OHR Presents: "The Ozark Highballers" & "Backwoods Arkansas"

Traditional old time stringband The Ozark Highballers perform live at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Arkansas. Also, interviews with the Highballers, a performance from the acoustic trio Backwoods Arkansas, Brooks Blevins: “Where are the Ozarks?,” and Mark Jones' "Vault" segment features Percy Copeland. Ozark Highballers are one of the most authentic “old school” bands today. And by “old school” we mean turn of the 20th century times. Captained by fiddler Roy Pilgrim, the 4 piece band (fiddle, banjo, harmonica, and guitar) has a sound straight out of a Ken Burns documentary sound track. Close your eyes and you’ll be transported to a time when music seemed simpler, yet the skill and precision to play it, much more complex. Backwoods Arkansas is comprised of Mountain View, AR musicians Don “Pappy” Melon, Billy Wayne Martin and Gresham McMillon, all of whom are regular performers at the Ozark Folk Center State Park. Their performance features traditional tunes of the region and of course, traditional jokes and humor. Brooks Blevins provides a native’s view of the people, music, and colorful events that shape the Ozark region. The author and historian answers the tricky question “Where are the Ozarks?” Mark Jones' “From the Vault” segment features a recording of famed Ozark harmonica player Percy Copeland performing the traditional song “Turkey in the Straw,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.