PODCAST · education
Salvation South
by Georgia Public Broadcasting
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece comments on Southern culture and values in a weekly segment that airs Fridays on GPB Radio. Salvation South is an online magazine inspired by hope, healing and — most importantly — the desire to create a place on the web and a community of people where civil conversation can happen. We celebrate the culture of the South, and discuss issues of importance to our region.
Episodes
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Deluxe: They Had a Choice
In the fall of 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ran out of patience. Fifteen years after Brown v. Board of Education, it ordered Southern school districts to end segregation "at once." Many white families answered by leaving for private "segregation academies." Some stayed. And Black students watched...
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Trout from Turniptown Creek
Wendell Berry spent a lifetime writing about land, work, community, and the moral obligations we inherit from the places that shape us. In this commentary, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece remembers a childhood creek in North Georgia, a conversation with farmer Will Harris, and Berry’s enduring...
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The Togetherness Muscle
This weekend, better than three million Southerners will sit in the bleachers at a football game. Chuck Reece, who memorized the Gilmer High School lineup before he could name three Beatitudes, argues these gatherings are the last reliable place where Southerners still stand shoulder to shoulder...
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A World Without Dolly
Dolly Parton’s death leaves a world of listeners grieving not only a singular singer and songwriter, but also a woman whose generosity, humor, and acceptance made people feel seen. Chuck Reece remembers the night he and three underage friends talked their way into Atlanta’s Great Southeast Music...
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Deluxe: Barbecue in the South Is a Mouthful
Salvation South Deluxe host Chuck Reece sits down with Jim Auchmutey, author of Smokelore, to argue about barbecue sauce—and to trace the deeper, harder story of who really built the tradition Southerners of every color now claim as their own.
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The Harp God Gave You
The Sacred Harp, the shape-note hymnal published in west Georgia in 1844, got its first revision in thirty-four years—and more than seven hundred singers showed up in Atlanta to christen it. Chuck Reece explains why a book older than his great-grandparents keeps outliving its own obituaries, and...
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Charles’ School Years
In the same storage bin as his parents' World War II letters, Chuck Reece found the scrapbook his mother ordered before he started the first grade in 1967. As thousands of Southern children head into first grade, he considers the one box on that page he has never quite finished checking.
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Deluxe: The Only Biscuit in the Michelin Guide
Erika Council makes the only biscuit in the Michelin Guide — three years running. But behind that improbable honor stand two grandmothers, a church soup kitchen in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and a question her mother once asked that changed everything: were the Black women who built Southern food...
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I Am What I Am
What does a cartoon sailor have to do with Pride Month? More than you might think. In this commentary, Chuck Reece traces a line from Popeye’s stubborn self-acceptance to the urgent realities facing LGBTQ+ young people today—and to the power of Pride celebrations in the South, where the simple…
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The Jewish South
Chuck Reece previews a new Salvation South Deluxe episode on the Jewish South. From Savannah and Charleston to the wider region, the episode—with historians Marcie Cohen Ferris and Shari Rabin—traces Jewish Southern history and provides a vivid look at how one community helped shape the American...
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Deluxe: The Price of Admission
They were in Charleston before the colony had a charter. They wore Confederate gray. They marched with mobs that overturned Black governments after the war. They were also lynched in Marietta and bombed in Atlanta and Jackson. In this special episode of Salvation South Deluxe, Chuck Reece sits...
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Deluxe: When the Place You Come From Is Gone
What happens when the place that made you who you are vanishes completely? Writer Tracy Thompson and poet Annie Woodford share stories of Southern landscapes lost to progress——and the particular grief called solastalgia. From red oak groves in south Atlanta to furniture mill towns in Appalachia,...
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Ted Turner, Walking Contradiction
Since the death of Atlanta media mogul Ted Turner, outlets all over the world have broadcast accounts of his giant ambitions, his creation of the twenty-four-hour news cycle in which we all live today, and his work as an environmentalist. Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece has some...
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Mama's Letters
On Sunday, families all over Georgia will celebrate Mother’s Day, taking moms out to brunch and buying presents. Others, whose mothers are no longer with them, will sift through memories. The mother of Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece died when he was just 11 years old. His memories of...
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Who Makes the South’s Best Biscuit?
During this pledge week, GPB has been asking our listeners, “Who has the best biscuits in Georgia?” Hundreds of you have put your answers on social media, but we haven’t seen anything close to a general agreement on the answer. That fact does not surprise Salvation South editor Chuck Reece.
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Deluxe: “Can I Fix You Something?”: Love, Loss, and The Irish Goodbye
Salvation South Deluxe sits down with Beth Ann Fennelly—poet, novelist, and inventor of the “micro‑memoir”—to talk about her latest book, ‘The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs.’ In a conversation that ranges from Alzheimer’s and caregiving to hyperrealistic nude portraits of folks in Oxford,...
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Pollenocalypse
This is the time of year in Georgia when, after every rain, the puddles left behind are yellow, thanks to an abundance of pine pollen. Some people sneeze at the pollen, some people curse at the pollen, and some people find a great deal of humor in it. Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece…
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Deluxe: Word of South - See What Happens
A city‑hall slush fund, a dissenting vote, and a rainy weekend in Tallahassee accidentally created Word of South, the South’s most unlikely laboratory for music and literature. In this episode of Salvation South Deluxe, Chuck Reece walks Cascades Park with co‑founder Mark Mustian, hears BJ Barham...
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Breakfast at the H&H
Last week, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece delivered a lecture at Mercer University’s Center for Southern Studies in Macon. The next morning, he had breakfast at the H&H, a restaurant that’s been feeding Maconites for nearly seventy years. A restaurant that has stories of its own to tell about...
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Deluxe: Abe Partridge and the Weight of Southern Faith
As a young, fiery pastor in a crater town in Kentucky, Abe Partridge thought he had finally found the rock to build his life on. Then his faith collapsed, and his ministry went with it. In this in‑depth conversation, Abe joins host Chuck Reece and writer Tad Bartlett to explore dark years,...
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Is New Orleans the Real Home of Mardi Gras?
What is the biggest party in the South? Some say it happens every year in Jacksonville, Fla., learning up to the annual Georgia/Florida football game. But really, the biggest party in the South — and maybe the biggest, longest party in the world — is Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Salvation South...
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When Snow Was a Dream, Not a Nightmare
This past weekend’s widespread storms, which dumped tons of snow and ice on states from New Mexico to New England, proved deadly for some and paralyzing for thousands of communities, including every Southern state save Florida. Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece has a few words about the...
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Deluxe: From Muscle Shoals to Colbert - Patterson Hood and "Decoration Day"
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers sits on the Salvation South porch to remember Muscle Shoals, Gregory Dean “The Living Bubba” Smalley, Jason Isbell’s “Outfit,” The Definitive Decoration Day, and a fiery Colbert reunion.
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Georgia On Everyone's Mind
The official song of the state of Georgia—Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind”—came into the public domain on January first, ninety-five years after the song was written. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece is here with a little history of the song—and what happened forty-six years ago, when…
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Best of 2025 Commentaries (Part 2 of 2)
As the year comes to a close, we bring you this special episode of Salvation South, where we take a look back on our most popular commentaries aired by GPB Radio in 2025. (Part 2 of 2)
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Best of 2025 Commentaries (Part 1 of 2)
As the year comes to a close, we bring you this special episode of Salvation South, where we take a look back on our most popular commentaries aired by GPB Radio in 2025. (Part 1 of 2)
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Deluxe: Southern Noir Giants - Ace Atkins Meets S.A. Cosby
Southern noir meets 1980s Atlanta. In this Salvation South Deluxe episode, Southern crime-fiction stars S.A. Cosby and Ace Atkins dig into "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" Atkins’s Cold War thriller about Gen X kids, Russian spies, and suburban Atlanta in 1985. They talk Southern noir, Cold…
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Steve Cropper: Southern Soul Legend
A week ago, the world mourned the passing Steve Cropper, a key figure in Southern soul music. Cropper was the guitar player in Booker T. & the MG’s, who were the house band at the legendary Stax Recording Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He wrote and played songs for the likes of Wilson Pickett…
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Ways of Saying Grace
Tomorrow, families all over Georgia will gather to celebrate Thanksgiving. At most of those tables, someone will say grace over the meal. There are probably as many ways to bless the food on a Southern table as there are Southerners waiting to eat it. We asked Salvation South editor Chuck Reece…
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Deluxe: Meanwhile In North Alabama - The Muscle Shoals Sound
Discover how Muscle Shoals, Alabama, became the unlikely birthplace of legendary music by Aretha, the Stones, and more.
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Southern Life on Planet OutKast
When the Atlanta hip-hop superstars OutKast were inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame, it was more than a celebration of the immense talent of Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and André “3000” Benjamin. Salvation South editor Chuck Reece believes it was a jubilee for the city of Atlanta—and a...
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Deluxe: No Genres, No Rules - Southern Music In The 21st Century
Get to know a new crop of Southern musicians who are taking their deeply rooted cultural influences into new territory in the 21st Century, defying all expectations of genre and subject matter. Featuring: Amythyst Kiah, B.J. Barham, Chris Casey and Tommy Prine.
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Port In A Hurricane: Southern Hospitality In Trying Times
Hurricane season is here in the Southeast, and won’t be over until the end of November. Salvation South magazine recently published a story by a woman in Macon who, as a hurricane roared up from Florida years ago, told people on social media her doors were open to evacuees. We all love the idea…
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Decoration Day
Cultures all over the world have ceremonies to honor loved ones who have passed away. Sometimes they are celebrations. Sometimes, they are solemn remembrances. And always, everywhere, stories are told. In the South, a tradition called Decoration Day persists as fiercely as the memories of the...
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Deluxe: The Blueprint - How Bill Ferris Defined Southern Folklore
Join Chuck Reece for an intimate conversation with legendary folklorist Bill Ferris. Explore Southern stories, blues, and the power of listening in this immersive episode on how we preserve the hallmarks of the American South.
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One Apple to Rule Them All: Stayman Winesaps
Harvest time has arrived in North Georgia’s many apple orchards. But for Salvation South magazine editor, Chuck Reece, who grew up in our state’s apple capital—Ellijay—the best apple of all requires waiting until the first two weeks of October. He’s here today with the story of that apple, plus a...
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Deluxe: Widespread Panic - Traveling Happiness Machine
Widespread Panic’s music inspires a family—thousands strong—united by kindness and joy. Discover why their concerts are a place to simply be happy.
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Breakfast on Ursuline Street
Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece recently ate breakfast at an historic spot in New Orleans, Louisiana. What he tasted and saw there sent him on a search for some pieces of Southern history he did not know about. Today, he will share with you what he found.
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Celebrate The Truth: The Southern Christian Leadership Conference Turns 66
Few organizations have done more to establish and protect the civil rights of Americans than the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by some Georgia ministers and others. Next week, the SCLC will hold its 66th annual conference here in Atlanta. Salvation South magazine editor Chuck...
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Deluxe: No Strangers Here — Clarkston's Half-Century As The Refugee Capital of Georgia
Discover how tiny Clarkston, Ga., became the capital city of Southern hospitality by welcoming refugees from over 150 nations for five decades — and why the tradition endures, even in challenging times.
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After The Floods: A Reflection on Southern Resilience
The Fourth of July weekend brought news of disastrous flooding in Texas and the Carolinas. The deluge in the Texas Hill Country is one of the deadliest American floods in the past 100 years. Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece still marvels at how Southerners in these communities rally to...
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Hopes for Independence Day
Soon, we will celebrate the 249th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. The Fourth of July. Although we currently live in a time that has an uncommon amount of political division, Independence Day does give us the chance to find a few things we can all hope for....
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Deluxe: Hard Truths and No Overnight Successes - Southern Literature in the 21st Century
A candid journey into 21st-century Southern literature——queer voices, hard truths, and the persistence behind every “overnight” success, live from Tallahassee’s Word of South Festival.
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Ten Thousand Souths: Preserving Southern Folklore
Since a half-century ago, colleges and universities around the South have established centers to study the culture of our region. The Center for Appalachian Studies in Kentucky. The Center for the Study of the American South in North Carolina. The Center for the Study of Southern Culture in...
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A Curious Look at the Southern Accent
The Associated Press last month published a story on new academic research which documents the ongoing disappearance of Southern accents in our region. Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece does not object to such stories, because they are true. But he does think curiosity is rising about...
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Deluxe: Freedom Seekers - The Untold Story of The U.S. Colored Troops
Nearly 200,000 Black soldiers fought for their freedom in the Civil War. And their families risked everything alongside them. Host Chuck Reece explores the legacy of these soldiers through the powerful, historical poetry of Frank X Walker, and with the help of Pulitzer Prize-winner Edda...
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Hush Your Complaining!
In the South, even in the hustle and bustle of the biggest cities, strangers still tend to tell each other "Good morning" or "Good afternoon." Or they'll at least give you a nod instead of just staring at their shoes until the elevator gets to their floor. And sometimes, a conversation actually...
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A Little Speck of Dust
Salvation South magazine editor Chuck Reece spends almost all his time thinking and writing about the American South. But sometimes, his mind starts wrestling with far bigger questions than what we Southerners read, listen to, or eat. This leads him to frustration — and sometimes, to a good lesson.
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Deluxe: God's Own Bacon
On this episode of Salvation South Deluxe: Chuck travels to the foothills of the Smoky Mountains to meet 'the Aristotle of Bacon.' Learn how Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams—a humble smokehouse in Madisonville, Tennessee—caught the attention of the fine dining industry and beyond.
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One Time, Two Times...
Certain words in the Southern dialect are not easily rendered on the printed page — words that do not necessarily lend themselves to spellings that make sense. At a recent art exhibition in Atlanta, Salvation South editor Chuck Reece was reminded of such a word from his youth, one he found…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece comments on Southern culture and values in a weekly segment that airs Fridays on GPB Radio. Salvation South is an online magazine inspired by hope, healing and — most importantly — the desire to create a place on the web and a community of people where civil conversation can happen. We celebrate the culture of the South, and discuss issues of importance to our region.
HOSTED BY
Georgia Public Broadcasting
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Salvation South have?
Salvation South currently has 156 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Salvation South about?
Salvation South editor Chuck Reece comments on Southern culture and values in a weekly segment that airs Fridays on GPB Radio. Salvation South is an online magazine inspired by hope, healing and — most importantly — the desire to create a place on the web and a community of people where civil...
How often does Salvation South release new episodes?
Salvation South publishes regularly with 156 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Salvation South?
You can listen to Salvation South on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Salvation South?
Salvation South is created and hosted by Georgia Public Broadcasting.
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