what it meant to be inducted recently into the Grand Ole Opry. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole-Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Evie McGee-Colbert grew up in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, the daughter of a true Southern hostess and a father who would take her to her dance classes on the handlebars of his bike. Now she’s got a cookbook out that leans heavily on the Lowcountry traditions she grew up with as well as the ones she’s built up with her own family in recent years, especially during the pandemic. The book is called Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves, and it’s co-written with a certain late night talk show host who happens to be her husband: Stephen Colbert. Sid talks to Evie about the Boykin spaniel who’s known to sit in on Late Show rehearsals, the controversial spoon story that’s been hanging around in their family for about 28 years, and why she dedicated the book to her late mother, Patti. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this week’s episode, Sid Evans, Editor-in-Chief of Southern Living, revisits some of his favorite conversations from Season 5 - many of which have never aired - about his guests’ holiday traditions and memories. You’ll hear stories from Kimberly Schlapman, Tyler Florence, Brittney Spencer, Scotty McCreery, and more. Happy Holidays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cody Johnson was born and raised in a little place called Sebastopol, Texas, about a half hour northeast of Huntsville. It was the kind of small community where everybody knew everybody, and his family went to a small country church where his musical interest and skill found an audience. When he was 18, he went to work with his father in the prison system, an intense experience that taught him a lot about how to read people, and one that also found its way into his songs. And if all that weren’t enough for his Texas credentials, he also got into bull riding and has more recently put his passion into team roping and breeding cutting horses. As for his music, he’s been racking up CMA, CMT, and other awards, he has a new song called “That’s Texas” that is lighting up audiences far outside the Lone Star State, and his growing career has him collaborating with the likes of Carrie Underwood. Sid talks to Cody about why he got a tattoo on the bottom of his foot, why he’s at a point in his career when he can truly embrace his Texas identity, and a funny story about his grandmother’s banana pudding. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer/Audio Editor Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Growing up in Los Angeles, Toni Tipton-Martin lived for a time with her Southern-born grandmother who happened to be a professional chef, and who exposed her to what would eventually become a lifelong passion. As Editor-in-Chief of Cook's Country Magazine and as author of books like The Jemima Code, Jubilee, and last year’s Juke Joints, Jazz Clubs, and Juice, Toni has spent much of her career as a kind of culinary detective, exploring the legacy and impact of African American food culture. Her work has garnered two James Beard Awards, a Julia Child Award, and just about every other food award there is, and she’s also a frequent host of the Cook’s Country television show and, recently, a podcast series called 100 Proof: The Golden Age of Cocktails. Sid talks to Toni about some of the memorable women and recipes she’s come across in her work, her grandmother’s cornbread dressing, and her incredible new book with America’s Test Kitchen, When Southern Women Cook: History, Lore, and 300 Recipes with Contributions from 70 Women Writers. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lucy Buffett grew up as the kid sister of Jimmy Buffett in a working class neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama. A self-proclaimed gypsy rebel, she had plenty of misadventures that took her from Key West to Southern California to New Orleans and the Caribbean, but eventually she moved home to open up a gumbo and burger spot called Lulu’s when she was 46 years old. Now she’s got three locations in Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina, and a couple of cookbooks including Gumbo Love: Recipes for Gulf Coast Cooking, Entertaining, and Savoring the Good Life. Like her brother, Lucy is full of stories, including a few from family history that found their way into his songs. Sid talks to Lucy about how she discovered a love of cooking at a French restaurant in Key West, how her grandmother’s gumbo recipe led to a lot of what she’s doing now, and how she honored the first anniversary of her brother’s passing. She also shares her favorite Jimmy Buffett song and why Lulu’s has become a beloved destination for Parrot Heads. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer/Audio Editor Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grace Bowers grew up in Northern California, but when she was not quite 15 years old, her parents decided to move the family to Nashville for better schools and a different kind of life. At first, the culture shock was too much for her, but as Grace became more and more serious about the guitar, she found a music community that recognized her incredible talent—and took her in. Now, at just 18, she and her band, The Hodge Podge, have a new funk and soul-inspired album called Wine on Venus, a title inspired by Grace’s grandmother, who passed away not long ago at the age of 100. The album’s producer is John Osborne, from the Brothers Osborne, who’s become a friend and mentor as she navigates her abrupt rise to stardom. Sid talks to Grace about how BB King sparked a passion for music, her obsession with Sly and the Family Stone, her honest feelings about hot chicken, and much more. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leanne Morgan was raised in Adams, Tennessee, a little farming community not far from the Kentucky border. Her parents ran a small grocery store, and eventually a meat processing plant, but meanwhile Leeanne was nursing dreams of a career in Hollywood. It took her until her fifties to get there, but after more than 20 years of selling jewelry, doing small gigs on the comedy circuit, and some serious ups and downs, she’s now becoming a household name. Last year she had a Netflix show called I’m Every Woman, she’s selling out huge venues nationwide, and she’s just come out with a memoir called What In the World? A Southern Woman’s Guide to Laughing at Life’s Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings. Sid talks to Leanne about why the funeral home was a local hangout when she was growing up, how her family reacts to being part of her comedy routine, and whether that accent of hers is really real. They also talk about why Leanne’s story has resonated with fans in such a powerful way. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer/Audio Editor Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kelsey Barnard Clark was raised in Dothan, Alabama, which is a short drive from the Gulf Coast. But it wasn’t until she spent several years living in fast-paced New York City and working in the even faster-paced kitchens of Michelin-star restaurants that she truly appreciated her hometown. Since she moved back to Dothan in 2012, she’s been busy. She won Season 16 of Bravo’s Top Chef, becoming the first Southerner to ever triumph on the show; she opened KBC, her catering company and restaurant that became a James Beard Award semi-finalist this year; and she’s done more than her part to revitalize downtown Dothan. If that weren’t enough, she’s also found time to write a couple of cookbooks, and her latest is called Southern Get-Togethers: A Guide to Hosting Unforgettable Gatherings. Sid talks to Kelsey about her cooking tips for tailgate season, the former boss who inspired her to be an entrepreneur when she was just 15, and her insanely delicious recipe for shortbread crumble banana pudding. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jess Pryles was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, but her fascination with the American South eventually led her to Austin, Texas, where she’s now lived for about 15 years. It didn’t take long for Jess to fall in love with the food in Texas, especially the barbecue, and since then she’s made it her life’s mission to learn the art and science of cooking meat. She’s so obsessed she actually completed a meat science graduate program at Iowa State University, and now she wants to share that knowledge with everyday cooks. If you follow Jess on social media, you may know her as the Hardcore Carnivore, and this fall she’s coming out with a fun new show on the Outdoor Channel with the same name. Sid talks to Jess about her visit with the Country Ham King Allan Benton, the rise of female barbecue enthusiasts in Texas, and the secret to an absolutely perfect burger. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mitchell Tenpenny basically grew up in the music business, with a grandmother who was the CEO of Sony Publishing and a mother who advocated for songwriters throughout her career. It was this unique vantage point that made Mitchell realize he wanted to be a songwriter, too, but the journey took him a while. It wasn’t until his boss on a construction site put him in touch with an LA producer that Mitchell’s own music career started to take shape. Now, he’s releasing an ambitious and deeply personal new 20-track studio album called The Third, a reference to both the father and grandfather he’s named after. Sid talks to Mitchell about some of his favorite songs on the new record, his grandmother’s cooking, the stories behind his beloved rescue dogs, and how his faith is reflected in his music and his career. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer/Audio Editor Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sid talks to a couple of guys from Alabama who are founding members of one of the hottest young bands in the country—the Red Clay Strays. Brandon Coleman, the charismatic lead singer, spent his youth running around with siblings and cousins on a family compound outside of Turnerville, just north of Mobile. Meanwhile, Drew Nix, who plays guitar and writes a lot of the songs, grew up further north, in Birmingham. The two met through a mutual friend and eventually formed a country rock group that’s made quite a name for itself, especially after their 2022 single, “Wondering Why.” Now the band is out with a new album called Made By These Moments, and they also have a song on the soundtrack for Twisters, one of the biggest movies of the past summer. Sid talks to the old friends and bandmates about their songwriting process, Brandon’s recent Alabama wedding, plus the role of faith in their lives and their music. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Anne Byrn was born and raised in Nashville and, though she calls Tennessee home, her career has taken her all across the South as she’s written about the people who define this region’s extraordinary cuisine. For 15 years, she was the food editor at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, where she interviewed legends like Julia Child and Nathalie Dupree, and you may also know her as the Cake Mix Doctor, a name she coined as the author of a series of bestselling cookbooks that demystify baking. Now she has a new cookbook called Baking in the American South: 200 Recipes and Their Untold Stories, which is undoubtedly her most ambitious to date. Sid talks to Anne about some of her favorite recipes from the book, why there’s so much debate around the right way to make cornbread, what she learned about cooking from her Mom,  and how President Lyndon Johnson’s cook helped change the course of history. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John T Edge grew up in Clinton, Georgia, raised in a Confederate general’s house that introduced him early on to the complicated legacy of the South. His childhood was complicated, too, and not always happy, but his mother and father shared a curiosity about food and cooking that never left him. For more than 20 years, John T headed up the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi, shining a light on the diverse food cultures of the South, and he’s written as thoughtfully about the people of this region as anyone I know. His 2017 book The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South, is a must read. And for the last several years, he’s also hosted True South, a television series on the SEC Network that explores the small towns, back roads, family restaurants, and unsung heroes who make the South such a dynamic place. Sid talks to John T about the 7th season of the show, some of his favorite behind-the-scenes moments, and a South Carolina family connection that surprised them both. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer/Audio Editor Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Texas troubadour Hayes Carll was born in Houston and raised in the Woodlands, a famous planned community that was much smaller back then, surrounded by thousands of acres of pine trees. He grew up listening to Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson, and later, Jerry Jeff Walker and Townes Van Zandt, all of whom seemed like mythical figures to a kid from the suburbs. His family wasn’t particularly religious, but it was the music he heard at a Unitarian Church that ultimately inspired him to pick up a guitar. Now he and singer/songwriter Allison Moorer, his wife and sometimes-collaborator, are living in Nashville, and Hayes has developed something of a mythical career of his own. Sid talks to Hayes about his formative years in Conway, Arkansas, the new album he’s planning to release next year, and his recent collaborations with the Austin-based Band of Heathens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ricky McKinnie, the leader of the Blind Boys of Alabama, was born and raised in Atlanta, where he got his start singing in the church alongside his mother. Not long after that, while still in his teens, he embarked on a career as a singer and a drummer, often performing with a band called the Soul Searchers. Around the age of 20, he began to lose his eyesight, but as Ricky says, he never lost his vision. After playing with the Blind Boys of Alabama from time to time, he became an official member of the group in 1989, and since then, in various roles, he’s helped lead the band through years of success, fame, and Grammy Awards. Now the group is the subject of a fascinating new book called Spirit of the Century: Our Own Story. Sid talks to Ricky about why the Blind Boys have endured for so long, their hit version of “Amazing Grace,” what he’s learned over decades as a blind musician, and the song that always gets the crowd out of their seats. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Since 2016, Fawn Weaver has been obsessed with uncovering the true story of Nearest Green, a former slave who helped teach Jack Daniel the complicated process of making whiskey. Along the way, Fawn became so invested in her research that she bought the farm in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where Jack Daniel and Nearest Green worked together, and she’s since launched the Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey brand, which is winning awards and making serious waves in the spirits business. Fawn stopped by the Southern Living offices on her recent book tour, so we had this conversation in our studio, and her personal journey is just as amazing as the man she’s writing about. Her new book, now a New York Times bestseller, is called Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest. Sid talks to Fawn about the process of reporting this incredible book, the foundation she created for Nearest Green’s descendants, and why she grew up with people like Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson at her kitchen table. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Jennifer Del Sole - Director of Audio Growth Strategy & Operations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices