Long before Durham, NC boasted a vibrant indie music scene, the Bull City was home to a thriving soul music community. In the 1960s and 1970s, Durham musicians combined blues, R&B, and gospel styles to help create and foster a unique new sound. Bull City Soul Revival is a collaborative effort of musicians, scholars, and Durhamites to stage a comeback of soul music. Host Frank Stasio will hear about the evolution of soul music in Durham and the influence of African-American music on contemporary culture from musician Johnny White; Jason Perlmutter, a music collector and founder of CarolinaSoul.org; and Dwan Reece, curator of music and performing arts at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African-American History and Culture.
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.