Communiqué
Former WOUB Radio Host Ivan Tribe has passed away
< < Back toTribe died on April 4
ATHENS, OH – WOUB and its listeners are saying goodbye to an old friend. Ivan Tribe, who along with his wife Deanna, hosted the WOUB Radio program Hornpipe and Fugue for 40 years died on April 4. Tribe was 82 years old. The couple stopped hosting the program in December 2022.
“We are so sad to hear about Ivan’s passing,” said WOUB Director of Radio Rusty Smith. “He was a fixture on WOUB Radio for four decades and will be greatly missed.”
“Ivan was a staple of Sundays on WOUB Radio,” said WOUB General Manager Mark Brewer. “His knowledge about and passion for sharing the music of this region came through on the radio and connected with people.”
On Hornpipe and Fugue, the Tribes, both Ohio University graduates, shared country music history, the musicians and the music through thematic programs of traditional country, mainly from the 1920s – 1960s. They started hosting the program in January of 1983.
Ivan was recognized nationally as a country music historian. He wrote several books and more than 125 articles in Bluegrass Unlimited, Goldenseal and other journals/magazines. More recently, he contributed more than 200 entries to an online country music encyclopedia, hillbilly-music.com. The Tribes also hosted D28 + 5 on WOUB Radio once a month. When they decided to stop hosting the programs, Deanna said although they knew it was time, the two of them would miss it.
“We will miss going to Athens every Sunday,” said Deanna. “It will take a little bit of getting used to. We got a lot of responses from people who called and wrote letters. I think we provided people with a little bit of company and a bit of music culture.”
Visitation will be Friday, April 7, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Bigony-Jordan Funeral Home in Albany, Ohio followed by Masonic services at 8:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 8 at the Bigony-Jordan Funeral Home with Jordan Pickens officiating. Burial will be in Alexander Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Albany Lodge #723 F&AM, c/o Jeff Slattery, Secy, 45 Carol Lane, Athens, OH 45701 or to the Ivan M. Tribe Scholarship, University of Rio Grande, c/o Annette Ward, P. O. Box 500, Rio Grande, OH 45674.
About D28 + 5
On Sunday afternoons from 1 to 5 p.m., a rotating group of staff and community volunteers present bluegrass on D28 + 5. The program’s name is a nod to the Martin D28 guitar paired with a 5-string banjo to form the foundation of bluegrass.