In 1975, Staines won the National Yodeling Championship in Kerrville, TX.  Listen to the skills that won him the honor in this November 30, 1985 concert.

Throughout the 1980s, host Dave Sear put on a series of live concerts at Spencertown Academy in New York. The shows were broadcast on WNYC as the Folk Music Almanac and included some of the most popular singers and songwriters of the day.

Bill Staines performed several times on the show. Staines, who has been active in the folk scene since the 1960s, has had his songs recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary, The Highwaymen, Nanci Griffith, Grandpa Jones, and others.  Staines has also released 22 of his own albums.