Music From The Front Porch

12/17/2025

Another legend we lost in 2025. RIP Joe Ely

12/16/2025

Tune-in to WKMS this Saturday 10am-1pm to hear what this Christmas nut is crackin'! Put on your elf ears and listen on 91.3, wkms.com, or on the NPR or WKMS apps 🤶🎄

12/13/2025

This morning on The Front Porch we have live music from Austin, TX, a John Hartford set, and songs from Townes Van Zant, Lil’ Linn & The Lookout Boys, The Burnett Sisters Band, Tim O’Brien, Maura O’Connell, and more. We roll at 10:04 AM CST on www.wkms.org.

Listen on the radio at 91.3 FM in Murray, KY, 90.9 in Madisonville, KY, and 89.5 FM in Martin and Union City, TN.
Listen on iTunes https://music.apple.com/us/station/wkms/ra.1460921121
Listen in a web browser https://wkms.streamguys1.com/WKMS1-mp3
Listen on TuneIn https://tunein.com/radio/WKMS-913-s30296/

12/10/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgqaxMOKfnI&list=RDWgqaxMOKfnI&start_radio=1

Kara Frame | December 10, 2025It's rare these days for an artist to ask for fewer microphones, but after warming up in our space, Billy Strings did just that...

12/10/2025

When Kentucky singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman was growing up, there were things her family would do that might seem surprising, if you didn't know the signs.

"Your grandmother says if you pull a tooth right now, signs are in the head and you're gonna bleed a lot," Goodman says.

Planting by the signs — sowing and harvesting based on the phases of the moon or the zodiac — is an Appalachian tradition that goes back hundreds of years. It's also the name of Goodman's latest album, recorded in Muscle Shoals.

In this session, Goodman looks back on making the new album, including writing "Michael Told Me," a song about her and her close friend and mentor Michael Harmon, who was killed in accident.

"There was only maybe one other way he would have chosen to go, which was getting eaten by a shark — he was a surfer," she says.

Plus, Goodman performs songs from Planting by the Signs live for World Cafe.

12/09/2025

80 years of bluegrass!

On this day 80 years ago, Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, comprised of Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, Chubby Wise, and Howard "Cedric Rainwater" Watts, stepped onto the Grand Ole Opry stage for the very first time.

During this landmark performance, bluegrass music took shape in the form that would define the genre: a five-piece ensemble of plucked string bass, steel-string guitar, mandolin, fiddle, and banjo played in the three-finger style made famous by Earl Scruggs. Together, they created a sound the world had never heard before.

This year also marks 40 years of the International Bluegrass Music Association. Since 1985, the IBMA has worked to honor the traditions born that night while encouraging the innovation that keeps bluegrass moving forward. We’ve supported artists, strengthened the industry, and ensured that bluegrass remains in the spotlight.

You can be part of it too!
✨ Become a member at https://ibma.org/membership/
🪕 Join programs like Leadership Bluegrass, Kids on Bluegrass, or the International Band Performance Grant
📅 Attend IBMA World of Bluegrass® in Chattanooga, TN (Oct 20–24, 2026)
📧 Reach out to [email protected] to find a way to get involved
💙 Make a donation at https://ibma.org/play-your-part/

Photo: Ryman / Steve Lowry

Learn more about the history of bluegrass at bluegrasshall.org

Ryman Auditorium Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum

12/04/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWWq9LV5AcU

An interview I did with the late great troubadour Todd Snider for KJZZ 91.5 in Phoenix ended up being one of the last he ever gave. I spent the weekend liste...

12/03/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUSGUGXsxs0

In this episode of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen sits down with Todd Snider.Today’s episode is a rerun, and we bring it to you wit...

12/03/2025

11/29/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_kkbCxf2G0

When the singer-songwriter Todd Snider died in November, he left a gaping hole in the Nashville Americana music scene. We gathered some of those who knew him...

11/29/2025

Good morning, folks! Music From the Front Porch kicks of at 10:04 CST. This morning on Music From The Front Porch we celebrate the life and music of Todd Snider. Todd was arguably one of the best songwriters of his generation. He studied and eventually became a contemporary of legends Jerry Jeff Walker, John Prine, Billy Joe Shaver and more. We will celebrate Todd's solo work, his live performances and his storytelling. Stream the show live at wkms.org. Photo by my wonderful friend Gross Magee.