iHeartRadio Introduces a First-of-its-Kind Podcast Musical, “Bear and a Banjo”

Your new favorite podcast musical is here—”The Bear and a Banjo” is coming to iHeartRadio later this year!

Created by Jingle Jared, Dennis Quaid and five-time Grammy winner Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd (“Despacito,” “Where Are You Now,” “I’m the One” and “Peaches and Cream”) with musical contributions from producer T Bone Burnett (O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Crazy Heart) and original lyrical contribution from Bob Dylan, each episode of the eight-part series will tell a self-contained story about a character called Mister Bear. Bear is a traveling musician who visits different towns across America and impacts people’s lives before vanishing again. He is often preceded into town by J. Banjo, a charming huckster/card player/preacher/medicine salesman who acts as Bear’s promoter and hype man.

Each story in the eight-part anthology is based on an original song from the soon-to-be-released The Bear and A Banjo album, written and performed by Jingle Jared and Poo Bear. The podcast is written by award-winning producer and author Bill Flanagan (creator of CMT's Crossroads and VH1's Storytellers), with narration by Dennis Quaid as Dr. Q, who is searching to understand why the band was virtually erased from musical history. Throughout his exploration of the “Bear and a Banjo” story, listeners will learn about the band’s impact, uncovering why the musicians’ history was nearly forgotten—until now.

We announced “The Bear and a Banjo” podcast at an exclusive event featuring Dennis Quaid, with performances by the Jingle Punks and Tim McGraw, at SXSW in Austin, Texas and we can’t wait to share it with you! Stay tuned for more updates soon and in the meantime, check out our preview video below!