Clik here to view.
The Ever-Evolving Legend of Claude Jeter and Swan Silvertones
The former Knoxville Singing Group whose influence crossed genres in unexpected ways. One Black musical group has been cited by multiple well-known songwriters as an important inspiration for some of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Bottom of the Ninth
SOME AWKWARD LATE-CAREER DRAMA FOR TWO OLD PROS It’s baseball season, and one of those national movie channels has been showing an old baseball movie that raises an interesting question about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Legend of Marshal Carlos
ANCIENT TALES OF OUR SPANISH-SPEAKING POLICE CHIEF ARE AT LEAST PARTLY TRUE Knoxville has traditionally emphasized its Scots-Irish origins, but when we think of Knoxville’s first century, it’s hard to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Communists in the Woods
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED HERE IN THE SUMMER OF 1937? It’s July, and it’s hot. Don’t you wish there were a place nearby where you could buy some cold beer and then take your clothes off and dance in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Clarence Brown and Knoxville
THE ROLE A COMPLEX CITY PLAYED IN A DIRECTOR’S CAREER Knoxville’s primary contribution to the creation of Hollywood’s film industry has gotten more attention recently with the publication of a thick...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Volunteer on Rocky Top and the Triumph of Hillbilly Chic
A recent article in the News-Sentinel about Vol “Traditions” made me realize that my old alma mater’s traditions are constantly changing, and some are rather new. Most of those traditions listed were...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The NE Plus Ultra
OPERA’S DEBUT IN KNOXVILLE Both locals and newcomers tend to jump to the same conclusion: that Knoxville, whose founders were surely country-music or gospel fans if they knew anything about music at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Turkeys Meet Their Fate and Die
THE MYSTERIES OF A KNOXVILLE THANKSGIVING It’s supposedly a simple holiday, dating back to 1621, and the Pilgrims, who sought simplicity. But most sources claim that despite Tennessee’s plenitude of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
STARTLING SITUATIONS: KNOXVILLE AT CHRISTMASTIME, 1923
A nice bowl of goldfish, nogless eggnog, the frantic scramble, a celebrated female impersonator, a live theatrical dramatization of an aeroplane crashing through a Mexican house—and a momentous meeting...
View Article
