SEC Network’s TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood Explores Jasper, Ala. on Tuesday, Oct. 22
The seventh season of Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth Presented by YellaWood travels to Jasper, Ala. for Episode 5 on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. ET. The crew joins their guide Caleb Johnson at the onetime center of the Alabama coal mining industry as they document the legacies of that hard work. Johnson has plenty of familiarity with the area as grew up in the nearby town of Arley and his father, Ronnie, worked in those Alabama mines for 36 years.
The series revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities.
All episodes of TrueSouth are available on demand on SEC Network+ and ESPN+ immediately upon airing.
Episode Summary
Johnson works downstate in Mobile, Ala. as a writer and teacher. His next novel, tentatively titled Lou, was inspired by recent research: sorting through old family photos, listening to old family stories, asking new questions. When Caleb was a boy, Ronnie shielded his son from talk of the mines. For this episode, Caleb and Ronnie sat down to talk about that work, what it made possible for their family and the price they paid across generations.
Justice Evans grew up in his father’s welding shop on the edge of Jasper and the coal mines drove that business. Justice followed his father, Howard Evans, into said business. He also followed his father onto the track. His father raced a stock car at the nearby Sayre Speedway and by second grade, Justice was racing a souped-up go-cart. Now, he races his father’s old Monte Carlo.
Two restaurants anchor our story – both set in gas stations:
- Nikki Quillen runs the kitchen at Brown’s Grocery. Ronnie Johnson met other miners here to carpool to work. Brown’s opens at 4 in the morning to serve foam cups of coffee and homemade biscuits stuffed with sausage.
- Across town, Bayou Fresh Seafood, owned by Zhu and Janice Jianjun, is where Justice Evans and his family come to eat Hawaiian rolls with extra crunch.
Beginning in 2018 with episode one, local and regional music has been at the heart of TrueSouth. Lee Bains III, a longtime friend of Caleb Johnson, collaborated with the crew on this episode, playing his songs live, talking on camera about his respect for working women and men, playing guitar with other local acts and sourcing music by bands he admires. Music by Bains opened that first episode of our show, set in Birmingham, Ala. where he grew up. The crew was honored to have him back.
TrueSouth Episode Poster
This week’s poster was designed by the firm Matey in Birmingham, Ala. Posters have also been a part of the formula since episode one. We book a local artist or designer and print up less than 50 as mementos for the restaurants we visit, the friends we make. This poster was inspired by the lunchbox Ronnie carried to work each night in the mines.
Season Summary
Season seven began August 27 in Oklahoma City, Okla., exploring the oil and cattle work that puts money in pockets and ribeyes on tables. To understand Austin, Texas, we focused on the east side of town, eating Tex-Mex migas and Tex-Egyptian ribs with pomegranate. Beginning in Lexington, Tenn., we explored the Whole Hog Triangle of that state to eat middlin meat doused with vinegar sauce. In Little Rock, AR, we followed Jordan Narvaez, who owns four businesses there, including El Super Pollo, where his crew cooks whole chickens over charcoal. Episodes premier every other week, ending Nov. 19. Up next, on Monday November 4th, we drive the Upstate of South Carolina to eat chilidogs with short story writer George Singleton. To close the season, we share our annual behind the scenes road trip.
Advance press screeners of TrueSouth: Season Seven, Episode Five are available upon request: katie.callahan@espn.com.
About TrueSouth
TrueSouth is an Emmy Award-winning limited series on Southern food and culture, airing biweekly on SEC Network. Four-time James Beard Award winner John T. Edge writes and hosts the show, which is executive produced by two-time New York Times best-selling author, ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson, and produced by Bluefoot Entertainment.
The series, now in its seventh season, revolves around two food stories told from one place, which TrueSouth sets in conversation to make larger points about Southern beliefs and identities. This season’s featured places are Oklahoma City, Austin, Texas, Lexington & Parsons, Tenn., Spartanburg & Abbeville, S.C., Jasper, Ala., Little Rock, Ark., and a special behind-the-scenes finale to finish out season 7. Seasons 1-6 of TrueSouth are available in their entirety on ESPN+.
Music plays an integral role in TrueSouth’s storytelling via on-screen performances and on-screen credits. The TrueSouth playlist on Spotify shares the full soundtrack and score of every season of TrueSouth.
About SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014. The network televises hundreds of games across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, Out Of Pocket, Read & React and Rally Cap, daily news and information with The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Now, original content such as the Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth, SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.
