Alice Randall shines a light on the Black trailblazers in country music (including herself)

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Pete Candler. He comes from a storied Southern family—one of his ancestors founded Coca-Cola—but Pete has written a new book about the secrets in his family’s history, and in the South’s history as well.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson convenes a panel of three experts on Charlotte for his second SouthBound Live event about the future of the city. This time we’re talking about affordable housing, equity, and what we can learn from the city’s history.

This week on SouthBound, we've got a live recording of a SouthBound panel discussion on the future of Charlotte. The panelists are Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Crystal Hill; Sil Ganzó, the founder of ourBRIDGE, which provides after-school programs for immigrant and refugee children; and John Searby, director of the Catawba Riverkeeper organization and the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Alice Randall, who became the first Black woman with a writing credit on a #1 country song with Trisha Yearwood’s 1994 hit “XXXs and OOOs.” Randall has now written a memoir called “My Black Country” and it comes with a companion album of the same name.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Kindred Motes, an Alabama native who works with nonprofits and small businesses to help them be more socially responsible. He also guides those companies to send money to places in the South that need it.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Jason Kirk, whose novel “Hell Is a World Without You” draws from his experiences as a teenager in evangelical churches. We talk about how those churches shaped him, and what his beliefs are now.

Today's SouthBound podcast is a replay of host Tommy Tomlinson's conversation from summer 2023 with Tressie McMillan Cottom, a sociologist, author, columnist for the New York Times and recipient of the MacArthur “genius grant.” Their conversation ranges from the concept of whiteness in American life to the tragedy that shaped her life.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to Landon Bryant, the social media star known for his videos discussing the ways and words of the South. He used to be a Mississippi schoolteacher; now, he gets recognized at Disney World.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson talks to author Rebecca Renner, whose new book is called “Gator Country.” It’s the amazing story of a Florida wildlife agent who went undercover to bust a ring of alligator poachers.

This week on SouthBound, host Tommy Tomlinson presents the Best of 2023 episode. We’re playing clips from favorite guests: Ben and Erin Napier, Robert Earl Keen, Bomani Jones, and many more. Come celebrate with us.