We discuss the life and legacy of Ron Gonnella, one of Scotland's most influential fiddlers. Our guest is Dr. Jane MacMorran, a former United States National Fiddling Champion and Director of Appalachian, Scottish, and Irish Studies at East Tennessee State University.

In East Tennessee, Roxanne McDaniel is leading a dulcimer revival. We talk with her about the traditional Appalachian instrument and hear some samples of her artistry.

With recent reports of power blackouts in Cuba, we revisit an interview we did last year with Alex Fraga, owner of Hemingway's Cuba in Asheville, North Carolina. His father, the late Tony Fraga, was forced to flee Cuba because of the policies of dictator Fidel Castro.

East Tennessee State University President Emeritus Dr. Paul E. Stanton, Jr., died on March 5, 2026, at the age of 81. Dr. Stanton was the institution’s eighth president, serving from 1997 until 2012. In this interview from 2007, Dr. Stanton talks about one of his hobbies and how it was centered around family. A native of Georgia, Dr. Stanton was passionate about boiled peanuts.

March is National Kidney Month, and in recognition of the observance, we speak with Dr. Douglas Hale, a transplant surgeon with Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He describes how kidneys are transplanted and talks about the importance of organ donation.

We reflect on the career of Renee Montagne and her 40 years in public broadcasting.

We visit the Johnson City, Tennessee, Police Department to learn about the work of K9 Buck, the department’s first electronic storage detection dog. Joining us for the interview is K9 Buck’s partner, Sgt. Tim Hensley.

During this winter season, we remember the gardens of late summer with a discussion about the relish called chow-chow.

In part two of our conversation, John U. Bacon, author of the bestselling book The Gales of November, discusses factors that led to the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975.

Our guest is John U. Bacon, author of The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Currently on the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list, the book recounts the story of the sinking of the freighter in the waters of Lake Superior, resulting in the deaths of the 29 crewmen, on November 10, 1975. This is part one of two “Vital Voices” programs with John Bacon.