Arts and Culture
‘Iced Cherries’: Joe D. Nelson’s take on modern folk and age old tropes
It may be unusual for a musician to refer to his own music as a trope. But that’s what Birmingham singer-songwriter Joe D. Nelson does with his latest album Iced Cherries.
16th Street Baptist Church wins national historic stewardship award
The 16th Street Baptist Church received national recognition on Monday for its historic site stewardship from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This comes after years of church staff and community members working hard to restore and preserve the structure as it looked in 1963.
What’s your favorite thing about fall?
With cooler mornings and shorter days, if feels like fall is finally here. So what’s your favorite thing about fall? We put that question to people at our recent News and Brews community pop-up in Cullman.
WBHM welcomes ‘The Lost Child’ to Saturday evening lineup
The Lost Child introduces listeners to an array of roots music from blues to bluegrass and beyond. For more on the show, WBHM’s Richard Banks sat down with the show’s host Burgin Mathews.
Meet Kashus Culpepper, the Alexander City-bred musician on the rise
With a freshly inked major label deal and a handful of official releases under his belt, the rising country crooner has quickly secured his place among the who’s who of the genre. However, stardom was never the goal for the Navy veteran-turned-musical sensation.
An art exhibit reckons with Alabama’s death penalty toll
The traveling exhibit includes artwork, letters and audio from people incarcerated on Alabama’s death row.
One woman is walking from Chicago to Montgomery to speak out about racial injustice
Besides walking, Rachelle Zola performs her one-woman show, Late: A Love Story. In the show, Zola shares her journey of learning about racial inequality.
New book tries to recapture the narrative on aging
Look at mainstream culture and it’s clear – youth is king. But a new book pushes back against that notion. The book Old Enough celebrates the process of aging.
Q&A: Baldwin & Co. bookstore owner on James Baldwin’s impact, carrying on his legacy
DJ Johnson discusses Baldwin’s lasting legacy ahead of a 100th birthday celebration, and the importance of keeping Black businesses thriving in New Orleans.
What’s unique about this Gadsden restaurant? It’s more than the food
Beautiful Rainbow Café is unusual. Students with significant cognitive disabilities staff the café, and it’s one of few vegetarian-only restaurants in Alabama.
‘Southern Rock Opera’ revisited: celebrating two decades of the Drive-By Truckers’ landmark album
When the Drive-By Truckers released their third studio album, Southern Rock Opera, in 2001, they might not have foreseen the impact it would have on the Muscle Shoals-bred group or the Southern rock style as a whole.
Exhibit shows the ‘real people’ around the Civil Rights Movement
The Temple Beth El Civil Rights Experience is a guided tour that allows visitors to explore the lives of Jewish people during the Civil Rights Movement. The exhibit highlighted Jews who were passionate activists and Jews who didn’t do much for the cause.
What do you have to do each summer?
Sunshine and rising temperatures herald in a new season as people prepare for their favorite summertime activities. During the WBHM Junior board’s recent beer release at Trimtab Brewing, we asked those present what was at the top of their summer to-do lists.
In Northeast Mississippi, Black cowboys celebrated Juneteenth with a horse show
More than 100 people attended the inaugural show, hosted by A Step Above Horse Riding Club in the farming community of Pontotoc, to celebrate the holiday.
Alabama native Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid’ has died at 93
Mays' family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had died earlier in the afternoon in the Bay Area.
What does Juneteenth mean to you?
Wednesday is Juneteenth. a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. The date goes back to 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation. During our recent News and Brews community pop-up at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, we asked people what Juneteenth means to them.
Jon Batiste reflects on the South’s musical history: ‘I’m rooted in something bigger than me’
Before a recent concert in Birmingham, the Grammy-winning jazz pianist took time to learn more about the city’s history and influence on American music.
A farewell to WBHM’s Mary Scott Hodgin
Friday is a bittersweet day WBHM as we say goodbye to our longtime health and science reporter Mary Scott Hodgin.
WBHM 90.3, Gulf States Newsroom win 14 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards
Regional winners automatically advance to the national competition. National winners will be announced in August.
Alabama actress finds home at center stage
Alabama actress Lily Kate Gwin, 22, was adopted at birth. She found home through her adoptive parents and her chosen home, the theater.
Birmingham’s poet laureate writes her homecoming
Birmingham’s inaugural poet laureate, Salaam Green, finds her home in the sensory details, the most important being poetry. But finding that home was a process.
Here’s what you said were the hidden gems in Walker County
There are things we notice about where we live that others might miss. That might be a hidden gem or other surprise. We set out to discover a few of them in Walker County at our recent News and Brews community pop-up.
Taylor Hunnicutt is championing her home state with debut album ‘Alabama Sound’
Alabama offers a diverse symphony of swampy rock, swaggering blues, murky country, and bone-rattling soul. It’s a sound singer-songwriter Taylor Hunnicutt recently reimagined on her debut album, Alabama Sound, which is out now.
Q&A: Bobby Carter on leading Tiny Desk, his time at Jackson State, early career advice
Carter, a Jackson State alumnus, took over as the new series host and producer for NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts” series in April.
What’s your favorite thing about Alabama?
That's the question we put to those at our recent News and Brews community pop-ups at Hop City and Saturn in Birmingham.
Clothing makes the character: Disney costumes come to the Birmingham Museum of Art
The Birmingham Museum of Art’s latest exhibit, Heroes and Villains: The Art of the Disney Costume, consists of 70 original costumes from live-action Disney films, offering the Birmingham community a peek behind the curtain to see the costumes’ artistry up close.
A South Asian krewe in New Orleans wants to ‘put the masala in Mardi Gras’
Krewe da Bhan Gras has been a hit on the parade route this Carnival season as the latest example of Mardi Gras’ diverse, inclusive nature and its evolution.
Why Birmingham is overlooked when it comes to jazz
Jazz is associated with cities such as New Orleans, Chicago and New York. But Birmingham has had profound influence on the genre too. That’s the argument from a recent book.
New opera delves into less familiar part of Helen Keller’s story
The opera TOUCH, commissioned by Opera Birmingham, depicts Keller's later life as an activist and feminist and conflict with her interpreter Anne Sullivan.
Pajamas, movies, relish: hear some of our favorite holiday traditions
We heard from patrons at Adventurer's Coffee Co. in Calera about their unique holiday traditions.
How a pianist is using classical music to bridge divides in Alabama
Classically trained concert pianist, Miki Sawada, is aware of the impression classical music has. She's trying to bring the music to a wider audience and bridge the country's divides.
Man featured in ‘S-Town’ podcast shot and killed by police during standoff, authorities say
Joseph Tyler Goodson was shot by officers after he barricaded himself inside a home and “brandished a gun" at officers early Sunday, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. Bibb County Coroner Patrick Turner said that Goodson was pronounced “brain dead” Tuesday night at a hospital.
