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Special Guests A few years ago, writer John Berendt visited Savannah on a weekend whim. He stayed for eight years - the end product was his novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The bestseller-Berendt's first book-is a nonfiction account of Savannah society, its rascals and eccentrics, all intertwining around an infamous murder case. Author Berendt was born in New York, graduated cum laude from Harvard, where he was on the editorial board of the Harvard Lampoon. Throughout his career, he's been an associate editor and then a columnist for Esquire magazine, written for David Frost and Dick Cavett, and sat at the editor's desk for New York magazine. Although he's been officially given the key to the city of Savannah, Berendt lives in New York City. The Squirrel Nut Zippers are an old-style group that plays '20s and '30s-style jazz. Critics have raved about banjoist-singer Katharine Whalen, whom they say sounds like Billie Holiday. Whalen is married to guitarist Jim Mathus, who honed his skills by listening to the Smithsonian collection of jazz. The group debuted in a tiny basement bistro in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where they're based. They began to have a following, and they were soon signed to Mammoth Records. Last year, their first album, The Inevitable (Mammoth), was released to rave reviews, followed soon by this year's CD, Hot. The members of the Squirrel Nut Zippers are: Jim Mathus (guitar, trombone), Katharine Whalen (banjo), Andrew Byrd (violin), Don Raleigh (bass), Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher (guitar, alto and baritone sax); Je Widenhouse (trumpet), Chris Phillips (percussion). Kate mackenzie has been a favorite guest of A Prairie Home Companion since 1981. Until last summer, she was lead singer of Stoney Lonesome, with whom she recorded six bluegrass albums, toured Japan and North America, and was featured in the public television series, Showcase. With the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, MacKenzie has recorded a live album from Carnegie Hall, performed at folk festivals in Scotland and Denmark, and performed on PBS' Austin City Limits. Her work with A Prairie Home Companion has included coast-to-coast tours, farewell and reunion shows, 20 Disney Channel television broadcasts, the 1993 Book of Guys tour, and a recurring dramatic role as Sheila, the Christian Jungle girl (wild, yet pure). Her solo album, Let Them Talk (Red House Records), was on the National Bluegrass Charts for 10 months. MacKenzie's success was noted in The New York Times, which grouped MacKenzie in "the new wave of strong female voices." Recently, she began work on a new album. Robin and Linda Williams have been frequent guests on A Prairie Home Companion since 1976. They performed on both the second and third Prairie Home Companion Reunion Tours and on A Prairie Home Companion's broadcasts from Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Universal Amphitheater. Beyond A Prairie Home Companion, the Williamses have made numerous television appearances: on the Nashville Network's Fire on the Mountain, Nashville Now, and Music City Tonight. And the duo has been heard on other nationwide radio programs: the Grand Ole Opry has welcomed Robin and Linda Williams as guests, as have Mountain Stage and NPR's All Things Considered. With 12 recordings and three musicals to their credit, they are considered to be among the finest songwriters in the folk-country tradition. Their most recent albums include: Sugar for Sugar, on the Sugar Hill label; and Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group-Live, Sugar Hill's re-release of Strictly Country Records' recording, Live in Holland. Last year, Robin and Linda Williams released a new gospel album, Good News (Sugar Hill). The pair's harmonies can be also heard on Mary-Chapin Carpenter's album, Stones in the Road, and on Iris DeMent's Warner Bros. recording, My Life. As part of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, the duo recorded a live album from Carnegie Hall (produced by Chet Atkins, on Sony Records), toured across the United States and Europe, and been featured on PBS' Austin City Limits. |
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An Interview with Heather Masse
In a 2009 interview, Heather Masse tells us about her earliest influences, auditioning in a women's bathroom, and a few memorable moments from A Prairie Home Companion.
Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976
Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).
