Alice Gerrard

Alice Gerrard

Author: Tom Power April 2, 2020 Duration: 1:21:50

Old-time legend and Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Alice Gerrard talks to host Tom Power at her kitchen table in North Carolina.

Gerrard tells stories of how she and other college students from the northern U.S. found bluegrass and old-time, of the lifelong influence of the Antioch College folk scene, meeting her Hall of Fame partner Hazel Dickens and making some of the greatest records in the genre. She goes on to describe her split from Hazel, her work since, the creation of print publication The Old-Time Herald, of which she is the founding editor. In tender moments, she shares the last time she ever spoke with Hazel, and describes what she sang to "sing her back home."


There’s a story behind every song, and behind that story is a person who lived it. Toy Heart with Tom Power digs into those personal histories, focusing on the very roots of bluegrass music itself. Host Tom Power, known from CBC Radio, approaches these conversations with a genuine curiosity that goes beyond the typical interview. Each episode features an intimate talk with a foundational artist-voices like Del McCoury, Ricky Skaggs, Alice Gerrard, Jesse McReynolds, and Jerry Douglas, among others. They don’t just recount career highlights; they trace their own origins, sharing the specific moments, influences, and challenges that shaped them within this distinct musical world. Produced in partnership with BGS (The Bluegrass Situation), this podcast is built for anyone who wants to understand not just how bluegrass sounds, but how it feels to those who created its legacy. The tone is conversational and revealing, often feeling like you’re overhearing a deep talk between old friends. New episodes arrive every other week, ready to be found wherever you listen.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 23

Toy Heart with Tom Power (A Podcast About Bluegrass)
Podcast Episodes
Jerry Douglas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:04
For the final episode of season one of Toy Heart, we have host Tom Power’s 2019 sit down with legendary artist, musician, and sideman Jerry Douglas at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s annual business confe…
Tony Trischka [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:32
Host Tom Power speaks with progressive banjo legend Tony Trischka at the home of his friend and former student, Béla Fleck. Trischka and Power talk about the time he saw and met Bob Dylan when no one was sure how to pron…
Jesse McReynolds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:29
Host Tom Power talks to Bluegrass Hall of Fame member Jesse McReynolds of Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys about his career in bluegrass. One of the last founding fathers of bluegrass, Jesse McReynold’s story is the sto…
Alison Brown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:59
Banjoist and record label head Alison Brown speaks with host Tom Power from her studio at Compass Records headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee. They begin with her early records made with Stuart Duncan, "finding her peop…
Béla Fleck [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:31
On this episode of Toy Heart, Béla Fleck talks to host Tom Power from his home studio and for the first time, he tells his story in bluegrass. Fleck started out in New York hearing Earl Scruggs for the first time, learni…
Ricky Skaggs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:10
Bluegrass legend and Country Music Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs talks to TOY HEART host Tom Power about what it was like to grow up as a child prodigy, the real story of how he got pulled on stage by Bill Monroe, how meeti…