Every season of David Holt's State of Music ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of David Holt's State of Music!

Watch as David Holt interviews and performs with modern masters of traditional music, on location in the southern mountains, the countryside that nurtured their music.

David Holt's State of Music

Delight in Grammy-winner Holt’s performances with guitar phenomenon Bryan Sutton and breakout star Rhiannon Giddens of the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

Bryan Sutton and Rhiannon Giddens

Watch as Holt performs with ballad singer and multi- instrumentalist Josh Goforth and interviews gospel torch-bearers Lena Mae Perry and Wilbur Tharpe, the Branchettes.

Josh Goforth and The Branchettes

Enjoy Holt’s performance with fiddle virtuoso Bruce Molsky and his interview of bluegrass supergroup Balsam Range.

Bruce Molsky and Balsam Range

Join David on a visit to a Blue Ridge Mountain farm where the Steep Canyon Rangers perform and share stories about the band’s history and life on the road touring with comedian Steve Martin.

Steep Canyon Rangers

David meets bluegrass legend Alice Gerrard, fiddler Rayna Gellert, and singer-songwriter Laurelyn Dossett at a 19th-century cotton mill to play traditional mill songs and share stories.

Glencoe Mill: Alice Gerrard, Rayna Gellert, Laurelyn Dossett

David goes to Rugby, Virginia, to play tunes with Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little. Jeff talks about the piano as a bluegrass instrument and Wayne takes David inside his guitar-making workshop.

Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little

David introduces viewers to new young talents in this episode featuring powerhouse vocalist Amythyst Kiah and original songs with close harmonies from the band Mipso.

Amythyst Kiah and Mipso

David travels to the mountains of Wilkes County, NC to share tunes and stories with Jens and Uwe Kruger and bass player Joel Landsberg. The Kruger first came to North Carolina for Merlfest but found such a welcome for their unique brand of bluegrass that they are now permanent residents.

The Kruger Brothers

David checks in with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and gets some stories from Doyle’s years on the road then he visits the St. John AME Zion Church in Kinston, North Carolina, where the Unity Choir performs.

Doyle Lawson and the St. John Unity Choir

David shares tunes and stories with Dom Flemons, founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, at an old general store in rural North Carolina.

Dom Flemons and David Holt

The season finale, recorded live onstage at the WCU Bardo Arts Center of Western Carolina University, features Rhiannon Giddens, Dirk Powell, Jason Sypher, Balsam Range, Josh Goforth, and The Branchettes.

Onstage!

David interviews mandolin legend Sam Bush, known as “The Father of New Grass,” at an 18th-century farm outside Nashville, TN. Sam and his band play traditional tunes and original songs.

Sam Bush

David interviews and plays with Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton at the Hayti Heritage Center in Durham, NC. Jerron plays a blues- and jazz-influenced mix of traditional tunes.

Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton

David visits with Canadian champion fiddler, singer and step-dancer April Verch at the Guitar Bar in Asheville, NC.

April Verch

David visits and plays with Joe Newberry at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC. Joe is a Missouri native and North Carolina transplant who became a full-time musician at midlife and now tours the world with his guitar, banjo and fiddle.

Joe Newberry

At Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage outside Nashville, TN, David interviews Molly Tuttle, who was named Guitar Player of the Year by the International Bluegrass Association (IBMA) in 2017. Molly and her band play original tunes rooted in traditional music.

Molly Tuttle

David visits with longtime friend Jerry Douglas, a 14-time Grammy winner widely recognized as the foremost master of the Dobro resonator guitar.

Jerry Douglas

Della Mae is a powerhouse band of women who play bluegrass and more, and they are mentoring young female players around the world. David visits them at the historic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.

Della Mae

David visits with the award-winning duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge and longtime friend John Cowan at the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC.

Darin and Brooke Aldridge with John Cowan

David visits with blues legend Taj Mahal and learns how he got his name, how he almost became a farmer, and what it’s like to tour with the Rolling Stones.

Taj Mahal

Meet the future of roots music: Presley Barker, the Burnett Sisters, Willow Dillon, and Cane Mill Road. David shares tunes and stories with these rising stars of new acoustic music who were raised on traditional tunes in the shadow of old masters.

Rising Stars

David shares tunes and stories from his career in roots music with guest host Zeb Holt and longtime friend Josh Goforth. David’s wife Ginny joins them to reminisce about life in the Blue Ridge Mountains for two young Californians in the 1970s.

David Holt House Party 1

David’s musical career has taken him from remote mountain coves to the bright lights of TV studios and the Grand Ole Opry stage. Hear music and stories of Doc Watson, John Hartford, and more, shared with son Zeb Holt and longtime friend Josh Goforth.

David Holt House Party 2

Blues legend Keb’ Mo’ visits with host David Holt. Keb’ has described himself as “too happy for the blues, too bluesy for jazz, too funky for folk, and too city for country.” David talks with him about how he found his place in music.

Keb' Mo'

Bluegrass and klezmer traditions meet in the music of married duo Zoe & Cloyd. Fiddler Natalya Zoe Weinstein and singer/songwriter/instrumentalist John Cloyd Miller visit with host David.

Zoe & Cloyd

John McCutcheon and series host David Holt have been friends since the 1970s. They meet to share songs and stories.

John McCutcheon

Virtuoso instrumentalist Muriel Anderson visits with David and demonstrates the harp guitar as conversation ranges from John Philip Souza to Chet Atkins.

Muriel Anderson

David visits with talented young musicians Tray Wellington and Lakota John Locklear. Tray Wellington is an African American banjo player who has won the IBMA Momentum Award; John Locklear is a member of the Lumbee tribe who excels at the blues.

Lakota John and Tray Wellington

Rob Ickes played dobro in the award-winning bluegrass band Blue Highway. He left that band to work with phenomenal young singer and guitarist Trey Hensley, whose performances dazzled Earl Scruggs, Marty Stuart, and other country legends.

Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley

David Holt plays tunes and talks with modern masters of traditional music in Appalachia, showcasing not just the music but also the countryside that gave it life. Shot entirely on location, the program puts its featured performers in the context of the countryside that nurtured their musical traditions.

The Best Seasons of David Holt's State of Music

The Best Seasons of David Holt's State of Music

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5