Southern Music Tour USA (I) – Oklahoma | NDR.de – NDR Blue – Broadcasts

Broadcast: Nightclub | 08/17/2023 | 8:00 pm | By Harald Mönkedick

56 minutes
| Available till 08/17/2025

The US state of Oklahoma is a state located in the south-central United States. It’s not really part of the Southern states, but it’s in the mid-sized city of Tulsa that, especially in recent years, has created a new hub for dealing with roots music and culture. The private “Kaiser Family Foundation” ensured an impressive upgrade of the “Tulsa Arts District” in the city center: the archive of the still influential folk pioneer Woody Guthrie was brought to the “Woody Guthrie Center”, established for this purpose. Open to public. In May 2023, the tenth anniversary was celebrated with a weekend of festivities. This year’s “Woody Guthrie Award” was presented to Russian enthusiasts of Bussy Riot. managed to invite the group for a show at the sanctuary of the local scene: Cain’s Ballroom. There they played to enthusiastic audiences.

Bob Dylan’s extensive estate has been in Tulsa for many years and is presented to the public in temporary and permanent exhibits. Here too, research and evaluation can be carried out in climate-controlled and safety-controlled rooms. New book releases on the Dylan topic with new insights have already been announced. Chief Conservator Dr. Mark Davidson provided information on this in an interview, as did Kady Shaw, current director of the Woody Guthrie Center.

Reopened in Tulsa after a long renovation as a museum and active recording studio: the “Church Studio” founded in 1972 by local hero Leon Russ. The location of the historic products is now open to the public as a museum. Owner Teresa Knox found time for an interview. A visit to the “Greenwood Rising” museum about the “1921 Tulsa Race Massacre” draws a spotlight on a dark chapter in the city’s history.