Ohio boasts a rich musical heritage that covers every type of the American roots music genre - from folk, bluegrass, blues and Cajun to jug band, ragtime, klezmer and traditional New Orleans-style jazz. But many Ohioans don’t know much about the music or the musicians who play it.
To bring more attention to this creative Ohio asset, the nonprofit music and education organization Roots of American Music (ROAM), in partnership with WVIZ/PBS ideastream®, has produced a one-hour TV documentary highlighting unique roots musicians from around the state. The program, First Voice Ohio, premiering Friday, October 7 at 9 p.m. on WVIZ/PBS, features performances by and interviews with 16 notable Ohio roots musicians. (Encores: Saturday, October 8 at 2:00 a.m.; Sunday, October 9 at 3:00 a.m.; Wednesday, October 12 at 4:00 a.m.; and Sunday, October16 at 6:00 p.m.)
The musicians showcased in First Voice Ohio are:
- hammered-dulcimer player Tina Bergmann (Portage County)
- blues guitarist and singer Austin “Walkin’ Cane” Charanghat (Lorain County)
- bass player Raymond DeForest (Cuyahoga County)
- square dance caller and banjoist Lynn Frederick (Portage County)
- fiddler, guitarist and singer Susie Goehring (Portage County)
- fiddler and mandolinist Bill Lestock (Cuyahoga County)
- fiddler, banjoist and clogger Dan Levenson (Gallia County)
- mandolin maker Don MacRostie (Athens County)
- multi-instrumentalist and singer Jennifer Maurer (Summit County)
- banjoist Mark Olitsky (Cuyahoga County)
- harmonica player David Rice (Geagua County)
- multi-instrumentalist Kevin Richards (Cuyahoga County)
- accordion player Brad Smedley (Wayne County)
- bassist Bryan Thomas (Portage County)
- woodwind player and singer Rob Williams (Cuyahoga County)
- guitarist Brent Kee Young (Cuyahoga County)
The artists, all of whom have made significant contributions to their musical genres (and a few of them in visual arts as well), were filmed in a wide variety of locations around the state, telling their stories and playing their music. An earlier version of “First Voice Ohio” was included as a selection at the 2010 Cleveland International Film Festival.
First Voice Ohio is a production of Roots of American Music, in partnership with WVIZ/PBS ideastream. The production was made possible by grants from the Ohio Arts Council, the Nord Family Foundation, the Cyrus Eaton Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Roots of American Music provides arts-integrated programs to youth and diverse communities, using traditional music, in order to enhance educational outcomes and enrich people’s lives.