Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, bonfires and moons

The best folk and acoustic music from Britain and beyond.

The influential folk and Americana duo, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, pay a rare visit to Mark’s Salford studio.

Renowned for their vivid storytelling, sensitive singing and exceptional guitar playing, Gillian and David’s signature sound has become a benchmark in the genre.

Whether making solo or duo albums, Gillian and David have been creating music in each others’ orbits since the 1990s.

Their Nashville studio, Woodland, was damaged by a tornado in 2020. The subsequent album of the same name represented their 'rebuilding' and won the 2025 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. They’re the only duo to win the award twice.

Also, tonight marks the 420th anniversary of the foiled Gunpowder Plot, so Mark plays some songs for bonfire night. There’s also a ‘supermoon’ this evening, so we’ll have music on a moon theme.

Produced by Pomona Audio in Salford for BBC Radio 2