Experience the Front Porch of Music with the Celeb-Studded Series, WoodSongs on RFD-TV
WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour Premieres on July 7th at 6 p.m. EST
(NASHVILLE, TENN. — July 5th, 2017) RFD-TV is proud to announce that the popular celeb-studded bluegrass series “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour” will be added to the music and entertainment lineup beginning July 7th at 6 p.m. ETS. Produced by musician and singer, Michael Jonathon, “WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour,” is a global production that airs on radio and television networks around the world and brings together both musicians and music lovers to celebrate the traditional American experience through song.
“WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour” features an eclectic array of popular artists from genres of folk, blues, country, jazz, new-age, and rock. Season one guests include songwriter Jewel, Southern rock band The Kentucky HeadHunters, banjo great Bela Fleck, The Mavericks, genre-busting Michael Martin Murphey and bluegrass super group the Earls of Leicester. Past artists have also included Imelda May, the Indigo Girls, Amy Grant, Kenny Loggins, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Pink Martini, Judy Collins, Joan Osborne, Janie Fricke, Neko Case, Lee Ann Womack, John McEuen, Jakob Dylan, and Peter Frampton among others.
Michael Johnathon is a folksinger and musician who travels America with his Martin guitar and Vega long-neck banjo performing his message of music and community for audiences around the country. Johnathon has built a massive, multi-media following over the past 15 years which serves as his “front porch” to share the roots and acoustic music he loves.
“Once upon a time, the front porch was the grand pulpit of America,” said producer and host Michael Johnathon. “It is where families and neighbors gathered and where the sun sets each day with community and song. I want “WoodSongs” to re-create the wonderful legacy of that time. We need it. Especially now.”
In the spirit of that front porch passion, the “WoodSongs” production team is all-volunteer run and filmed in front of a live audience at the historic Lyric Theatre in Lexington, Kentucky. It is formatted as a one-hour musical conversation focusing on the artists and their music. Each episode also features a segment called “WoodSongs Kids,” where young musicians get an opportunity to play on stage with that week’s professional talent.
Lexington is proud to be the home of “Woodsongs.”
“Kentucky has one of the most important musical legacies in America,” says Kristen Branscum, Commissioner of Kentucky Tourism. “Just look at all the artists from here that fit the image and spirit of “WoodSongs”: Bill Monroe, Loretta Lynn, Ricky Skaggs and so many others. From the hollers of Appalachia to the mountains of western Kentucky, “WoodSongs” music mirrors the American spirit.”
“WoodSongs is celebrating not just the music of Kentucky, but the people and artists who make it. Lexington has been home to Jerry Douglass, Bela Fleck, JD Crowe and so many others,” said Mary Quinn Ramer, President of Lexington’s tourism office. “Like Michael describes us in the show, Lexington is the crossroads of America’s folks and bluegrass music, and we couldn’t be more excited that RFD-TV is showing this spirit nationwide.”
Love is the greatest transaction in the arts and “WoodSongs” shows this.” said producer and host Michael Johnathon. “Each performance is about the love and passion for music that an artist brings to our show. The music simply comes through the heart of those who are trying to communicate with their audience.”
Watch “WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour” Fridays at 6 PM ET starting July 7th. To learn more about the project, visit WoodSongs.com. Get the full RFD-TV lineup and more at rfdtv.com.
For more information, visit RFDTV.com, RuralRadio147.com, TheCowboyChannel.com, and AmericanRodeo.com.
Media Contacts:
PR@rfdtv.com, (615) 296-9332
###
About Rural Media Group, Inc. (RMG):
Rural Media Group, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of multimedia content dedicated to the rural and Western lifestyle. With a mission of reconnecting “city with country,” RMG is the parent company of RFD-TV, RURAL RADIO Channel 147 on SiriusXM radio, The Cowboy Channel, and RFD-TV The Magazine. RMG networks are distributed to more than 100 million homes worldwide by DBS, telco and cable systems including DISH Network, DIRECTV®, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Mediacom, Charter Spectrum, Suddenlink, Cox, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems. Corporate headquarters and broadcast operations are in Nashville, Tennessee.
RFD-TV is the flagship network for Rural Media Group. Launched in December of 2000, RFD-TV is the nation’s first 24-hour television network featuring programming focused on the agribusiness, equine and the rural lifestyles, along with traditional country music and entertainment. RFD-TV produces six hours of live news each weekday in support of rural America and is a leading independent cable channel available in more than 50 million homes on DISH Network, DIRECTV®, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Spectrum, Cox, Comcast, Mediacom, Suddenlink, and many other rural cable systems. In addition, RFD-TV can be streamed online via The Country Club at rfdcc.com, DIRECTV NOW, Roku, and Sling TV’s Heartland Extra package. For more information, please visit RFDTV.com.
Facebook: @OfficialRFDTV | Twitter: @OfficialRFDTV | Instagram: @RFDTV
Found exclusively on SiriusXM channel 147, RURAL RADIO 147 is the agribusiness and Western-lifestyle channel for the U.S. and Canada. RURAL RADIO 147’s program schedule revolves around original productions focused on agriculture, equine, hunting, fishing, Western sports, and living the country life in small towns around rural America. Broadcast operations for the station are located in Nashville, Tennessee. The channel airs multiple exclusive news and agriculture series along with live broadcasts of Western sports competitions from the PBR, PRCA rodeos, and WPCA Chuckwagon races. For more information, please visit RuralRadio147.com.
Facebook: @RURALRADIO147 | Twitter: @RURALRADIO147 | Instagram: @RURALRADIO147
The Cowboy Channel is the first 24-hour television network totally dedicated to western sports and the western lifestyle. Headquartered in the Fort Worth Stockyards, The Cowboy Channel features content focused on rodeo, bull riding, roping, reining, barrel racing, and other western sports anchor, along with western fashion, music, and movies. The lineup also features a wide variety of “live” coverage from major western events showcasing the world’s toughest and most talented cowboys and cowgirls. The network enjoys distribution into more than 30 million homes on cable/satellite systems on DISH Network, DIRECTV®, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Spectrum, Cox, Comcast, Mediacom, Verizon FIOS TV, and many other rural cable systems. In addition, The Cowboy Channel can be streamed via Sling TV’s Heartland Extra package. For more information, please visit TheCowboyChannel.com.
Facebook: @CowboyChannel | Twitter: @Cowboy_Channel | Instagram: @CowboyChannel
RFD-TV’s The American is an annual event that occurs each February at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. The American is known as “the world’s richest one-day rodeo” and pays out nearly $3 million annually through a series of qualifiers, The Semi-Finals, and the final event, RFD-TV’s The American. The event unites the top athletes in the world from the PRCA, WPRA, and PBR world standings and pits them against underdogs who advance from The American Semi-Finals, together to battle for the biggest single paycheck of their lives. For more information, please visit AmericanRodeo.com.
Facebook: @RFDTVAmerican | Twitter: @RFDTVAmerican | Instagram: @RFDTVAmerican
RFD-TV The Magazine is the print programming guide for RMG networks with feature articles, programming updates, and more. The publication is published bi-monthly and has historically attracted more than 180,000 paid subscribers. For more information or to subscribe, please visit: RFDTV.com/Magazine.