Nora Brown’s Old-Time Soul

The young and talented banjo-player joins us on Biscuits & Jam.

Nora Brown

About Nora Brown

Nora Brown is a young banjo-playing prodigy who’s devoted her talent and her voice to performing old-time music. Though she grew up in Brooklyn, her father is from Nashville, Tennessee, and she’s spent a lot of time with musicians in that state and in Eastern Kentucky learning her craft. Her most recent album, Long Time to Be Gone, was called “a disarming collection of traditional laments and exquisite banjo instrumentals” by the New Yorker, and now she’s getting ready to play out on the West Coast, as well as in Europe and Canada.

What Nora Brown Talks About In This Episode

  • Why the South is such a special place to her
  • Her family's marshmallow sweet potato casserole
  • Her grandpa's famous breakfast
  • Holidays with family
  • Playing banjo at six years old
  • Trips to Kentucky t attend Cowan Creek Mountain Music School
  • Meeting George Gibson
  • Graduating high school and attending Yale
  • Her most recent album, Long Time to Be Gone

Quotes From Nora Brown

"My grandpa is definitely the best at breakfast. He's got a lot of different moves that he can do in the morning. Always bacon. Bacon is such a special thing to me for some reason. I feel like I don't have it a lot in my day to day life. I guess... It's a very weekend thing." - Nora Brown

Nora Brown

I often have a hard time when people ask me why I decided to play the ukulele or a lot of choices behind that point in my life. I can't really say what drew me to the music when I was so young. It's hard to remember the reason for your choices at that age, but I also think that those folk songs that I was learning, they're very similar to children's songs that we're singing in school around that age. So, it wasn't unusual for me to be singing those tunes, and eventually I progressed into learning different instruments and learning the banjo when I was a little older.

— Nora Brown

About Biscuits & Jam

In the South, talking about food is personal. It's a way of sharing your history, your family, your culture, and yourself. Each week Sid Evans, editor in chief of Southern Living, sits down with celebrity musicians to hear stories of how they grew up, what inspired them, and how they've been shaped by Southern culture. Sid takes us back to some of their most cherished memories and traditions, the family meals they still think about, and their favorite places to eat on the road. Download and listen to this episode of Biscuits & Jam with Nora Brown on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or everywhere podcasts are available.

Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors

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