Chattanooga native Leslie Jordan can add another credit to his resume. Friday night, he'll appear on PBS' "One Voice" series with the American Pops Orchestra.
Subtitled "The Songs We Share," the series from the APO and maestro Luke Frazier celebrates "uniquely American music that has transcended its original genre to find a place in our collective culture." The series premiered in May with "Broadway" and "The Sacred" episodes.
The third and fourth episodes, "Country" and "American Roots," will air back-to-back starting at 10 p.m. ET Friday on PBS stations, including WTCI in Chattanooga. Episodes also may be viewed at PBS.org and the PBS video app.
Jordan is featured in "Country," along with Nashville songwriter, producer and guitarist Travis Howard, the sidekick who accompanies the Chattanooga native on his gospel performances on social media and the "Company's Comin'" album of gospel duets he released in April.
"Country" also features Claybourne Elder, who stars in Broadway's "Company"; Senora May, an Appalachian singer/songwriter; Jake Blount, 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize; and Nic Gareiss, who studies and performs traditional dance. It will feature music from early mountain traditions to modern country songs, from honky-tonk to country gospel.
Filmed at the Poor House Farm Park in Martinsburg, West Virginia, the episode is highlighted by a campfire performance of Hank Williams' "Hey, Good Lookin'" sung by Jordan.
Jordan, an Emmy-winning actor and comedian, gained 5.6 million Instagram followers when he began posting stories and observations during his pandemic seclusion. In addition to the record album, he released a book this year, "How Y'All Doing?" that went to No. 4 on the New York Times best-seller list.
He is scheduled for a show, "Leslie Jordan & Friends," at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium on Nov. 30. It comes six months after his debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry.