Arts and Culture
Hale Woodruff’s Talladega College Murals At Birmingham Museum of Art
Hale Woodruff is regarded as one of the most important African-American artists of the 20th century. His best-known works are six very large murals he painted for the Talladega College library in the 1930s. An exhibition of the murals, along with early works from Woodruff’s career, opens this Saturday at the Birmingham Museum of Art. WBHM took a tour of the show this week with curators Kelli Morgan and Graham Boettcher.
Commentary: The Steel City’s Spice via Bicycle
When commentator John Houser lived in Indianapolis, the city built a bike and pedestrian path weaving through the city’s downtown cultural districts. After trying bike commuting for just a few months, he […]
Churches Maintain Stance Against Gay Marriage Despite Cultural Shifts
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to rule this summer on a case that could legalize same-sex marriage and even many opponents of gay marriage don’t expect the court to rule in their favor. Public support of same-sex marriage has swung dramatically in recent years with a majority of Americans now favoring it. At least 545 gay couples married in Alabama earlier this year during the three weeks it was legal. But many churches in the state still embrace a traditional view of marriage and find themselves increasingly within a culture that doesn’t see things their way.
Arc Stories: May 2015 Edition
Stories about love, about loss, and the lengths to which both will make us go. A little boy finally gets his wish; and a young woman does her best to […]
The Old Paints: Pure Pop And Country From Birmingham
Birmingham band The Old Paints are known for their upbeat sound and a percussionist who plays the log. Yes, that's right, a log. The group draws musical inspiration from artists and bands like Woody Guthrie, Wilco, and The White Stripes. Their second album, This Machine, comes out this summer. For WBHM, Joseph Thornton talked with band members Andy Harris and Breely Flowers about their music and the forthcoming album.
Steel City Jug Slammers: Delta Blues and Old-Time Jug Music
Birmingham's own Steel City Jug Slammers perform Delta blues and old-time jug music.
What Alabamians Think About The Free Range Parenting Debate
In a scene from the film adaptation from of Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mocking Bird," Scout, Jim and Dill walk unaccompanied through town. Adults they pass just smile and nod. Now take into account these kids are ten, six and seven-years-old. Back then, that didn’t seem out of the ordinary. But recently, there’s been a rise in the number of parents getting in trouble with authorities for letting their kids walk or play alone outside. Nick Patterson is the editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, and he wrote about free range parenting in this week’s edition. Patterson tells WBHM’s Rachel Lindley about this new—and old—parental philosophy.
Do Birmingham and Alabama’s Rankings On Listicles Matter?
You probably see a new one each time you go online. A "listicle" -- that's the name for the article-list hybrid shared so often on social media. The methodology of listicles can vary dramatically depending on who's making the list. As Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, tells WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley, these rankings can change the way people see the place they live.
What Stands in a Storm
Monday marks the fourth anniversary of a massive tornado outbreak where 62 tornados raked across Alabama in a single day. More than 250 people died from those storms on April 27, 2011. Writer Kim Cross chronicles that time through several personal stories in her book What Stands in a Storm. It grew out of an article she wrote for Southern Living magazine. She spoke with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
NPR’s Cokie Roberts’ New Book, “Capitol Dames,” On The Women Of Civil War Washington
This month marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. Much has been written about the men behind the military and political forces on both sides of the conflict. But what about the women’s stories? In her new book, Capitol Dames, Cokie Roberts tells the stories of how American women saw and influenced the war, from the sidelines of battle and the sidelines of political power. Roberts will speak and read from her book Tuesday, April 21 at the Doubletree Hotel in Birmingham. The event is presented by the Alabama Booksmith, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit WBHM.
Antiques Roadshow from Birmingham!
Part history lesson, part story, and part suspense, public television's Antiques Roadshow comes to you from Birmingham!
Arc Stories: March 2015 Edition
A man gets a chance to show a former girlfriend what she missed out on; a girl gets an audience for one of her first intimate moments; and a young woman meets some random strangers and gets into a fight.
Interview: Wye Oak
Thursday night, the band Wye Oak, Brooklyn composer William Brittelle, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra collaborate on innovative orchestral re-imaginings of Wye Oak songs. WBHM's Michael Krall spoke with band member Andy Stack about the concert and the band's sound...
Interview: Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as Mr. Spock on Star Trek has died at the age of 83. In 2009, WBHM's Michael Krall interviewed Nimoy who came to Birmingham to give a lecture about his photography. While there were plenty regarding his photography, along way Nimoy took time to talk about his role as Mr. Spock.
Arc Stories: February 2015 Edition
Stories About Change: One man’s encounter with a celebrity has him in way over his head; and a camp counselor encounters not the good kid or the bad kid, but the worst kid.
Running Birmingham Track Club’s 1200 Mile Challenge
Approximately 5,000 runners hit the streets of Birmingham this weekend for the annual Mercedes-Benz Marathon. WBHM contributor Javacia Harris Bowser recently started running with one club that's training for the race. But this group -- The Birmingham Track Club -- sets an even more ambitious goal for its members: Run 1200 miles in one year.
Alabama Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Conductor
Carlos Izcaray performs his first concert as music director designate during two Masterworks concerts this weekend. He spoke with WBHM's Michael Krall...
Says You! Host and Creator Richard Sher Dies
The creator, executive producer and host of the long-running wordplay program Says You! died February 9th after a battle with cancer.
Shaping History with a Camera
In March, Selma will mark the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. That's the day police beat demonstrators attempting to march to Montgomery in support of voting rights. Saturday an exhibit opens in Selma of some of the most iconic images of that day. They're from the late photographer Spider Martin.
New Play Tells Nelson Mandela’s Story Through Video, Dance and Poetry
Nelson Mandela, former South African President and anti-apartheid revolutionary, was the inspiration for a new play co-written by Birmingham poet Sharrif Simmons. Red Mountain Theater Company's production of "Mandela" premiers tonight. Simmons sat down with WBHM to discuss what Mandela means today, and how he worked to contemporize Mandela's story -- including using a video screen at the heart of the production.
Birmingham Museum Of Art To Feature Paintings By Dutch Masters
The Birmingham Museum of Art opens a new exhibit Saturday that features works of well-known Dutch and Flemish masters. The exhibition called "Small Treasures" includes paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and their contemporaries. These artists are often known for large canvases, but these paintings are small.
Movie Stirs Memories in Selma
The Golden Globe Awards are Sunday and one film that could pick up a few statues is Selma . The film depicts the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. This weekend, Paramount Pictures began free screenings in the movie's namesake town in Alabama.
ASFA Musician on NPR’s From the Top
Andrew Downs, a double bass player attending the Alabama School of Fine Arts, recently appeared on the NPR program From The Top. Downs, age 17, spoke with WBHM's Program Director Michael Krall about his appearance on the program and about the double bass itself.
I Don’t Like Christmas and That’s OK
While Christmas can be "the most wonderful time of the year" for some, our guest blogger, Javacia Harris Bowser, thinks the season's social and financial pressures are a bit out of control. She writes about that in her monthly blog post for WBHM, along with the holiday that really brightens her winter: New Year's!
A Moonshine Renaissance
Mention moonshine and you might think of an illegal backwoods still in the mountains of the South, carefully hidden to evade the authorities. In recent years though, legal distilleries have been popping up in sort of a moonshine renaissance.
Rick Bragg on Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Nicknamed The Killer because of his wild energetic piano playing, Lewis soared to fame in the 1950's only to be brought down by scandal when he married his 13-year old cousin. Lewis then turned to country music where he churned out a string of hits in the 60's and 70's. Author Rick Bragg spent two summers listening to Lewis recollect the triumphs and tragedies of his six decade career and the result is the book Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story. Bragg tells Greg Bass about Lewis' first encounter with a piano in Ferriday, Louisiana...
Birmingham Fashion Truck: Making The Magic City Rethink Fashion
Food trucks have become ubiquitous in many cities. Entrepreneurs have taken the same concept of retail on wheels and applied them to apparel. That trend has now come to Birmingham. WBHM's intern Morgan Smith has more.
Artwalk: Public Forum
Artist Steve Lambert likes to say his medium is "trouble." That's a creative way of saying he's less interested in pretty pictures than in artwork that challenges the audience. Or in the case of his latest, work that forces them to examine their own views. The New York-based artist is currently an artist in residence at Birmingham's Space One Eleven gallery. This weekend he brings his work called "Public Forum" to Birmingham’s Artwalk.
The Story of Sloss Quarters
A part of Birmingham's past is coming alive again. From the 1880's to the mid 1900's, Sloss Furnaces was an economic driver for the Magic City. It put Birmingham on the map as the place in the south for iron production. But those furnaces and boilers left over today don't tell the stories of the people who worked and lived there. That's about to change.
Holly Williams: Following the Family Tradition
She's the granddaughter of country music legend Hank Williams. Her dad, Hank junior, has sold millions of records. But Holly Williams isn't living in anyone's shadow. She's got her own sound and is making a name for herself. Greg Bass has this profile...
EarFlims: To Sleep To Dream
You know how people often say the book is better than the movie because you can create your own pictures? The same thing is true for audio. A new show with its American debut Tuesday at UAB's Alys Stephens Center puts that notion to the test. "To Sleep to Dream" is a production of the United Kingdom-based EarFilms. It's like a feature-length movie told only with sound.
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: How the Swampers Changed American Music
The Shoals area of Alabama is known for a long list of popular musicians who recorded there in the 1960s and 1970s. Artists including Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan cut tracks in this otherwise sleepy corner of the state. But a part of the region's musical success is thanks to four men nicknamed the Swampers. They're the subject of the new book "Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: How the Swampers Changed American Music" by Birmingham music writer Carla Jean Whitley
