Vital Voices

East Tennessee State University scholars Dr. Lee Bidgood and Dr. Thomas Burton discuss the stories and songs of the nomadic group known as the Scottish Travelers.

Our guest is Scott Simon, host of NPR’s “Weekend Edition Saturday.” We discuss his latest book, Ulysses S. Cat and Other Animals I Have Known.

World War II historian Dr. Stephen Fritz discusses Adolf Hitler's role as military leader.

We take a tour through Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia with Robert Sorrell, author of the book Secret Appalachian Highlands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure.

In this edition of “Vital Voices,” we examine the problem of hunger in Appalachia and what one organization is doing about it. Feeding Southwest Virginia is marking 45 years of service to a region where one child in every five is facing hunger. Our guest is Rachel Garnett with Feeding Southwest Virginia.

On December 18, 2025, the Lumbee Fairness Act was signed into law, giving full federal recognition to the tribe for the first time. Our guest, Dr. Lawrence Locklear, is an enrolled citizen of the Lumbee Tribe and Director of Southeast American Indian Studies at the University of North Carolina Pembroke.

We discuss the life and legacy of Ron Gonnella, one of Scotland's most influential fiddlers. Our guest is Dr. Jane MacMorran, a former United States National Fiddling Champion and Director of Appalachian, Scottish, and Irish Studies at East Tennessee State University.

In East Tennessee, Roxanne McDaniel is leading a dulcimer revival. We talk with her about the traditional Appalachian instrument and hear some samples of her artistry.

With recent reports of power blackouts in Cuba, we revisit an interview we did last year with Alex Fraga, owner of Hemingway's Cuba in Asheville, North Carolina. His father, the late Tony Fraga, was forced to flee Cuba because of the policies of dictator Fidel Castro.

East Tennessee State University President Emeritus Dr. Paul E. Stanton, Jr., died on March 5, 2026, at the age of 81. Dr. Stanton was the institution’s eighth president, serving from 1997 until 2012. In this interview from 2007, Dr. Stanton talks about one of his hobbies and how it was centered around family. A native of Georgia, Dr. Stanton was passionate about boiled peanuts.

March is National Kidney Month, and in recognition of the observance, we speak with Dr. Douglas Hale, a transplant surgeon with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He describes how kidneys are transplanted and talks about the importance of organ donation.

We reflect on the career of Renee Montagne and her 40 years in public broadcasting.

We visit the Johnson City, Tennessee, Police Department to learn about the work of K9 Buck, the department’s first electronic storage detection dog. Joining us for the interview is K9 Buck’s partner, Sgt. Tim Hensley.

During this winter season, we remember the gardens of late summer with a discussion about the relish called chow-chow.

In part two of our conversation, John U. Bacon, author of the bestselling book The Gales of November, discusses factors that led to the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975.

Our guest is John U. Bacon, author of The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Currently on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list, the book recounts the story of the sinking of the freighter in the waters of Lake Superior, resulting in the deaths of the 29 crewmen, on November 10, 1975. This is part one of two “Vital Voices” programs with John Bacon.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian and biographer Taylor Branch is featured in a discussion with East Tennessee State University history professor Dr. Daryl Carter, recorded at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast in Johnson City, Tennessee. Branch is one of the most prolific chroniclers of the American civil rights movement and the leadership of Dr. King.

We remember the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky with flood survivor and documentary filmmaker Willa Johnson, a native of Letcher County, Kentucky.

One of the world's leading experts on the cultures of the American South, Dr. John Shelton Reed, takes a look at a classic New Orleans cocktail.

Prostate cancer has been in the news lately, with President Joe Biden's diagnosis and the death of Major League baseball star Ryne Sandberg. We continue our conversation on the subject with Dr. Kristen Scarpato from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The detection and the treatment of prostate cancer are discussed in this edition of "Vital Voices," with Vanderbilt University urologist Dr. Kristen Scarpato.

A project is underway to document the history of mills that once operated in Washington County, Tennessee. Our guest is Cheryl Bennett, who is heading up the research from her home in the community of Broylesville.

We visit the workshop of Curtis Buchanan in Jonesborough, Tennessee, to learn about the making of Windsor chairs, an art passed down from the 18th century.

We discuss the subject of living in exile with Alex Fraga, owner of Hemingway’s Cuba in Asheville, North Carolina. Alex’s late father, Tony, and his family were forced to leave Cuba in 1960 because of the oppressive regime of dictator Fidel Castro. Hemingway’s Cuba is a symbol of the family’s resurgence and recovery.

It's holiday baking season. In this edition of "Vital Voices," we learn all about the dried apple stack cake, a decades-old dessert popular in the Appalachian region.

We find out more about the life and times of the late Chet Atkins, with music historian Don Cusic, author of a new biography of the famous guitarist.

We look back on the life of perhaps the most influential guitarist of the 20th century, the late Chet Atkins, originally from Luttrell, Tennessee. Our guest is Atkins biographer Don Cusic.