Salt of the Earth from Nov. 2007

Garrison Keillor TONIGHT in Atlanta, GA, on Nov. 11th

Garrison brings his solo show to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, for a free show (registration is required). Join him for an evening of songs, stories, poetry and sing-alongs. It’s a night you shall cherish! Sign up here.

Listen to the November 10, 2007, show

This week, it’s a post-Halloween, pre-Thanksgiving show from Minneapolis, featuring Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, The Whites, and Jearlyn Steel. Plus, our house band led by Richard Dworsky and our acting company featuring the man of a thousand voices, Tim Russell.

Highlights include talk about winter, Pat Donohue’s “Whoa Boy,” Richard Dworsky’s “A Leaf in the Wind,” the title track to Ricky Skaggs’ album Salt of the Earth, Jearlyn’s take on “Who Am I,’” plus Mom, a movie sketch, Powdermilk Biscuits and the News from Lake Wobegon. The link appears on our social pages on Saturday at 5 p.m. Listen now.

Ricky Skaggs

At 17, Ricky Skaggs — already an accomplished singer and mandolin player — was invited to join the band of the legendary Ralph Stanley. That was in the early 1970s, and since the moment he first took the stage, Skaggs has built a reputation rarely equaled in the world of bluegrass music. The 15-time Grammy winner's recordings include 2012’s Music to My Wars and 2014’s Hearts Like Ours with wife Sharon White.

The Whites

The Whites are a family band from Fort Worth, Texas, that formed in 1972 to play country music, bluegrass, and gospel. Buck, Sharon and Cheryl’s father, was a plumber by day and a mandolin player by night. He enjoyed singing with his children so much that he formed — The Whites. They went on to record multiple albums, tour worldwide, and win awards in several genres, including a Grammy for their contribution to the O, Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

Jearlyn Steele

Growing up in Indiana, Jearlyn Steele sang with her siblings as The Steele Children. One by one, they moved to Minnesota and started singing together again. Now music is the family business. Jearlyn also hosts Steele Talkin’, a Sunday-night radio show that originates on WCCO in Minneapolis.

Here is an ode to the fall season from this week’s show.

One more fall in Minnesota
To come upon Lake Wobegon
Old town, I smell the coffee
If I could see you one more time
That long, long time is always on my mind
I’m just a stranger with memories of days of long ago
Could it have been forty years since then
What happened to us? I’d like to know.
One more fall in Minneapolis
I’ll walk around Calhoun with you
The sailboats gone, the beach deserted
But still your love so strong and true.
Along Lake Street, a place we used to meet
And talk about the books we’d write someday
I missed you, friend, so I came back again
This is my home; there’s nothing more to say.
INST.
When I was ten, I came down Hennepin
To escape from swimming at the YMCA
I turned my head, the library instead
A ride I took that led me to today.
INST.
One more time, this dance together
Just you and I, now don’t be shy
This time, I know I’ll hear the music
If you would hold me one more time
I love the gray of a November day
The lighted windows, the trees all brown and bare
The smell of cold, it warms my northern soul
The smell of smoke and apples in the air.

A Holiday Offer for Cheerfulness!

Bring cheer to your family and friends with Garrison’s newest book, which is a gentle take on aging and getting older with a more cheerful attitude. It’s a great stocking stuffer, so grab more than one — especially at this price! ONLY $15.00 for one week only (until 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, November 14, 2023). Get the book here.

A Prairie Home Companion Hat

Our handsome hat comes in three different colors featuring the most used version of the show’s wordmark embroidered across the front bill. You will be the envy of the crowd if you come wearing this atop your head. One size fits most.

Khaki

Blue

Tri-colored