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David Holt's State of Music
2016 - 2021 9.0 (1 votes) 5 Seasons
Official Website
Genres
Documentary
Networks
PBS

David Holt's State of Music

Overview

David Holt plays tunes and talks with modern masters of traditional music in Appalachia, showcasing not just the music but also the countryside that gave it life. Shot entirely on location, the program puts its featured performers in the context of the countryside that nurtured their musical traditions.

Top Cast

David Holt
David Holt

Self - Host

Seasons

Season 2 poster
Season 2 (2017)

Season 2 showcases top acoustic performers of traditional music filmed on location in the Southern Appalachian mountains. Featured artists include the Steep Canyon Rangers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, the Kruger Brothers, Mipso, Laurelyn Dossett, Dom Flemons, Amythyst Kiah, Rayna Gellert, Alice Gerrard, and the St. John AME Zion Unity Choir. The season finale, recorded live onstage, features Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Balsam Range, Josh Goforth, and The Branchettes.

8 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Steep Canyon Rangers
2017-04-08

Join David on a visit to a Blue Ridge Mountain farm where the Steep Canyon Rangers perform and share stories about the band’s history and life on the road touring with comedian Steve Martin.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: Glencoe Mill: Alice Gerrard, Rayna Gellert, Laurelyn Dossett
2017-04-15

David meets bluegrass legend Alice Gerrard, fiddler Rayna Gellert, and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett at a 19th-century cotton mill to play traditional mill songs and share stories.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little
2017-04-22

David goes to Rugby, Virginia, to play tunes with Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little. Jeff talks about the piano as a bluegrass instrument and Wayne takes David inside his guitar-making workshop.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: Amythyst Kiah and Mipso
2017-04-29

David introduces viewers to new young talents in this episode featuring powerhouse vocalist Amythyst Kiah and original songs with close harmonies from the band Mipso.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: The Kruger Brothers
2017-05-06

David travels to the mountains of Wilkes County, NC to share tunes and stories with Jens and Uwe Kruger and bass player Joel Landsberg. The Kruger first came to North Carolina for Merlfest but found such a welcome for their unique brand of bluegrass that they are now permanent residents.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: Doyle Lawson and the St. John Unity Choir
2017-05-13

David checks in with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and gets some stories from Doyle’s years on the road then he visits the St. John AME Zion Church in Kinston, North Carolina, where the Unity Choir performs.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 7: Dom Flemons and David Holt
2017-05-20

David shares tunes and stories with Dom Flemons, founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, at an old general store in rural North Carolina.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 8: Onstage!
2017-05-27

The season finale, recorded live onstage at the WCU Bardo Arts Center of Western Carolina University, features Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Balsam Range, Josh Goforth, and The Branchettes.

Runtime: N/A min
Season 3 (2018)

No overview available.

6 episodes

Season 4 (2019)

No overview available.

6 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Della Mae
2019-11-05

Della Mae is a powerhouse band of women who play bluegrass and more, and they are mentoring young female players around the world. David visits them at the historic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: Darin and Brooke Aldridge with John Cowan
2019-11-12

David visits with the award-winning duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge and longtime friend John Cowan at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: Taj Mahal
2019-11-19

David visits with blues legend Taj Mahal and learns how he got his name, how he almost became a farmer, and what it’s like to tour with the Rolling Stones.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: Rising Stars
2019-11-26

Meet the future of roots music: Presley Barker, the Burnett Sisters, Willow Dillon, and Cane Mill Road. David shares tunes and stories with these rising stars of new acoustic music who were raised on traditional tunes in the shadow of old masters.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: David Holt House Party 1
2019-12-03

David shares tunes and stories from his career in roots music with guest host Zeb Holt and longtime friend Josh Goforth. David’s wife Ginny joins them to reminisce about life in the Blue Ridge Mountains for two young Californians in the 1970s.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: David Holt House Party 2
2019-12-10

David’s musical career has taken him from remote mountain coves to the bright lights of TV studios and the Grand Ole Opry stage. Hear music and stories of Doc Watson, John Hartford, and more, shared with son Zeb Holt and longtime friend Josh Goforth.

Runtime: N/A min
Season 5 (2021)

No overview available.

6 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: Keb' Mo'
2021-05-01

Blues legend Keb’ Mo’ visits with host David Holt. Keb’ has described himself as “too happy for the blues, too bluesy for jazz, too funky for folk, and too city for country.” David talks with him about how he found his place in music.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 2: Zoe & Cloyd
2021-05-08

Bluegrass and klezmer traditions meet in the music of married duo Zoe & Cloyd. Fiddler Natalya Zoe Weinstein and singer/songwriter/instrumentalist John Cloyd Miller visit with host David.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 3: John McCutcheon
2021-05-15

John McCutcheon and series host David Holt have been friends since the 1970s. They meet to share songs and stories.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 4: Muriel Anderson
2021-05-22

Virtuoso instrumentalist Muriel Anderson visits with David and demonstrates the harp guitar as conversation ranges from John Philip Souza to Chet Atkins.

Runtime: 30 min
Episode 5: Lakota John and Tray Wellington
2021-05-29

David visits with talented young musicians Tray Wellington and Lakota John Locklear. Tray Wellington is an African American banjo player who has won the IBMA Momentum Award; John Locklear is a member of the Lumbee tribe who excels at the blues.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 6: Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley
2021-06-05

Rob Ickes played dobro in the award-winning bluegrass band Blue Highway. He left that band to work with phenomenal young singer and guitarist Trey Hensley, whose performances dazzled Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, and other country legends.

Runtime: N/A min

Videos

David Holt's State of Music- Season 2 Preview

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