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The Arkansas Flyer is made possible in part by a grant from the Department of Arkansas Heritage, funded by your 1/8 cent conservation tax, Amendment 75. |
The staff of KUAR-FM 89 would like to thank you for supporting UALR Public Radio and the mission of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. We’ve had a lot of fun producing this show and we hope you enjoy it. Special thanks to our Friends of KLRE/KUAR volunteers: Phyllis Haynes Debbie Boyd Scott Southern Daniel Fedora Chris Holloway Thank you to the UALR Center for Performing Arts’ production department: Jim Spencer, sound engineer Sara Lyon, lighting specialist University Theater crew |
Arkansas Flyer is a radio variety show focusing on Arkansas music, humor, and culture. It is produced with support from the Department of Arkansas Heritage. It was recorded in front of a live audience on May 22, 2008. Host: David B. Treadway  Treadway is a native of Friendship in Hot Spring County. Treadway says he has been in radio for 39 years, “meaning I’ve never actually had to work for a living.” A majority of his career was spent in Little Rock, but Treadway moved back to the family homestead about three years ago. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” he says. “For all the beautiful things of Little Rock, I’m glad to be out in the country. Maybe I’ll move back to Little Rock in another 30 years.” About music, Treadway says, “Earl Scruggs is God, John Lennon died for your sins, Johnny Cash is the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.” About food, he says his favorite meal is “fried potatoes, turnip greens cooked all morning, cornbread (hold the sugar), cold sliced tomatoes (REAL ones), iced tea (WITH sugar) and pork chops cooked over a wood fire outdoors. In other words, the traditional Arkansas breakfast.”House band: Billy Jones Bluez  Billy Jones was born and reared in North Little Rock. He grew up listening to records by great blues legends like Elmore James, B.B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland and Muddy Waters, and seeing blues artists perform at his grandfather’s cafe. At age 11, he convinced his father, who had worked as a driver for Sonny Boy Williamson and Howlin' Wolf, to buy him a guitar. It was love at first sight. Over the years, Jones has developed a style that puts a contemporary spin on the traditional sounds of his old-school teachers. He calls it “tha' Bluez.” Jones and his band will play tunes from their latest album between segments. Billy’s band includes Billy on guitar and vocals; Corey Bray on keyboards and background vocals; Mark Flinoil on drums; and Ronnie Hill on bass.Special musical guest: The Edgar Allan Po’ Boys  This bluegrass quintet features Bud Bell on banjo, David Newbern on mandolin, Bob Hayes on guitar, Lynn Fitzgerald on bass and (surprise!) David B. Treadway on fiddle. The group draws from traditional influences like Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and Uncle Dave Macon, but they’ve also been influenced by the likes of Jimmy Buffet and the Grateful Dead, “to whom we bear an alarming resemblance,” jokes Treadway. The Edgar Allan Po’ Boys have been playing together for years, he says. “None of us remember meeting any of the others because we’ve been together so long. We don’t know where or when or why we got together, but it’s too much fun to quit!”Storyteller: John Philpot  For many years, Philpot has entertained folks with his stories, both on the air and at events across the U.S. and Canada. Raised in Mena, Philpot has a B.S. degree in agriculture and a master’s degree in educational media from the University of Arkansas. He was an extension agent in Clark and Miller counties and a radio and television specialist in the state extension office. He worked as farm director at KAAY radio in Little Rock, KATV Channel 7 and the Arkansas Radio Network. He has hosted Arkansas Outdoors on the Arkansas Educational Television Network since its inception in 1992.Skits: The Invisible Radio Theater  The writer/director is Bob Hulsey, a familiar voice on radio and TV and a familiar face on the Arkansas stage. A professional actor and voiceover artist, Hulsey says, “I thought I’d pretty much done it all – that is until this opportunity fell into my lap. Almost everyone in radio, voiceovers and the like seems to harbor a secret dream to be involved in an ongoing live radio show like Arkansas Flyer.” Rhonda Atwood returns for a second stint in the Invisible Radio Theater. She worked in broadcasting many years, serving as a newswoman, morning radio personality and television talk show host. Atwood has also acted at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse and at the Rep. “In her advanced old age,” she says, she decided to get a “real job” and now works as a children’s programmer at the Main Library, performing songs and stories for little ones and their parents. New to the Invisible Radio Theater is John Isner of the Children’s Theatre at Arkansas Arts Center. Isner has more than 10 years experience acting, directing and teaching. This well-known actor has performed for thousands of young audience members and instructed hundreds of children throughout Arkansas in theater arts. |