WVBR to Rebroadcast First Two Bound for Glory Shows from 1960s

The legendary folk music radio show will air its earliest concerts, including a live performance by host Phil Shapiro.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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WVBR's long-running Bound for Glory radio show will rebroadcast its very first two live concerts from 1967 and 1968, including a performance by the show's host Phil Shapiro when he was a graduate student. The rebroadcasts will air on the station in the coming weeks, giving listeners a chance to hear the origins of this iconic folk music program.

Why it matters

Bound for Glory has been a beloved institution in the Ithaca community for over 50 years, introducing generations of listeners to folk, bluegrass, and traditional American music. The rebroadcasts of the show's earliest concerts provide a rare glimpse into the humble beginnings of this legendary radio program.

The details

The first rebroadcast on February 15th will feature Bound for Glory live concert #2 from May 12, 1968, with a young Phil Shapiro performing. Two weeks later, the show will air concert #1 from February 4, 1968, featuring the Busted Toe Mudthumpers. The recordings were recently unearthed from Shapiro's personal collection of reel-to-reel tapes. While the early concerts were only about an hour long, compared to the eventual three-hour format, they still showcase the energy and passion that has defined Bound for Glory for over five decades.

  • The first rebroadcast will air on February 15, 2026.
  • The second rebroadcast will air on February 29, 2026.

The players

Phil Shapiro

The host of Bound for Glory for over 50 years, who also performed as a folksinger and guitarist on the show. Shapiro passed away in November 2025, just weeks after live Bound for Glory concerts resumed.

Busted Toe Mudthumpers

A folk music group that performed on the first Bound for Glory concert in 1968, consisting of George Dorian, Walt Koken, Jeff Thorn, John Coster, and Nick Shumatoff.

Terry Kelleher

The longtime engineer for Bound for Glory, who unearthed the recordings of the show's earliest concerts from Phil Shapiro's personal collection.

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What they’re saying

“Besides being the host of the radio show for over fifty years, bringing over 800 different acts performing in nearly 1,700 live shows before live performances came to a screeching halt in March 2020, Phil Shapiro was a folksinger and guitarist who chose fascinating, energetic songs from the last couple of hundred years of American traditional folk song, plus newer songs written squarely in the folk tradition.”

— Friends of Bound for Glory (14850.com)

“The recording only has about an hour and ten minutes of live music, says longtime BFG engineer Terry Kelleher, instead of the hour and a half or so of live music from the three-hour format, with three live half-hour sets, that the show eventually settled into.”

— Terry Kelleher, Bound for Glory engineer (14850.com)

What’s next

The February 22nd live Bound for Glory show will feature longtime favorite performer Mark Rust.

The takeaway

The rebroadcasts of Bound for Glory's earliest concerts provide a rare opportunity for listeners to experience the origins of this beloved Ithaca institution, which has endured for over 50 years as a champion of folk, bluegrass, and traditional American music.