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Musical Roots Women

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Suzanne Hopkins with her banjo
Amy Harper
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WYSO
Suzanne Hopkins with her banjo

In the early-mid 1970s, WYSO was the site of an explosion in bluegrass and old-time music, both on the air and at venues throughout the Miami Valley. The WYSO Archives holds live broadcasts from the Living Arts Center in Dayton that were hosted by a local band whose frontwoman was a major voice in the local roots music movement. That synergy brought together several generations of traditional musicians with local and national ties, inspired women musicians who are still performing today, and provided WYSO with rich on-air programming, often hosted by women.

This episode of Rediscovered Radio: Women's Voices, Women's Music in the WYSO Archives was written reported and produced by Jocelyn Robinson with Juliet Fromholt. Sound design by Tom Amrhein. Jesse Dukes is the editor.

Special thanks to Tom Duffee for getting the ball rolling and continuing to roll it all these years later, to Fred Bartenstein, the keeper of Miami Valley’s bluegrass history and co-editor of Industrial Strength Bluegrass, and to Gary and Suzanne Hopkins for their hospitality. And big thanks to Amy Harper for production assistance and photography.

The Dixie Darlings, credit:
courtesy of Linda Scutt
The Dixie Darlings

Audio extras:

Hot Mud Family, Country Music Jamboree
Dixie Darlings, International Women’s Day 1976
Rise When the Rooster Crows with Kathy Estep and Bob Hyland

Jocelyn Robinson is a Yellow Springs, Ohio-based educator, media producer, and radio preservationist. As an educator, Robinson has taught transdisciplinary literature courses incorporating critical cultural theory and her scholarship in self-definition and identity. She also teaches community-based and college-level classes in digital storytelling and narrative journalism.
Juliet Fromholt is proud to be music director at 91.3FM WYSO. Juliet began volunteering at WYSO while working at WWSU, the student station at her alma mater, Wright State University. After joining WYSO's staff in 2009, Juliet developed WYSO’s digital and social media strategy until moving into the music director role in 2021. An avid music fan and former record store employee, Juliet continues to host her two music shows, Alpha Rhythms and Kaleidoscope, which features studio performances from local musicians every week. She also co-hosts Attack of the Final Girls, a horror film review podcast.