Americana Podcast

In this episode of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen sits down with one of the most quietly influential voices in American songwriting: James McMurtry.

For decades, McMurtry has carved out a singular space where songs are more than melodies. His writing is built on gritty character studies, moral landscapes, and moments of hard-won clarity—stories that feel lived in, observed, and unafraid to sit with complexi...

Today’s episode is a rerun, and we bring it to you with a heaviness that is hard to put into words. When we learned of Todd’s passing on November 14th, it felt as if something vibrant had suddenly drained from the world, as if a familiar warm light we’d always counted on had quietly dissipated into the ether, leaving us in a cold sadness which we may never shake. Revisiting this conversation now feels like reaching for that light w...

In part two of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen continues his conversation with Terry and Jo Harvey Allen—two legendary Texas-born artists whose creativity has spanned generations, mediums, and continents.

From a childhood friendship in Lubbock to a coin toss that took them west, Terry and Jo Harvey’s story unfolds like a piece of living Americana—filled with grit, luck, and a touch of magic. This episode pic...

In this episode of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen sits down with two of Texas’s most revered creative forces—Terry and Jo Harvey Allen. A true artistic duo, their work stretches across music, theater, film, literature, and visual art, each piece carrying the unmistakable edge of West Texas grit and imagination.

Terry Allen, celebrated as both a groundbreaking songwriter and a visual artist, has long blurred...

In this episode of Americana Podcast: The 51st State, host Robert Earl Keen heads into the heart of Red Dirt country with none other than Evan Felker, frontman of the Turnpike Troubadours and one of the most compelling songwriters in modern Americana. From the dusty backroads of Oklahoma to the national stage, Felker has built a legacy rooted in grit, grace, and lyrical honesty. His songs, shaped by weathered landscapes and worn-in...

In this special episode of Americana Podcast, host Robert Earl Keen takes listeners on a journey from the heart of Nashville to the sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles, exploring the rich history and evolving future of Americana and Country music. His guest is Shooter Jennings, an outlaw by birth and a tastemaker by trade, who has carved out a unique role in shaping the genre's direction.

As the son of country legend Waylon Jennings a...

In this special episode, Americana Podcast steps beyond music to examine another vital thread of American culture: fashion. Host Robert Earl Keen sits down with Roger and Jackie Chieffalo, founders of Chieffalo Americana, a Fort Worth-based western outfitter reimagining classic style for the modern age.

Together, they explore:

The origins of Chieffalo Americana and how a shared love of tailoring sparked a creative partnership

How fash...

Americana Podcast explores the artists and ideas shaping American roots music, focusing this episode on the genre-defying Steve Poltz. Poltz is celebrated for his originality, blending tradition with unpredictability in a career that spans decades. Born in Nova Scotia and raised in Southern California, he first gained widespread attention as the co-writer of Jewel’s hit You Were Meant for Me. However, his true impact lies in his co...

As Robert Earl Keen & team look forward to more touring, a new record, and a new season of the Americana Podcast, join us as we take a moment to look back, in order to look forward for what’s to come. This episode contains the previous season’s best-of moments from the 51st State. Hear conversation clips from bluegrass genre-bender Billy Strings (01:41), American Aquarium's BJ Barham (08:56), modern day troubadour Brent Cobb (14:45...

Hello and welcome Americana Podcast listeners to a very special and celebratory episode. Long time listeners and new friends, we are so excited to share with you that as of April 29, 2024- we are celebrating the 5th Anniversary of this show. It has been such an honor to have been documenting the story of Americana through the artist’s lens. And we’ve heard some incredible stories, from Billy Strings to Lori McKenna, to Shinyribs an...

Hello and welcome to a new episode and a new year Americana Podcast listeners. We’re so happy to be back and we have a very exciting episode for you today to celebrate the new year. I’m particularly excited for this show because it really brings us to a full circle moment in the history of this podcast. From long-time audience members to latest episode listeners, you know that every episode features a  break in programming to featu...

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We have a very special guest in this episode. Today, we're diving into the rich tapestry of the extraordinary songwriter, Gretchen Peters. Growing up next to the legendary Greenwich Village folk scene, before moving to Colorado where she cut her teeth as a performer, and finally settling in Nashville at the height of the traditional country to p...

It's time to break out the party hats and pop the champagne because the Americana Podcast is celebrating its 4th anniversary! For the past four years, this podcast has been a leading voice in the Americana music scene, sharing interviews, stories, and music from some of the genre's most talented artists. And in our tireless efforts to promote and celebrate the diverse range of sounds and styles, we’ve made plenty of memories and la...

It seems we’re back in that strange space in time where there are days that can 70 degrees and sunny and beautiful. The birds are singing and the blossoms on trees are beginning to light up the branches like a holy and natural Christmas lights… and then the next day we’re right back into the holds of a winter that every year seems to overstay its welcome. You get a taste of that warmth in your bones, and it’s just enough to whet yo...

It’s a new year Americana Podcast listeners! And with a new year, means new discussions on what makes Americana… well Americana. When we look at this genre, we talk a lot its history and its future. And over time we’ve been able to piece together this ongoing timeline and certain elements that are key to its existence. Base influences in songwriting, certain instrumentation, and geography. If you’ve been a long-time listener, you k...

Many would know Vince Herman as the guitarist and primary lead vocalist and songwriter of the renowned jam band, Leftover Salmon. Herman has been playing professionally since the late 80’s and, Leftover Salmon aside, also formed and played in ever-evolving project group Great American Taxi. Between the two bands, Herman has recorded over 10 albums and has toured the world over, whilst simultaneously developing his festival guru per...

Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin but raised in Tupelo, Mississippi, Paul Thorn has had quite the roundabout career. Son of a Pentecostal preacher, Thorn wasn't allowed to indulge in music outside of the church, but honed his skills early on within its walls. Thorn worked as everything from a professional boxer to a furniture manufacturer before being discovered by famed manager Miles Copeland. In 1997, Thorn released his first record Ham...

There are four types of discourse in language- descriptive, narrative, expository and argumentative. And it seems that all four of those are readily present in any niche interest group on the internet these days. Anything from the way a machine works (descriptive), the exact timeline of Tolkien's world building (narrative), someone breaking down the latest universe development in a comic-book based film (expository), and argumentat...

If it’s one thing that we love here at americana podcast, it is the concept of the artistic process. We’re not alone in this, it seems that when anyone speaks about artists, musical, visual, conceptual- you name it- one of the first things people will go into or ask about, is how a piece of art came to exist.

We’ve been doing it for three years on this show. 

And even when you ask an artist “how did you do this?” There’s no guarantee...