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Radio Documentary
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John Henry Legend
Radio Documentary: Steel Drivin' Man
If you take the old C&O Railway line through West Virginia, you'll pass alongside the Greenbrier River as it meanders for miles at the foot of steep hills. When you get to where the river valley bumps headlong into a mountain, near the edge of West Virginia's coal country, you'll be in Talcott -- the birthplace of the John Henry legend.
Talcott isn't the busy railroad community it once was. Many have had to move away to cities to find work. For the few hundred who remain, John Henry's legacy is a source of pride and hope.
"Steel Drivin' Man" gives an intimate glimpse into the rural community that embraces John Henry as one of its own. Interwoven threads of story, sound, song and recollection evoke the John Henry myth and the remote Appalachian town that gave birth to it.
"Steel Drivin' Man" originally aired in November, 1995 on National Public Radio's All Things Considered.
"Steel Drivin' Man" was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Making the Program: The Setting ...
Copyright © 1999–2005, Ginna Allison. All Rights Reserved.
Contact: ginna @ wormlips [dot] com.