When most authors and musicians scheduled to appear on Thacker Mountain Radio arrive for preshow set-up at Off Square Books in Oxford, they always appear quite bewildered and uncertain. Bands, in particular, who are used to cramming into a hot radio station studio and fumbling through a couple of numbers in a half-hearted attempt to publicize an upcoming local appearance, are caught off guard by the packed house that the live variety show draws, and by the time an hour lapses and the show draws to a close, they are pleasantly surprised by the challenging spontaneity and casual atmosphere of genuine live radio.

In the spirit of the Grand Ole Opry or National Public Radio’s Prairie Home Companion (though with a decidedly Oxford flair), Thacker Mountain Radio blends live music and author readings for an hour-long program that serves as a unique venue for the myriad talents that pass through the small, bustling college town of Oxford. It's a dying form of entertainment, but this live radio show has prospered over time. Now in its third year of production, the show is broadcast every Thursday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on WOXD 95.5 FM, the local oldies station. The show, which is free to the public, is sponsored by local business and supported by the community and volunteer help who steer talent toward the Thacker Mountain stage.

The show was started by Caroline Herring and Bryan Ledford, two members of the Sincere Ramblers, who served the show’s first two-and-a-half years as the house band. (They have since retired and have been replaced by a young local band, The Circuit Riders.) The show took up residence in the best available venue--Off Square Books, the Square Books annex store on the Oxford Square, which, as it turns out, has been, acoustically and aesthetically, the ideal setting for the show--and has steadily built an impressive following.

Previous shows have provided the community with some unforgettable entertainment, such as George Plimpton’s accompaniment to the thrash bluegrass band Split Lip Rayfield. Other stellar music acts have included Peter Rowan, Gillian Welch, the North Mississippi All-Stars, the University of Mississippi Gospel Choir, James “Superchickan” Johnson, Blue Mountain, and the Bottlerockets, who performed on the show with Willie Morris. Other writers who have read from or talked about their work on the show included Susan Minot, Larry Brown, Martin Amis, Stewart O’Nan, Kathleen Norris, Barry Hannah, and historian Leon Litwack.

Part of the glue that holds together the disparate musician/author segments are forums for local color--among the notable performances include skits by Oxford Middle School Latin students, amusing historical anecdotes complete with radio sound effects, and off-the-wall essays and poetry readings by local eccentrics, including “Whopper” John Little, a noted fisherman and storyteller whose regular reports from the lake never fail to elicit laughter. A host of emcees have charmed audiences and guided the entertainment as well, including local theatre and internet personality Tom Arriola and former stage manager Peter Slade, a wily British lad who keeps the laughs coming. Another featured personality is local writer Jim Dees, who is expected to replace Slade in the fall.

Following the university calendar, Thacker Mountain Radio operates seasonally. The show is currently in its summer season, with a set calendar of authors and musicians slated to perform. Some of those appearing on the summer shows include writers Lewis Nordan, Tony Earley, and Daniel Villasenor, and a host of local and regional musicians such as Matthew Smith, the Honey Blondes, Hudson Bell, and Claire Holley of Jackson, Mississippi. Thacker Mountain Radio’s new fall season starts up September 14.

Early this year the Center for the Study of Southern Culture joined Square Books as a regular sponsor of Thacker Mountain, appropriate because of common interests and the involvement of Caroline Herring, Peter Slade, and others who have earned M.A. degrees in Southern Studies. Donna Buzzard, a current Southern Studies graduate student, became producer the show this spring and, in addition, has helped raise funds for it, assisting with a new Friends of Thacker Mountain campaign.

For details, send an e-mail to thackermountain@squarebooks.com.

Jamie Kornegay

Friends of Thacker Mountain

Thacker Mountain Radio - c/o Square Books - 160 Courthouse Square - Oxford, MS 38655

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