Good Morning, Music Lovers of the Universe! I hope that your Monday can be made brighter by our programmng selections (call me dramatic).
Joni Mitchell performs on stage at The Wall Concert, Berlin, 21st July 1990. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Here’s today’s killer line-up:
11:00 a.m. Joni Mitchell Live at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, Colorado, July 30, 1983
Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell’s career has spanned four decades. Mitchell’s talents embrace various musical styles, including folk, pop, rock and jazz. I had the opportunity to see her at Boston’s Music Hall with Tom Scott & The L.A. Express on her tour supporting the release of her album, Court & Spark. She was amazing.
3:00 p.m. The Shadow: 04 Death Under The Chapel NEW!
An insane professor is dropped from the faculty after causing the suicide of one of his students. You can imagine that he might have revenge in mind.
7:00 p.m. Bob Dylan Live in ’75: The Rolling Thunder Revue
Bob Dylan on his Rolling Thunder Review tour, along with his loosely-assembled back-up band called Guam, which included Ronee Blakeley, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, T Bone Burnett, Mick Ronson and Scarlet Rivera, among others. The tour was unorthodox and almost spontaneous, and it took place just prior to the release of his fantastic Desire LP.
There is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t be listening to us. We’re free. We do not run advertising. And we don’t make a dime from what we’re doing. There is no need to provide a credit card, buy a subscription, or give us your personal information. So, what are you waiting for?
Good Morning, Music Minions! We are here getting a proverbial “jump” on the week with our Monday edition of all the news that’s fit to print!
Martha & The Vandellas broke up on this day.
Here’s today’s musical lesson!
December 21, 1963: Joan Baez was gaining steam as she entered the Top 10 on the Album chart with Joan Baez In Concert.
Also on this day, The Beatles did their first Christmas show at the Gaumont Theatre in Bradford, England.
December 21, 1966: The Beach Boys receive three gold records: for the single Good Vibrations, and for the albums Little Deuce Coupe and Shut Down, Volume 2.
December 21, 1967: The Beatles throw a costume party at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London to celebrate the showing of their film, Magical Mystery Tour, on the BBC.
December 21, 1968: The newly-formed trio of Crosby, Stills & Nash performed together for the first time.
Also on this day, Glen Campbell topped the Billboard 200 with the album, Wichita Lineman. It would remain on the charts for 46 weeks, but will also be Campbell’s only number one.
If that isn’t enough, Janis Joplin made her debut as a solo concert artist at an event for the Stax/Volt record label. The Stax house band, Booker T & The MG’s, also performed at the event.
December 21, 1969: Diana Ross & The Supremes make their final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. They sang Someday We’ll Be Together, their twelfth and final number one single.
December 21, 1970: Traffic’s album John Barleycorn Must Die is certified gold.
December 21, 1972: Martha & The Vandellas play their last show at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Their career spanned nine years, charting over two dozen times. Ten of their singles reached the Top Ten of the Billboard R & B chart, and twelve made it to the Top 40 of the Hot 100, including Dancing In The Street, Nowhere to Run, and Jimmy Mack.
December 21, 1974: Harry Chapin enjoys his only number one single with Cats In The Cradle, one of the best damned songs every recorded.
December 21, 1979: The Eagles, Chicago and Linda Ronstadt perform a benefit show for California Governor Jerry Brown’s presidential campaign. Brown also happens to be Ronstadt’s boyfriend.
December 21, 1990: A concert in memory of John Lennon was held at the Tokyo Dome. Taking part were Sean Lennon, Hall & Oates, Natalie Cole and Linda Ronstadt.
December 21, 1991: Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody returned to #1 after the death of Freddie Mercury, and remained there for five weeks.
December 21, 1992: Legendary bluesman Albert King dies of a heart attack in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 69.
Born On This Day
December 21, 1940: Frank Zappa, rocker, composer and performer with the Mothers of Invention (and solo), was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
December 21, 1942: Soul singer Carla Thomas, soloist and also a duet performer with Otis Redding, was born in Memphis, Tennessee.
December 21, 1943: Albert Lee, famous session guitarist (Emmylou Harris, among others), was born in Lingen, Herefordshire, England.
December 21, 1946: Carl Wilson was born in Hawthorne, California. He forms The Beach Boys with older brothers Dennis and Brian, then becomes the band’s lead guitarist.
And that’s it from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge today!
Good Morning, Music Lovers! We have another great Sunday of music lined up for you. It’s a day of rest. Stop fucking shopping for one day and put your damned feet up.
The Band’s Moondog Matinee debuts as our Album of The Week.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live From The Vic Theatre, Chicago, April 17, 2003
The house band is back, and this is a great show here from a small venue — holding 1,400 people, but 1,000 if seated. I regret not seeing Petty in a small venue. I had the opportunity with Mudcrutch at The House of Blues in Boston in 2016, and I blew it big time.
3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Moondog Matinee by The Band NEW!
There’s not much more you can say about The Band, but their fifth studio album is an homage to OPM (Other People’s Music). Released in 1973, the album reflects the group’s love of R & B and the blues, covering songs written by Clarence “Frogman” Henry, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, and others. The only exception to this is their interpretation of the theme from The Third Man. We are giving you the expanded version here.
6:00 p.m. Truffle Live at The House of Haze, Farmington, NH, October 18, 2020 NEW!
Truffle is not exactly new. In fact (Savoy) Truffle has been around since 1986. Seems incredible to me that the name isn’t rolling off everyone’s tongue.
Truffle is David Bailey (bass, vocals), Ned Chase (mandolin, guitar, lap steel & vocals), Mike Gendron (drums), Pete Kowalski (percussion) and Dave Gerard (vocals, electric & resonator guitars). Both Dave’s and Ned have been creating music together since 1986. They have performed in all but ten states across the U.S., playing as many as 275 shows in one year. Mike (still the rookie) joined the band with years of experience in 1996; the only lineup change in the band’s history. Truffle has achieved widespread popularity by headlining many respected venues as well as sharing the stage with international acts as Little Feat, Phish, The Band, Dave Matthew’s Band, David Lindley, The Radiators, and Blues Traveler to name only a few.
Tonight we have them in the spotlight live from The House of Haze in New Hampshire. The set list will be up and under the Playlist tab.
Again, let me reiterate how much time you’re wasting with radio stations that talk incessantly, sell you shit, and cost you money. What the hell is wrong with you?
Good Morning, Students! It’s Sunday here in the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge, and we’ve got a great day lined up. But first, your lesson.
Jethro Tull was formed on this day in 1967.
Here’s all the news that’s fit to print:
December 20, 1956: Elvis Presley was making musical chart history with ten songs on Billboard’s Top 100.
December 20, 1958: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison appear as The Quarrymen at the wedding reception of George’s older brother, Harry.
December 20, 1965: Wicked Wilson Pickett records the fucking great song, 634-5789, with Booker T & The MG’s. Booker was missing on that day, but his keyboards were handled nicely for him by none other than Isaac Hayes.
Also on this day in 1965, The Beach Boys released the single Barbara Ann.
December 20, 1966: The Big O, Otis Redding, played the Fillmore West in San Francisco.
December 20, 1967: Vocalist and master flute player Ian Anderson and bassist Glenn Cornick leave The John Evans Blues Band to form Jethro Tull, naming the band after an inventor of farm implements. John Evans would later join Tull himself as the keyboardist.
December 20, 1969: The Beatles’ masterpiece, Abbey Road, remained at the top of the charts for an eighth week on this day.
December 20, 1971: The album from George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh (the very first musical event of its kind in history) was released. It would win the Grammy Award for Best Album.
December 20, 1972: The O’Jays recorded the great song Love Train.
December 20, 1975: Joe Walsh officially replaced Bernie Leadon in The Eagles, moving them into a harder rock frame. He had previously been with The James Gang, a great band, by the way. However, on this day, my love affair with The Eagles ended, as much as I love Joe Walsh. I continued to listen, and their catalogue is in our rotation, but I prefer their earlier feel.
December 20, 1980: Twelve days after being shot dead by a fucking psychopath who just wanted his time in the spotlight, John Lennon had his first #1 solo hit with Just Like Starting Over.
Born On This Day
December 20, 1939: R & B singer Kim Weston was born in Detroit, Michigan.
December 20, 1944: Bobby Columby, drummer for Blood, Sweat & Tears, was born in New York.
December 20, 1947: Little Stevie Wright, lead singer of The Easybeats (Friday On My Mind) was born in Leeds, England. He would, however, be raised in Australia. During their six-year career, The Easybeats had 15 Top 10 hits in Australia, no slight feat regardless of where you were raised. The Easybeats are in our daily standard rotation.
December 20, 1948: Alan Parsons of The Alan Parson’s Project (Games People Play, I Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You), was born in London. He began his musical career as an engineer at Abbey Road Studios, working on Abbey Road and Let It Be for The Beatles, Dark Side of The Moon for Pink Floyd, and Wild Life by Paul McCartney & Wings (their actual first album as a band). The Alan Parsons Project is in our daily standard rotation.
And that is it from The College for this morning. Our line-up will be posted soon!
Good Morning, Music Lovers! If you’re into the blues, this is your day. We will be airing our four-hour blues playlist starting this morning. It’s like Open Stream Blues. Uninterrupted.
Here’s today’s musical landscape:
10:00 a.m. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues
Our blues playlist built during Blues Week, expanded and improved for your listening pleasure. This is essentially a four-hour uninterrupted Open Stream of the Blues, featuring Albert King, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, James Cotton, Koko Taylor, Slim Harpo, Delbert McClinton, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin, The Yardbirdsk, Long John Baldry, The Animals and many more!
4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin FINAL AIRING!
This is it for Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppeli IV, the final airing. Tomorrow, we’ll have a brand new Album of The Week when you wake up!
10:00 p.m. Live Dead! The Grateful Dead Live at The Fillmore West, July 2, 1971 NEW!
Another great jam experience with the world’s premier jam band; all new and never-before-heard (at least here from The Mermaid Lounge).
Tune us in. We’re not giving you the whole magilla of why you should this morning. You’re just going to have to give us a shot.
Good Morning, Students! Here’s today’s lesson from the college:
The Rolling Stones.
December 19, 1955: Carl Perkins recorded Blue Suede Shoes two days after writing it. Although it is generally the Elvis Presley version we hear, that version peaked at #20 on Billboard’s Top 100, while Perkins’ original version went to #2 and spent 17 weeks on the charts.
December 19, 1964: The Beatles’ fourth album, Beatles For Sale, begins a seven-week run at the top of the UK album charts by knocking off The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. It stayed in the Top 20 for an amazing 46 weeks.
Also on this day, Come See About Me by the Supremes became their third straight #1 single.
New singer Petula Clark makes her debut on the chart with her single, Downtown.
December 19, 1968: Led Zeppelin performed at the Exeter City Hall in England for 125 pounds. They had to bill themselves as The New Yardbirds to attract an audience.
December 19, 1969: The Rolling Stones moved to #1 in the UK with their album, Let It Bleed.
December 19, 1970: Elton John’s first US hit, Your Song, enters the Billboard Hot 100, where it will peak at #8.
December 19, 1974: Guitarist Ron Woods joined the Rolling Stones.
December 19, 1993: Michael Clarke, original drummer for The Byrds, died of liver failure at the age of 47 after decades of alcohol abuse. After The Byrds, he played for the Flying Burrito Brothers (1969-1973) and Firefall (1974-1981).
Born On This Day
December 19, 1918: Blues singer Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair, was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana.
December 19, 1944: Zalman (Zal) Yanovsky, lead guitarist and found of The Lovin’ Spoonful, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Also on December 19 1944: Alvin Lee, great guitarist of Ten Years After and who worked with George Harrison, John Mayall, Steve Winwood, and Bo Diddley (among others), was born in Nottingham, England.
December 19, 1945: John McEuen, founding member of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, was born in Garden Grove, California.
That is it from the college. We’ll be back with the line-up soon!
Today’s entry from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge might have been sparse, but the music from The Mermaid Lounge certainly isn’t. You don’t want to miss The Doors tonight. They have a special guest sitting in.
Albert King will be sitting in with The Doors tonight at 7:00 here from The Mermaid Lounge.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Rock, Blues and Ballads: Various Artists
We haven’t heard this one in a while, and it’s a great smorgasbord of artists, including Eric Clapton, Ry Cooder, James Taylor, Dusty Springfield, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Simon, Neil Young, J.J. Cale, Long John Baldry, Harry Nilsson, Emmylou Harris and more!
The Playlist for this can be found on the blog under the Playlist tab. Just scroll and you’ll find it!
3:00 p.m. The Shadow 03: Death From The Deep FINAL AIRING!
This is the third and final airing of this week’s episode of The Shadow. On Monday, we’ll have a new one!
7:00 p.m. The Doors Live at the Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia, June 6, 1970 NEW!
The official Roadhouse Blues Tour, and the Doors have a special guest named Albert King sitting in with them on four songs tonight…all Blues classics. So tune us in.
The Playlist for this performance is under the Playlist tab of this blog. Just scroll to the bottom!
We’re free. Nobody has to “subscribe” to our radio station. Nobody has to provide us with a credit card or personal information. There is no advertising. And our DJ doesn’t have diarrhea of the mouth either.
Good Morning from the College! It’s a really kind of quiet day here, and your lesson will be smaller than usual. It was mostly an uneventful day in rock music history. But we do have some interesting events.
Sly & The Family Stone. Sly Stone was erratic, but this was a great band.
Here’s today’s lesson, You won’t have to strain your brain:
December 18, 1961: EMI Records rejected The Beatles. They later signed them after they realized what the fuck they had.
Also on this day, Sam Cooke, a man whose voice was made for R & B, recorded Twistin’ The Night Away.
December 18, 1962: The Beatles returned to Hamburg for the last time before hitting the big time, where they play a twelve-night run at The Star Club.
December 18, 1971: Sly & The Family Stone had the #1 album on the Billboard chart with There’s a Riot Going On. It was originally going to be called Africa Speaks To You, but the name was changed at the last minute to respond to Marvin Gaye’s album, What’s Going On.
Born On This Day
December 18, 1938: Chas Chandler (bassist for The Animals and later, manager of the Jimi Hendrix Experience), was born in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
December 18, 1941: Sam Andrews, guitarist for Big Brother & The Holding Company, was born in Taft, California.
December 18, 1943: Keith Richards, lead gutarist for The Rolling Stones, was born in Dartford, Kent, England.
And that is the lesson today from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge! Stick around, Today’s line-up is coming!
Good Morning, Music Lovers! We are getting slammed here outside The Mermaid Lounge, but the music rolls on, my friends!
We’ve got The Legend live at the Santa Barbara County Bowl today.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at the Santa Barbara County Bowl, November 25, 1979
Bob Marley and The Wailers delivering some great music in support of the Survival album. The Survival Tour in 1979 would be Bob Marley’s second to last tour ever before his passing.
3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
We’re winding down on our Album of The Week. We have one more airing after this, so tune this baby in, people! Before you know it, there’ll be a new selection!
7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Fats Domino
There can be no denying this man’s contribution to the birth of rock n’ roll. I’m not sure anybody was playing this stuff before him. I know Bill Haley & The Comets are given the credit for depositing the first rock n’ roll song on the charts, but if you listen back to the black artists, you have to know that is where all of this began and where everyone’s inspiration came from.
Tune us in, people. It’s cold and snowy where I am. I’m sure some of you are sharing the wealth. I have to work. If you don’t, this is where you want to be.
Here we are on a snowy day bringing you all the news you need to know to impress friends and family alike!
Carroll James, the first DJ to play a Beatles record on the airwaves in the U.S. You will get all the details below!
December 17, 1954: Bill Haley & The Comets’ Rock Around The Clock becomes the first rock n’ roll song to enter the UK singles charts. I was ten months old.
December 17, 1955: With their hit Only You still at #2, the Platters’ The Great Pretender enters the charts at #13.
December 17, 1963: Carroll James a disc jockey at WWDC in Washington, D.C., becomes the first DJ to play a Beatles’ song on American airwaves. The song is I Want To Hold Your Hand, which he got from his airline stewardess girlfriend who bought a copy when she was in the UK. Because of high listener demand, James helps out the Beatles by playing the song every day, every hour. Because it had not yet been released in the US, Capitol Records initially considered legal action against the station but, instead, thought better of it and simply released the song in the US earlier than they planned. The rest, as they say, is history, my friends. Thank you, Carroll James. Forever.
December 17, 1966:Standing In The Shadows of Love by the Four Tops enters the Billboard Hot 100. On it’s ten-week stay on the charts, it will peak at #6. It reaches #2 on the R & B charts.
December 17, 1967: John Lennon and George Harrison throw a party in London for the area secretaries of their official fan club. The film Magical Mystery Tour is screened for the very first time for them.
December 17, 1971: John Lennon appears at a benefit at the Apollo Theater in Harlem for the families of the victims of the Attica State Prison riots.
December 17, 1977: Linda Ronstadt’s career continues to roll along through the seventies as her album, Simple Dreams, remains #1 on the Album charts for a third week.
December 17, 1979: Paul McCartney & Wings play the Glasgow Appollo and record a live version of the great song Coming Up. The song would reach #2 in the UK and will top the charts in the US, selling 4 million copies.
Born On This Day
December 17, 1937: Art Neville, keyboardist for the Neville Brothers (you can hear them here, people), was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
December 17, 1939: Eddie Kendricks of The Temptations was born in Union Springs, Alabama. His falsetto voice is heard on the great Temptations hits The Way You Do The Things You Do and Just My Imagination.
December 17, 1942: Paul Butterfield (the Paul Butterfield Blues Band) was born in Chicago.
December 17, 1949: Paul Rogers, lead singer and lyricist for both Free and Bad Company, was born in Middlesbrough, England.
December 17, 1950: Carlton “Carlie” Barrett, drummer for The Wailers, was born in Kingston, Jamaica.
And there you have it for today because we don’t give a shit about Britney Spears, and Miley Cyrus. You’ll never hear them here.
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