Thacker Mountain Radio and the National Folk Festival Announce Special Collaboration

The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, the music and literature show based in Oxford, MS, is bringing its award-winning program to the 82^nd National Folk Festival in Jackson, MS. The show will help kick off the three-day festival weekend with its performance on Thursday, November 6 at 7 pm at Hal and Mal’s in downtown Jackson. This special collaboration is sponsored by Visit Jackson and Visit Oxford.

Guests will include Mississippi author, Lauren Rhoades, as well as National Folk Festival artists Tres en Punto, a trío romantíco ensemble from South Texas, and Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, known for their high-octane zydeco sound.

Doors open at 6pm. Admission is $15 in advance, and $20 at the door. Tickets are available online (https://www.halandmals.com/) or at Hal and Mal’s, located at 200 Commerce Street, Jackson, MS 39201. Phone (601) 948-0888.

The show is hosted by Jim Dees with house band, Paul Tate & the Yalobushwhackers. The Jackson performance will not be broadcast live, but will air the following week, November 12-16. 

The Thacker Mountain Radio Hour, now in its 28^th year, is heard every Saturday at 7 pm on Mississippi Public Broadcasting (https://www.mpbonline.org/).

Other affiliates, airtimes and archives information is available at the show’s website: https://thackermountain.com/. 

In her book, Split the Baby – A Memoir in Pieces (Belle Point Press), Lauren Rhoades recounts her experience growing up between a fervently Catholic stepmother and a deeply sensitive Jewish mother. Originally from Denver, Colorado, Lauren lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Copies of Split the Baby will be available at the show for sale and signing.

Jeffery Broussard, from Opelousas, Louisiana, delivers pack-the-floor renditions of Creole classics with his band, the Creole Cowboys, as well as his own rollicking brand of traditional zydeco. The band’s latest album is Boots and Boujee.

Trío romántico, a gorgeous music tradition from northern Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley, features three-part harmony singing and virtuosic guitar work. In their stylish attire and with impeccable harmonies and fingerings, Tres en Punto, from Mission, Texas, is perfectly suited to carry on the impassioned tradition of this elegant and romantic music. 

First held in 1934, the National Folk Festival is beginning a three-year residency in Jackson this fall. The 82^nd National Folk Festival runs from November 7-9 and features over 300 of the nation’s finest traditional performers across the three days, with continuous performances on up to six outdoor stages, from State Street to Farish Street and from Pascagoula Street to Mississippi Street, all free.

Festivalgoers will enjoy nonstop music and dance, parades, hands-on craft demonstrations, family-friendly fun, a bustling festival marketplace, and a mouthwatering array of regional and international cuisine. 

Twenty-eight cities have been chosen as host cities since 1934. Each is selected in three-year cycles, meaning Jackson will host this amazing event in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

For more information on the National Folk Festival visit: https://www.nationalfolkfestival.com/.