This week WV News reported that Larry Groce, host of the West Virginia-based NPR music show Mountain Stage for nearly 40 years, would pass the host duties over to renowned musician Kathy Mattea, herself a West Virginia native, later this year.
Caitlin Tan of West Virginia Public Broadcasting has an interesting new interview with Mattea, here. In a long post first published back in 2014, I wrote about Groce and what he had meant to his community and the state.
To get an idea of what Larry Groce looks and sounds like, and how he thinks about his often-discussed region of America, you can see this brief segment from HBO’s film Our Towns. (This clip is courtesy of HBO.) That earlier post also has an extensive interview with him, and clips from many stages of his life as a singer and songwriter.
Congratulations to Larry Groce and his team on the 900-plus programs they have produced. Good wishes to Kathy Mattea and all involved with this creation.
![Historical view of the Amphitheater at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, scene of Friday, Aug. 12's attack on Salman Rushdie. [Image from New York Public Library via Wikimedia Commons.]](https://www.ourtownsfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Section_of_Amphitheater_Chautauqua_Institution_Chautauqua_New_York_NYPL_b12647398-79479.jpg)
