DadGrass Podcast

DadGrass Podcast is back with a song that’s been passed down through streets, kitchens, and crowded pub floors for generations “Tell Me Ma.” This week, we’re digging into the story behind the song, one that traveled across the ocean with Irish immigrants and took on a life of its own in places like New York, Boston, and beyond. It’s playful, a little mischievous, and full of the kind of rhythm that pulls kids (and adults) right into the music. But like a lot of folk songs, there’s more under the surface. This one carries pieces of migration, identity, and what it means to belong somewhere new while holding onto where you came from. We’ll talk about: How “Tell Me Ma” became an Irish American staple The hidden history inside a seemingly simple children’s song Why songs like this matter for passing culture down to our kids Whether you grew up hearing this song or its brand new to your family, this episode is about connection through music, movement, and shared stories. Give it a listen, try it with your kids, and let us know how it goes. DadGrass Podcast – handing down folk stories through song.

In celebration of Fat Tuesday, today on DadGrass Podcast we’re heading to the streets of New Orleans for one of the most joyful, mysterious, and powerful songs in American roots music “Iko Iko.” You’ll hear the beat. You’ll feel the rhythm. And you’ll learn how to answer back. This episode is all about call and response, a musical conversation where one voice leads and everyone joins in. We’ll clap it, sing it, and try it together at home (because music is meant to be shared, not just listened to). We’ll also talk about the first group to record it, Sugar Boy & the Cane Cutters, as well as the group to really bring this song into the spotlight, The Dixie Cups. Three black women from New Orleans who recorded “Iko Iko” in 1965 during a time when the music industry (and much of the country) wasn’t always fair or welcoming. Their voices carried a Mardi Gras tradition into homes all across America.  This episode is made for: Little listeners who love to sing loud Grown-ups who want to pass down music with meaning Families celebrating Fat Tuesday (or just looking for a reason to dance in the kitchen) Because on Mardi Gras, we don’t just listen to music. We answer it. Laissez les bons temps rouler- let the good times roll!

What feels like home to you? Is it a place you can point to on a map… or something you carry with you, like a tune that never quite leaves? Homeplace songs come from that ache, the one that shows up when a sight fades in the rearview mirror. When work pulls you somewhere loud and fast. When the land that raised you feels far away but not gone. Today's episode focuses on Homeplace Songs, and one of my favorites. Have you heard of the Blue Ridge Mountain blues? These blues aren’t just about sadness. They’re about memories of a place, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the feelings some get when they leave those mountains. These songs are of people who usually left because they had to, not because they wanted to. They carried the feelings, sounds and signs of home with them. This song brings feelings of creek water, porch steps, red clay, and Sunday hymns into mill towns and cities that never quite felt like home. These songs were how they kept things that make what feels like home, close. A way of saying: I remember who I am. I remember where I’m from. So listen close. Roots music is full of songs depicting places that are special. Homeplace Songs are some special ones.  It’s a song calling out what home felt like and maybe it will help you talk about what home feels like to you. 

As we move through Black History Month, we’re taking time to honor Lesley Riddle, a Black Appalachian musician whose work sits at the foundation of American folk, blues and country music, even if his name was too often left out of the story.   Lesley Riddle carried melodies when there were no recordings. He shaped songs that became standards. He influenced the sound of the Carter Family and, through them, generations of musicians, quietly, skillfully, and without recognition. So we slowed this one down. Because Black history isn’t a side note. Early Black Appalachian musicians like Lesley shaped the sounds we know and love today. Take him out of the story, and the music changes.   Today's lesson is made for curious kids who want to learn more about the power of your brain and for families who want to understand how songs carried through history.    It won't be the last time we talk about Lesley! This episode honors Black Appalachian musicians, and the grown-ups having that “wait… how did I not learn this?” moment.  

In this episode of DadGrass, we listen to Wildwood Flower and learn about the incredible guitar playing of Maybelle Carter. Maybelle helped turn the guitar into a lead voice in American music. The way she played changed how songs sounded and how bands played together, a big idea that shaped country, folk, and Americana music. But sometimes in history, someone does something really important… and someone else ends up taking credit for their work.  This episode reminds us not to forget the women who helped shape music, even when their ideas were passed along without their names attached. Maybelle’s story is also connected to Lesley Riddle, a primary force behind the Carter Family sound. In this episode, we listen closely and talk about fairness, sharing, and why it matters to remember where ideas come from. Next episode, we’ll tell Lesley Riddle’s story, his connection to Maybelle, and why he should be considered another pioneer behind country music, specifically the country guitar. Because passing down songs also means passing down the whole story. Share this story, and the sound that changed everything, with someone you love. Every little girl should know that music history has a pioneer named Maybelle Carter.

Welcome to DadGrass, a family-friendly podcast about folk music, history, and the stories we hand down through song. I’m Tim. I'm a dad, music teacher, and lifelong folk musician. In our first episode, we’re starting with If I Had a Hammer, made famous by Pete Seeger, a song written so anyone could sing it. If I Had a Hammer uses simple tools to talk about big ideas: justice, freedom, and love between all people. We explore where the song came from, why it mattered, and why it still belongs in family life today; at the kitchen table, in the car, or wherever songs get shared. This episode sets the tone for DadGrass: short conversations, one song at a time, and music as a way to remember who we are and where we come from. Pull up a chair. Let’s start with a song.