Fresh Air Weekend: Singer/Songwriter Allison Moorer; Writer Saeed Jones Moorer talks about losing her parents to murder-suicide when she was 14. Kevin Whitehead reviews Hittin' the Ramp, featuring early Nat King Cole. Jones reflects on growing up black and gay in Texas.

Fresh Air Weekend: Singer/Songwriter Allison Moorer; Writer Saeed Jones

Fresh Air Weekend: Singer/Songwriter Allison Moorer; Writer Saeed Jones

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/777215635/777914101" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Allison Moorer's music has been nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy and an Academy of Country Music Award. Heidi Ross/Da Capo Press hide caption

toggle caption
Heidi Ross/Da Capo Press

Allison Moorer's music has been nominated for an Oscar, a Grammy and an Academy of Country Music Award.

Heidi Ross/Da Capo Press

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

Years After Her Parents' Murder-Suicide, Musician Allison Moorer Finds Healing: More than three decades after the death of her parents, Moorer has a new memoir and companion album, both called Blood, about her abusive father and the emotional scars of being orphaned at 14.

Reissue Captures Nat King Cole Before He Broke Through To Mainstream: Early in his career, Cole formed a trio with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince. Hittin' the Ramp, a new 7-CD roundup, showcases the band that help catapult Cole to stardom.

'We're All Struggling': Writer Saeed Jones Reflects On Identity And Acceptance: "It was perilous to be a black gay boy in America," Jones says of the fear and isolation he experienced growing up in Texas in the 1990s. His new memoir is How We Fight for Our Lives.

You can listen to the original interviews and review here:

Years After Her Parents' Murder-Suicide, Musician Allison Moorer Finds Healing

Reissue Captures Nat King Cole Before He Broke Through To Mainstream

'We're All Struggling': Writer Saeed Jones Reflects On Identity And Acceptance