Donna Green-Townsend
Multimedia Productions
Aired on WUFT on May 25th, 2012 The 60th Annual State Folk Festival got underway today in White Springs just north of Lake City and runs thru Sunday night. Florida’s 89.1, WUFT-FM’s Donna Green-Townsend talked with longtime festival performer Tom Shed about the history of the longest running folk festival in the country.
The first place award for the Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest goes to poet Hank Mattson from Lake Placid, FL and musician Dana Robinson from Cabot, VT for the song, “When This Old Hat Was New.” Mattson says the poem depicts the dogged determination of Jacob Summerlin, a famous Florida Cracker of the 1800’s, to … Continue reading The Winner and Finishers of the 2015 Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest Named
Tom Shed Gainesville singer songwriter Tom Shed loves to write and sing about Florida. He was influenced by the late Don Grooms, a Florida Heritage Award Winner, when he was one of Grooms’ student in the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida. Shed says he likes to write and sing about, “history, … Continue reading Tom Shed
Aired on WUFT on October 1st, 2010 The Hippodrome State Theatre is holding its second annual costume sale tomorrow (Saturday). The general public will have a chance to help raise funds for the professional theatre organization by purchasing clothing and costumes worn during Hippodrome productions created by award winning designer and Hippodrome Co-founder, Marilyn Wall. … Continue reading Unique costumes from the Hippodrome State Theatre are up for sale this weekend (10/01/2010)
Upsala
Swamp blues guitarist Walter Parks performs at Shake Rag Art & Culture Center By Donna Green-Townsend- WUFT-FM Aired on June 15th, 2012 Veteran blues guitarist Walter Parks who built and international career as the lead guitarist for Woodstock legend Richie Havens recently brought his unique style to Melrose. Parks is also the leader of the southern swamp … Continue reading Walter Parks
Aired on WUFT on January 28th, 2011 Walter Strauss brings his globally-inspired acoustic music to Gainesville to benefit Conservation Burial Inc. This Sunday January 30th musician and singer songwriter Walter Strauss from California will bring his global acoustic music to the Gainesville area. Strauss is a many-layered, sensual guitar player with a world flair. His … Continue reading Walter Strauss
(Raw Interviews from 1985 and 1987 featured below) (all photos courtesy of Margaret Longhill and the Will McLean Foundation) In November of 1985 Will McLean showed up at my office at WUFT-FM on the University of Florida campus. McLean, known to many as the “Black Hat Troubadour” penned hundreds of songs, stories and poems … Continue reading Will McLean Archival Audio Interviews from 1985 and 1987 (never before published)
Click here to hear full length archival interviews with Will McLean (recorded by Donna Green-Townsend in 1985 & 1987) Will McLean is considered the “Father of Florida Folk.” The “Black Hat Troubadour” travelled all across his beloved state writing hundreds of poems, songs and stories. After his death in 1990 he was inducted into the … Continue reading Will McLean: The Father of Florida Folk
The winner of the 2017 Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest is Mary James, better known as “Mean Mary,” in the music world. Though she resides now in Tennessee, her roots are in Florida and Alabama (Her family lived in the North Florida area when Mary was born, but the nearest hospital was in … Continue reading Winner and finisher of the 2017 Will McLean Best New Florida Song Contest Named