Category Archives: Specials

Deep Behind the Music- The Campfire Tapes from White Springs

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Deep Behind the Music- The Campfire Tapes from White Springs

This one-hour special features music gathered from around the campfires of the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs.  Musicians include:  Gabe Valla, Greg Turner, Dale Crider, Raiford Starke, James Hawkins, Rod MacDonald, Becky Palmer, Clyde Walker, Lis and Lon Williamson and Frank Thomas.

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Songs in this program in chronological order:

1.  Gabe Valla, Greg Turner and friends jamming

2.  Sweet Sunny South- Dale Crider

3.  Girl From Immokalee- Raiford Starke

4.  Kiss Your Baby Goodbye- Becky Palmer

5.  Swept Away- James Hawkins

6.  Ballad of a Black-haired man- Rod MacDonald

7.  Gabe Valla, Greg Turner and friends jamming

8.  No Trouble Doc- Raiford Starke

9.  Devil Eyes- Becky Palmer

10.  Deep Down In The Everglades- Rod MacDonald

11.  Wind and Water- Clyde Walker

12.  Sweetheart of the Pines- Lis and Lon Williamson, Gable Valla and Greg Turner

13.  I Remember Gamble Rogers- Dale Crider (written by Steve Gillette)

14.  Macclenny Farewell- Clyde Walker (written by Will McLean)

15.  Old Folks at Home-  Frank Thomas & audience at Ann Gazebo stage (written by Stephen Foster)

16.  Bonus Track:  Did Bill Really Show Her His Willy- Rod MacDonald

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Harvest of Hope

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Congress continues to grapple with the difficult issue of immigration.  Meanwhile, states like Florida continue to depend on the workers who are vital to Florida’s agriculture industry.  Since 1997, Harvest of Hope has distributed more than $1 million dollars in emergency and educational financial aid to migrant farmworkers and families throughout the United States.  The Director of the Harvest of Hope Foundation, Phil Kellerman, talks with Donna Green-Townsend about the economic and health struggles of migrant workers.

Since the airing of this special, Kellerman has announced he will be closing the Harvest of Hope Foundation.  In an email posted on August 7, 2013 he wrote:

Dear Friends:
This is the final communication concerning the closing of the Harvest of Hope Foundation (HOH). The total amount of emergency and educational financial aid provided to migrant farmworkers and families by HOH was $1,092,591.00.
If you wish to continue to support migrant farmworkers and families, I highly recommend financial donations be made to the following three great migrant-service organizations providing health, legal and educational assistance.
1) National Center for Farmworker Health. www.ncfh.org. Click on “Call for Health – Your Donations.”
2) Migrant Legal Action Agency. http://www.mlap.org. Click on “Support Our Work”.
3) BOCES Geneseo Migrant Scholarship Funds. www.migrant.net. Click on “Scholarships.”
In addition, I am using proceeds from my private eBay sales to pay for the shipping of donated footwear to migrant families. If you have gently used and/or new shoes, sneakers and boots to donate, please contact me at my new email address which is philkellerman77@gmail.com or call me at 352-262-5421.
Last, in the spirit of HOH, the company “Book iT” (bookit.com.bz) will donate 50% of the sales of donated books to the children of migrant farm workers in textbook scholarships and school supplies at the beginning of each school year.  If you have books to donate please contact Todd Williams or Edward Ray by phone at 352-371-9970.  You can also email them at todd@bookit.com.bz and edward@bookit.com.bz.
Thank you for all the support given to HOH over the years.  And please stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Philip Kellerman

 

 

 

On his webpage he writes: “In my “retirement”  I will focus my attention advocating for needed immigration reform and fund-raising for the National Center for Farmworker Health, the Migrant Legal Action Project and the BOCES Geneseo Migrant Scholarship Funds.”  If you have further questions, email him at phil@harvdestofhope.net or call 352-262-5421.

Re-Release of the Apalachicola Doin’ Time Documentary on Across the Prairie

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On the WUFT program, “Across the Prairie,” on January 21, 2007 host Cathy DeWitt interviewed Donna Green-Townsend and Dale Crider on the re-release of the 2000 Edward R. Murrow Award-winning documentary, Apalachicola Doin’ Time.

Seeking Peace

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Heart Phoenix (photo by Donna Green-Townsend0

In December, 2006 Heart Phoenix, the Chair of the Peace Alliance organization in Gainesville served as host to members of the National Peace Alliance, the group pushing Congress to establish a National Department of Peace.  While in the Gainesville area, the members sat down with WUFT’s Donna Green-Townsend to talk about their personal and professional effort to teach non-violent solutions to domestic and international conflicts.  Guests included Phoenix as well as the Executive Director of the National Peace Alliance, Dot Maver; the group’s campaign coordinator, Lynn McMullen as well as the Founder of the National Peace Alliance and best-selling author, Marianne Williamson.  The following audio segment is a special broadcast that aired in December of 2006 on WUFT from the various interviews with the women listed above.

Tom Shed

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Tom Shed

Singer Songwriter Tom Shed
Singer Songwriter 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, humor and the human condition.”  He talked with WUFT’s Donna Green-Townsend about the 60th Annual Florida Folk Festival in 2012.

 

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Tom Shed produced Don Grooms’ “Walk Proud My Son” CD

Singer songwriter and musician Tom Shed played a pivotal role in helping Don Grooms produce his CD “Walk Proud.”  In this special, which aired in the late 90s, Shed talks about why this project was so special.  You’ll also hear many of Don Grooms’ best songs.

 

 

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Cattle Ranchers of Florida: Keepers of the Last Frontier

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Justin Gopher with cracker horse. Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, July 2007.

“Keepers of the Last Frontier,” that’s one way to describe Florida’s cowboys.  Maintaining the five century old tradition of cattle ranching in the Sunshine State is challenging as rapid growth continues to encroach on what used to be sprawling cattle ranches.  Donna Green-Townsend talks with two people involved in the effort to save this longtime industry for future generations.  In “Cattle Ranching:  Keepers of the Last Frontier,” she talked with Bob Stone, the Outreach Coordinator for the Florida Department of State’s Folklife Program which has had a travelling exhibit dedicated to the lifestyle of Florida’s cowboys.  She also spoke with the Executive Director of the Conservation Trust for Florida, Busy Shires-Byerly, who is reaching out to cattle ranching families with information about how to conserve their family land through various creative conservation strategies.(From Donna’s audio archives  November 22, 2009)

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The Musicians

West Florida Wrangler -By Maggie and Michael McKinney (Lucky Mud)

Cow Hunter’s Dream – By Benjamin DeHart

I’m Florida – By Bobby Hicks

Cracker Cowman – By Frank Thomas

Links

Florida Cattle Ranching Exhibit

Florida cattle ranching photos

Conservation Trust for Florida 

State Library and Archives of Florida

 

 

Wayne Martin and the Country Music Pioneers Special

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Wayne Martin and the Country Music Pioneers Special

Wayne Martin Willfest 2008
Wayne Martin performing at the Will McLean Folk Festival in 2008

This one hour special originally broadcast on October 12th, 2008 features music and interviews with four old time musicians including Wayne Martin, George Custer, Joe Forrester (brother of bluegrass fiddler “Howdy” Forrester) and Kelton Johns.  This program was produced by Donna Green-Townsend with production assistance from Bill Beckett at WUFT-FM and Trimmel Gomes at WFSU-FM.

 

 

Vanishing Waters: Cynthia Barnett with Donna Green-Townsend

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Originally aired on WUFT Sept 29 2008

Cynthia Barnett book title Cynthia BarnettmirageWorldwide Conflicts have erupted over oil…and some say the next wars will be over water.  Cynthia Barnett from Gainesville is an award-winning journalist who has written a lot about water for Florida Trend Magazine and in her own publications.  She spoke with WUFT’s Donna Green-Townsend about her interest in environmental writing.

African Origins of the Banjo Special

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Originally aired on WUFT on March 27th, 2008

 African Origins of the Banjo

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Long Version

Many people are beginning to realize just how similar the three-stringed African instrument called the akonting is to the American banjo.  The banjos is often thought to be an American instrument, but it actually has deep roots in Africa with a close tie to their tribal traditions.  Over hundreds of years the instrument has gone through some physical changes and styles.  Many early players plucked out old-time fiddle tunes from the British Isles and Canadian provinces.  Many styles developed in America’s Deep South.  Sentimental tunes and early swing have also been popular styles.  Eventually in the United States a totally new style developed called bluegrass.  In this special we explore the history and many styles of the banjo.

Akonting Banjo Symposium was co-sponsored by the Center for Arts & Healthcare, Shands Arts & Medicine program with support from the Digital Worlds Institute, the Center for African Studies, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and the City of Gainesville Division of Cultural Affairs.  The ultimate goal was to explore the common ancestry and unique musical and cultural expressions of the new world banjo and its West African ancestors.  Senegalese Akonting player, Sana Ndiaye travelled to Gainesville for the event.  Sana stopped by the WUFT studios along with old-time clawhammer banjo players and teachers Chuck Levy and Ken Perlman.  During this special you’ll hear from all three about their love for of this stringed instrument and what they’ve learned from each other in this unique cultural exchange.

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