Megan Fayard
Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, a weekly live radio show which features literary and musical guests, will host a 25th anniversary show at The Powerhouse at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20.
The celebration show will span 60 minutes, hosted by Jim Dees and the Thacker Mountain Radio Hour house band, the Yalobushwhackers, accompanied by the Thacker Horns with guest vocalist Mary Francis Massey.
Other special guests include author Deesha Philyaw, as well as the Southern Komfort Brass Band and native Oxford musical duo, And the Echo. In addition to those acts, there will also be a top-secret surprise guest who has yet to be announced.
The non-profit radio show first aired in October 1997. The first show was broadcast from the classic Off Square Books location and featured author John Bently Mays and musician Tony Furtado. Since then, Thacker Mountain Radio Hour has become a staple in the Oxford community.
“Over the years it kind of grew and more and more folks came to love it. Now, 25 years later, we are syndicated in three different states,” Katelyn O’Brien, executive director of Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, said. “It’s really, really blossomed from this one great idea.”
The show now broadcasts approximately 30 shows each year, mostly taking place at The Powerhouse, The Lyric and the original location, Off Square Books. Thacker Mountain Radio has also grown beyond the Mississippi borders, offering Alabama and Tennessee listeners a chance to tune in.
Thacker Mountain Radio has earned its fair share of recognition. In 2001, the show was picked up by Mississippi Public Broadcasting, and in 2005, it received the Governor’s Award for Broadcast Excellence.
Since the beginning, Thacker Mountain Radio Hour’s mission has been to celebrate and document the diverse sounds and stories of the American South by combining Southern literature and music.
It has always stayed true to its roots, sharing a love of music and literature and having a good time doing it according to O’Brien.
“It feels really wonderful to give authors and musicians, particularly [musicians] from the American South, a platform so we can share and celebrate their talents with a broader listening audience,” O’Brien said. “I don’t really know if there’s another show that’s really doing this, which also feels pretty special to be a part of.”
Thacker Mountain Radio’s loyal Oxford audience has helped to maintain the longevity of the radio show and is considered “the core” of its success. Jim Dees, long-time host of the radio show, said that Thacker Mountain Radio is proud to have reached the 25-year milestone.
“We did the 10th, then the 15th (anniversary show), and you always sort of think it may not last that long, and you’re always grateful and surprised. So, it’s a testament to the audience here in Oxford that has kept the feeling going,” Dees said. “If you don’t have an audience, you don’t have a show.”
Dees also said that each previous anniversary show has been memorable, and he hopes that this year’s celebration won’t be an exception.
Previous broadcasts include a 2017 show at the courthouse in Sumner, Miss., which featured Dorothy Moore, Alysia Burton Steele and the Tutwiler Community Center Student Blues Band. The program has also welcomed artists such as John Grisham, Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk, Grammy/Oscar winner Paul Williams and many more.
Jeffrey Reed, broadcast and post production engineer at Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, said that the show’s consistent diversity is what pulls in the crowd.
“I think it’s all about the variety of music that we offer. We do a little bit of everything. It’s a big factor, being just off the Square and a free show that people can come to and see pretty much anything,” Reed said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You get a little bit of everything.”
The Oct. 20 celebration is expected to be a “blow out,” according to Dees, with
Jackson-based Southern Komfort Brass Band’s energetic performers setting the tone for the 25- year-anniversary show.
On the literary side, attendees can expect to hear from Deesha Philya, whose debut short story collection, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” was a finalist for the 2020 National Book Award and won The Story Prize.
For a local presence, synth-pop duo And the Echo will round out the show.
“There’s so much talent in this part of the country. You put that combination together, great audience and great talent,” Dees said. “We’ve just kept going. It’s been fun, or we wouldn’t do it.”
