Fiddler Joe Thompson was the last of a generation of old-time string musicians who popularized black folk music that grew out of African traditions. Thompson grew up in Mebane, NC where he began playing the fiddle at the age of 8. In his long career, he earned a number of accolades, including a National Heritage Fellowship, and he mentored young African-American musicians who were interested in the style of music he was raised on. Thompson passed away on Monday at the age of 93. His former pupils and WUNC Program Director David Brower join host Frank Stasio to remember Thompson’s artistic legacy.
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
