TTHN Bonus INTERVIEWSDAY Material - Interview with Keith Wimberley

TTHN Bonus INTERVIEWSDAY Material: Interview With Justin Reed

We'd love to hear what you think! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2589833/fan_mail/new] It's INTERVIEWSDAY! For this Interviewsday edition (Interview Tuesday) of The Tennessee History Nerd, I had the opportunity to sit down with Justin Reed, longtime radio personality, host of The Justin Reed Show, and possibly one of Tennessee's foremost enthusiasts of country music history. Justin has spent years sharing the stories behind the songs, artists, and recordings that helped shape country music. In this conversation, we explore Tennessee's remarkable influence on American music, the state's legendary recording history, and some of the artists and places that continue to define its musical legacy. In this conversation, we discuss: • Tennessee's role in the development of country music • The state's rich recording history • Legendary artists and the stories behind their success • The evolution of country music through the decades • Why preserving Tennessee's musical heritage matters • Some of the lesser-known stories from the Volunteer State's musical past Unlike many of our Interviewsday episodes, this conversation isn't tied to a specific podcast episode. Instead, it's a stand-alone discussion celebrating one of Tennessee's greatest contributions to American culture. Whether you're a history buff, a country music fan, or simply enjoy hearing great stories, I think you'll enjoy this conversation with Justin Reed. 🎙️ Credits Hosted by Big John Summers Produced by Summers Media Enterprises Music by Big John Summers 📣 Follow & Support Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee. 🔗 Links 🧢 Merch & Apparel: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch 📘 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/ 📘 Check out our other podcast, Dauphin Island Diaries: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/DID Advertise with us!  John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com Visit birdsong.com or call 731-584-7880 for more information or to make reservations. Check out our merchandise on the SME Website!  New bumper stickers! Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries Thanks for listening!  Please check out our other episodes! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

TTHN Ep 17 - Driving Across Tennessee: Benton County Edition

We'd love to hear what you think! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2589833/fan_mail/new] Benton County. To many travelers, it's simply the place where Interstate 40 crosses the Tennessee River on the way between Nashville and Memphis. But Benton County has been shaped by that river for more than two centuries. Before it was ever a county, it was part of the Chickasaw homeland acquired in the 1818 Jackson Purchase. It was originally named for Thomas Hart Benton, only to become the only Tennessee county to change the person it honored without changing its name. The Tennessee River transformed Benton County into a place of commerce, navigation, industry, and war. River pilots used Pilot Knob as a landmark long before modern navigation. During the Civil War, Confederate artillery overlooking the river devastated the Union supply depot at Johnsonville. Commercial fishermen and mussel men made their living from its waters, harvesting fish, freshwater mussels, and pearls. Today, that legacy continues through aquaculture and the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum. But Benton County's story reaches beyond the river. It includes the railroad community of Big Sandy, the stagecoach town and county seat of Camden, Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, and the tragic 1963 plane crash that claimed the lives of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and pilot Randy Hughes. In this episode, we explore how one river shaped the history of an entire county...from frontier settlement and sectional politics to Civil War battlefields, freshwater pearls, and one of country music's greatest tragedies. Because Benton County isn't simply another stop along Interstate 40. It's one of the places where the Tennessee River tells Tennessee's story. 📚 Sources Interpretive materials and exhibits at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park and the Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum. Interpretive materials at the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum. Historical markers in Benton County and entries from the Historical Marker Database (HMDB.org). The Tennessee Encyclopedia. Tennessee History for Kids. American Battlefield Trust summary of the Battle of Johnsonville. State of Tennessee, Genealogical Fact Sheets About Benton County. Bob Fulcher, Tennessee's High Points (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation). Additional historical maps, museum materials, local reference works, and field research conducted by the author throughout Benton County, including visits to Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum, downtown Camden, and the Patsy Cline crash site, as well as conversations with park staff. 🎙️ Credits Hosted by Big John Summers Produced by Summers Media Enterprises Music by Big John Summers 📣 Follow & Support Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee. 🔗 Links 🧢 Merch & Apparel: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch [https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch] 📘 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/ [https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/] Advertise with us!  John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com Visit birdsong.com or call 731-584-7880 for more information or to make reservations. Check out our merchandise on the SME Website!  New bumper stickers! Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries Thanks for listening!  Please check out our other episodes! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

TTHN Bonus INTERVIEWSDAY Material - Interview with Keith Wimberley

We'd love to hear what you think! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2589833/fan_mail/new] As a companion to Episode 8, I had the opportunity to sit down on-site at Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park with Keith Wimberley, the park manager. Keith brings a unique perspective to the story of Old Stone Fort—not just from the standpoint of historical interpretation, but from daily, hands-on experience with the site itself. In this conversation, we discuss the fort’s construction, the long-standing questions surrounding its purpose, and how modern understanding of the site has evolved over time. We also talk about the realities of preserving a place like this—how the landscape has changed, what has been lost, and what still remains for us to study and understand. If Episode 8 is the story… This is the conversation behind it. 🎙️ Credits Hosted by Big John Summers Produced by Summers Media Enterprises Music by Big John Summers 📣 Follow & Support Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee. 🔗 Links 🧢 Merch & Apparel: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch [https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch] 📘 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/ [https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/] Advertise with us!  John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com Visit birdsong.com or call 731-584-7880 for more information or to make reservations. Check out our merchandise on the SME Website!  New bumper stickers! Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries Thanks for listening!  Please check out our other episodes! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

TTHN Ep 16 - The Uneven Story of Mud Island

We'd love to hear what you think! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2589833/fan_mail/new] Mud Island. To most people crossing the Hernando De Soto Bridge, it looks like an island sitting quietly beside downtown Memphis. But Mud Island has never been simple. It began as a sandbar and mudflat created by the shifting currents of the Mississippi River. It became home to squatters living in shacks on stilts. Political leaders debated whether it should be preserved, developed, or simply removed altogether. At one point, Memphis political boss E. H. Crump even suggested blowing it up. Over the years, Mud Island has been many things. A navigational hazard. A shanty settlement. An airport. A park. A museum. An amphitheater. A residential community. And today, it continues to reinvent itself yet again. In this episode, we examine the formation of Mud Island, the legends surrounding the USS Amphitrite, the era of the squatters, the efforts of E. H. Crump to reshape the Memphis waterfront, the rise and fall of the Downtown Memphis Airport, the impact of Interstate 40 and the Hernando De Soto Bridge, the creation of Mud Island River Park, the monorail, the amphitheater, Harbor Town, and the island's continuing evolution into the twenty-first century. Because Mud Island is more than a peninsula posing as an island. It is a reminder that the Mississippi River has always shaped the history of Memphis. And more than a century after it first emerged from the river... The story is still being written. 📚 Sources Patton, Bill. A History Lover's Guide to Memphis and Shelby County. The Memphis News. "Mud Island Makeover," by Bill Dries (2009). The Commercial Appeal. Historical reporting concerning Mud Island, the Downtown Airport, the Mud Island River Park, and the development of the Memphis waterfront. Action News 5 (WMC-TV). Reporting concerning the Mud Island Amphitheater and redevelopment efforts. ABC24 / Local Memphis. Reporting concerning the Mud Island Monorail and park redevelopment initiatives. Wolf River Conservancy. Materials relating to the Wolf River Greenway and Mud Island trail system. United States Navy historical records concerning USS Amphitrite. United States Census Bureau and American Community Survey demographic data relating to Mud Island. Baron Von Opperbean and the River of Time. Public materials concerning the redevelopment of the former Mississippi River Museum facility. Additional local newspaper accounts, planning documents, historical maps, museum materials, historical markers, and reference works reviewed by author. Field research conducted by author during visits to Mud Island, Harbor Town, the Wolf River Greenway, and the Memphis riverfront. 🎙️ Credits Hosted by Big John Summers Produced by Summers Media Enterprises Music by Big John Summers 📣 Follow & Support Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee. 🔗 Links 🧢 Merch & Apparel: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch [https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch] 📘 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/ [https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/] Advertise with us!  John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com Visit birdsong.com or call 731-584-7880 for more information or to make reservations. Check out our merchandise on the SME Website!  New bumper stickers! Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries Thanks for listening!  Please check out our other episodes! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

TTHN Bonus INTERVIEWSDAY Material - Interview with Bob Keast

We'd love to hear what you think! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2589833/fan_mail/new] It's INTERVIEWSDAY (Interview Tuesday)! As part of the research for Episode 12 – A Pearl of a Story, I had the opportunity back in February 2026 to sit down with Bob Keast at the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum and Farm near Camden, Tennessee for an extended conversation about freshwater pearls, Tennessee rivers, aquaculture, the TVA, tourism, and the remarkable history of one of Tennessee’s most unusual industries. This conversation goes far beyond pearls themselves. We discuss: • the history of the Tennessee River pearl industry • John and Chessy Latendresse • the rise of cultured pearls in America • how Tennessee mussels became critical to the global pearl trade • the impact of TVA dams on freshwater mussels • the Tennessee River system itself • the only freshwater pearl farm in North America • and the continuing legacy of the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum and Farm. Bob also shares stories involving: • National Geographic • Barbara Walters and ABC’s 20/20 • Elizabeth Taylor’s famous pearl necklace • Mikimoto Pearl Island in Japan • and how a little-known Tennessee river industry quietly became connected to the worldwide pearl market. Part of this interview informed Episode 12 itself, but the full conversation covers far more ground than could fit into the final episode. If you enjoyed A Pearl of a Story, I think you’ll really enjoy this deeper dive into one of Tennessee’s strangest and most fascinating hidden industries. 🧢 Merch: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch [https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch] 🎧 Check out our sister podcast — Dauphin Island Diaries: https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/did [https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/did] 📘 Follow The Tennessee History Nerd: https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/ [https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/] Advertise with us!  John.summers@summersmediaenterprises.com Visit birdsong.com or call 731-584-7880 for more information or to make reservations. Check out our merchandise on the SME Website!  New bumper stickers! Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries Thanks for listening!  Please check out our other episodes! If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.