The Folk Tradition Special
Sunday March 29 at 6 p.m.
on 90.5 WKAR

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Bob Blackman Celebrates 25 Years of "The Folk Tradition"

March 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of The Folk Tradition, and host Bob Blackman celebrates with a special four-hour program on March 29.  The show will be part of WKAR Radio's spring membership campaign.

"I'll use the show to trace how my love of folk music has developed over the years," Blackman says.  "I'll start with some of my favorite performers from the late Sixties, like Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, and Peter, Paul & Mary.  Then I'll work my way through the artists who got me excited about other styles, like bluegrass and Celtic music."

A lifelong resident of the East Lansing area, Blackman started doing radio as part of the "DJ Club" at East Lansing High School, playing records over the PA system during lunch hours.  After doing some college radio, he came to WKAR, where his first series, "The American Tradition," debuted on WKAR-AM in May 1974.  Over the years, Blackman has produced several programs for the station, including a nationally-distributed series of concerts recorded at the Ten Pound Fiddle coffeehouse.  His current Sunday evening show debuted in March 1984.

On his special anniversary program, Blackman plans to include music from the Bothy Band, the Red Clay Ramblers, Steve Goodman, John McCutcheon, Stan Rogers, and Cheryl Wheeler, among others.  "Even with four hours, it's been tough to narrow down my list of favorites. But I think I've settled on about thirty artists who have been especially important to me, and I bet they're all favorites for many of my listeners too."