Biscuits & Jam

Wyatt Flores is a 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Stillwater, Oklahoma, who’s making a name for himself in the Red Dirt music scene, building on the musical legacy of his home state. He grew up on a ranch in a working-class family where he was surrounded by musicians, often hearing them play cowboy songs around a campfire. His father, a drummer, built him a stage in the backyard when he recognized his talent, and his Uncle Bobby taught him how to play guitar. Now Wyatt is playing in front of thousands of fans, singing at the Grand Ole Opry, and writing songs that are winning audiences with their honesty, heart, and vulnerability. His debut album, Welcome to the Plains, explores the rough—and sometimes violent—side of growing up in rural Oklahoma, but it also shows a talent for storytelling and a wry sense of humor. Sid talks to Wyatt about why he’s so happy to be back in Stillwater after a couple of years in Nashville, the mental health struggles he’s openly shared with his fans, the family member he wants to have on his podcast, and why his favorite food is a breakfast burrito. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode Description: Jessica B. Harris may have been born and raised in New York City, but she has Tennessee roots through her father and has spent much of her life split between homes in the Northeast and the South – specifically New Orleans. For more than fifty years, she has been a college professor, a writer, and a lecturer, and her many books have earned her a reputation as an authority on food of the African Diaspora, as well as a lifetime achievement award from the James Beard Foundation. A few years back, Netflix adapted her book, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, into a 4 part docuseries. And I’m very proud to say that she’s a longtime contributor to Southern Living with a regular column called The Welcome Table. This episode was recorded in the Southern Living Birmingham studios, and Sid and Jessica talked about her mother’s signature mac and cheese, the cast-iron skillet she’d be sure to save if ever her house were on fire, and her dear friend, the late New Orleans chef Leah Chase.  For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maddie Font and Taylor Kerr, better known as Maddie & Tae, are really in the thick of it these days as they balance their ever-growing music careers with their ever-growing families. Both of them now have young kids, even as they find themselves touring, recording, and playing to bigger and bigger crowds. Their new album, Love and Light, not only touches on the current season of their life and the depths of their friendship, but it also expands their sound into new territory. As they said on this show in 2022, they’ve been performing together since they were 15, and they’ve never been afraid to take a risk or challenge the establishment. Sid talks to the dynamic duo about the new song that caused Taylor to cry on the Grand Ole Opry stage, which one of them is the better cook, and why they had so much fun writing about “Drunk Girls in Bathrooms.” For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Valerie June was raised in Humboldt, Tennessee, just north of Jackson, and though she now spends a good deal of time in New York, she still has a place in Humboldt that’s been passed down through her family. In 2018, Valerie was inducted into the Humboldt Hall of Fame, which she calls one of her greatest honors, and she often returns there to write music and reconnect with family. In 2021, the last time she was on Biscuits & Jam, Valerie was nominated for a Grammy for “Call Me a Fool,” which she recorded with the legendary Memphis singer Carla Thomas, and since then she’s published a children’s book called Somebody to Love and an interactive journal called Light Beams. She’s toured with artists such as Dave Matthews and Tyler Childers, appeared at all sorts of festivals, and now she’s got a fantastic new album out called Owls, Omens and Oracles, the title of which was inspired by a trip back home. Sid talks to Valerie about her experience with homelessness as a teenager, what it was like to meet and work with Mavis Staples, and her connection to her great-grandmother Bessie. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah Lee McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a co-anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, Robin Roberts is an icon in morning news. She’s also a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, a Peabody Award winner, an author of several books, a breast cancer survivor, and a Southerner. Robin was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, a daughter of one of the famed Tuskegee Airmen who fought in World War II and put that town on the map. Over the years, her family moved where her father’s career took them, but once he retired, they settled in Pass Christian, Mississippi, which she considers her hometown. I caught up with Robin as she was headed to Western North Carolina for a special report on the lasting effects of Hurricane Helene, as well as the resilience of that community. We also talked about other disasters she’s covered, including the very personal experience of reporting on Hurricane Katrina nearly 20 years ago. If you watch Robin on Good Morning America, you know she’s a person who has a way of always looking on the bright side, even in the darkest of times. She talked with Sid about the way her faith helped her through a very public illness, the hymns her mother loved to play on the piano, and why she’s always wanted to get her pilot’s license. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Grace Potter was raised in rural Vermont by parents who were seeking a different way of life, one with an emphasis on the arts and a connection to the land. Thanks to her parents’ extensive record collection, Grace grew up listening to a lot of soul and gospel by artists like the Staple Singers and Mahalia Jackson. You can still hear those influences in her music now, even as she’s created her own distinctive bluesy sound. Often compared to Bonnie Raitt or Janis Joplin, Grace has a powerful voice and the stage presence to match. And now she has a new album called Medicine that’s actually not new at all. It was produced with T Bone Burnett 17 years ago before her record label decided to shelve it in favor of a different direction. And even though it was recorded when she was just 24, it sounds as fresh and timely as if she cut it yesterday. Sid talks to Grace about the vision issues that shaped the way she sees the world, the impact of motherhood on her songwriting, and how she’s preparing to sing the national anthem at the 2025 Kentucky Derby. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After more than 40 years as one of the most popular and recognizable voices in country music, during which he earned a pile of Grammys and a rightful place in the Country Music Hall of Fame, Randy Travis is a household name who has inspired legions of fans. A few weeks ago I was fortunate to sit down with Randy and his wife, Mary, at their home in Nashville and to hear their incredible—and incredibly difficult—story. After a near-fatal stroke impaired his ability to speak and stole his singing voice in 2013, Randy had to overcome serious odds to rebuild his life and career. Now, thanks to his longtime producer, Kyle Lehning, and the advances of AI technology, Randy Travis has gotten his voice back. The bond he and Mary share is a big part of what’s made his comeback possible, and it also helped us to have this conversation about their life together. Sid talks to Randy and Mary about his new song, “Horses in Heaven,” the new biopic based on his life, Forever and Ever. Amen, and how he’s reaching the next generation of fans. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Isaac Nuun - Live Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode Description: Since 1985, Emily Sailers and Amy Ray have been known as the Indigo Girls, and they’ve never once stopped making music or sharing their message of acceptance. The two met when they were kids in Decatur, Georgia,, and once they started playing together in high school, it didn’t take long for their unique sound to find an audience—first regionally, then nationally, and eventually worldwide. Last summer, when their hit song “Closer to Fine” was featured prominently in the movie Barbie, they seemed to catch fire with a whole new generation, and now they’re back with a slew of new projects. A documentary called It’s Only Life After All delves into their lives, their struggles, and their activism; a rom-com called Glitter & Doom is set to their music; and of course there’s some new songs. Sid also asks about Emily’s longtime passion for food and cooking, the bar in Atlanta where they got their start, and what it’s been like to endure as openly gay artists in the South and the music industry. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Craig Morgan is that rare country artist who actually grew up around Nashville, but he also breaks the mold in a lot of other ways. After finishing high school in Kingston Springs, just west of downtown Nashville, Craig joined the Army for what would become a long, intense, and distinctive military career. As a member of the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions, he parachuted into the jungles of Panama and fought sex traffickers in Thailand, among other dangerous assignments. But despite his commitment to the armed services, he always had a yearning to play music. Craig found himself writing songs based on his experiences, and thanks to the encouragement of a Colonel who thought he had an extraordinary talent, he made the leap to the music business. Now, he has a successful career, a dedicated fan base, and a body of work largely defined by his commitment to God, Family, and Country—which happens to be the name of his memoir. Sid talks to Craig about how much he loves his mom’s biscuits and gravy, his new EP called American Soundtrack, and the way a family tragedy led him to write a song that’s touched so many people. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Landon Bryant stopped by the Southern Living offices recently, and it was for the staff to meet him in person after a couple of years watching his hilarious videos on our accents, traditions, quirks, and why we have endless recipes for potato salad. Landon was born and raised in the small town of Laurel, Mississippi, a close-knit community that was made famous in recent years by past guests Erin and Ben Napier—whom Landon happens to know. His great-grandmother was a major influence on him, but it was his wife, Kate, who encouraged him to start sharing his opinions about Southern identity on Instagram. Now, he’s come out with a new book, Bless Your Heart: A Field Guide to All Things Southern, that distills his unique perspective into a clever, smart, and deeply entertaining guide to the culture. Landon talks to Sid about the time he went to high school in a Walmart, his experience as an art teacher, his openness about struggles with ADHD, and just what exactly got him in hot water when talking about deviled eggs and grits. For more info visit: southernliving.com/biscuitsandjam Biscuits & Jam is produced by: Sid Evans - Editor-in-Chief, Southern Living Krissy Tiglias - GM, Southern Living Lottie Leymarie - Executive Producer Michael Onufrak - Audio Engineer & Editor/Producer Jeremiah McVay - Producer Isaac Nunn - Recording Tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices