The most popular song from the Kentucky Headhunters platinum-selling Pickin' on Nashville album was almost never released:

the band's label thought that the slightly-embellished ode to the owner of a small-town hangout, "Dumas Walker," would be be too regional to catch on with a national audience. But the personal proved universal when fans couldn't get enough of the song, which has remained a staple of the Headhunters' live shows ever since.

The Kentucky Headhunters - Dumas Walker - Live on Mountain Stage

Dawes perform "A Little Bit of Everything," live from Mountain Stage, recorded October 2011.

Dawes - A Little Bit of Everything - Live from Mountain Stage

Blitzen Trapper, Wild Child, Birds of Chicago, Ruby Amanfu and The Suitcase Junket joined Larry Groce onstage in Morgantown on January 17th for a special Mountain Stage finale song - David Bowie's "Heroes." 

Larry Groce & Co. - Heroes - Live from Mountain Stage

It's our best of 2015 edition of Mountain Stage to Go, with performances by Pokey LaFarge, Joe Pug, Kristin Andreassen, Mac McAnally, The Milk Carton Kids, Sam Gleaves, Tyler Childers, Drive-By Truckers , and the late Allen Toussaint. Hosted by Assistant Producer Joni Deutsch.

MS2GO Episode Five

Singer, Songwriter and pianist Allen Toussaint is not only a New Orleans institution, but he's had his hands in many of the most popular tunes in the American songbook.

As host Larry Groce says in his introduction, "If there's any song that's really cool and you don't know who wrote it, chances are, it was Allen Toussaint." He performs many of his best-known numbers during this week's broadcast, including the funk classic "Yes We Can Can," which became the Pointer Sisters' first hit single.

Allen Toussaint - Yes We Can Can - Live from Mountain Stage

The Bottle Rockets perform "Monday (Every Time I Turn Around)," live on Mountain Stage.

Monday (Every Time I Turn Around) - The Bottle Rockets - Live from Mountain Stage

Darrell Scott visited Mountain Stage this past Sunday, and closed his set with a song by his friend Guy Clark. Here he performs "Deperados Waiting for a Train," accompanied by Bob Thompson on piano, Michael Lipton on slide guitar, and Ron Sowell on harmonica. 

Darrell Scott - "Desperados Waiting for a Train" - Live from Mountain Stage

When R.E.M. appeared on NPR's Mountain Stage on April 28, 1991, they were one of the biggest bands in the world. Though when they released Out of Time, in March of that year, they decided against touring behind it, opting for media appearances instead. One of these appearances was Mountain Stage.

25 years later, that spring weekend has become legendary in Charleston, West Virginia, when a big band visited a small town.

Their Mountain Stage set is being commercially released for the first time as part of an expansive reissue of the band's critically acclaimed album Out of Time. The Mountain Stage recording will make up the third disc of the four-disc Deluxe Edition.

To mark the occasion for ourselves, we’ve compiled stories of the weekend into "A Big Band Comes To A Small Town: R.E.M. on Mountain Stage at 25." We’ll hear from Mountain Stage founders Larry Groce and Andy Ridenour, music journalist Annie Zaleski (who wrote the liner notes for the Out of Time reissue, who explains why the band didn’t tour), and of course, members of the Mountain Stage audience that night in 1991.

3. Behind The Scenes With Larry Groce And Andy Ridenour

2. The Memories Of The Mountain Stage Audience

For over 30 years, Mountain Stage has been the home of live music on public radio. Produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting, each two-hour episode features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country; to indie rock, pop, world music, alternative, and beyond. Follow @mountainstage 

Popular tracks by MountainStage