Salvation South

The Mississippi-born trumpeter and composer, now 81, is a musical pioneer whose work stands alongside the achievements of Southerners like Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters and Hank Williams.

Listen to more of the Mississippi master’s music.

Opening your ears to sounds you’ve never heard is always a good thing.

A poem about friendship and secrets in a country club locker room.

Sugar worships Loretta Lynn, even named her dog after Loretta’s husband. She dreams of being the next big Nashville singing star. There’s just one problem: Sugar is almost completely deaf.

When we’re kids, Christmas can produce precious memories that will last our entire lives. Chuck shares his favorite.

A poem about a Southern home — and why you might never leave it. Especially at Christmastime.

The Wright brothers made their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, 117 years ago. A man named Ora Jones traveled 500 miles from Asheville to cover the historic moment. He almost got the job done.

Some folks can’t cook the traditional Southern Christmas dinner. So one year, one of them tried spaghetti. Everyone loved it, including the cats.

A Kentucky native poet offers a loving ode to all the shade-tree mechanics out there.

After you’re full, what will do you with it? Because it’s almost a certainty in this season that someone, somewhere will give you a huge tin bulging with popcorn.

Fiction takes the lead in this week’s edition of Salvation South.