We’ve Got Some ‘Live’ Ones Today: The Heartbreakers, Jesse Winchester and Stevie Wonder, Friday, March 29, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’ve got a lot of wide Open Stream punctuated with some great live performances tossed in for good measure. Read on for the details!

Here’s your Friday lineup:

We’ve got a new addition to our trove of Heartbreakers’ live performances this morning. We’ve aired music from this venue before, but this one is from 1993. Check it out.

3:00 p.m. Jesse Winchester Live at The Bijou Cafe, Philadelphia, PA, May 26, 1977

I saw Jesse Winchester open for Emmylou Harris here at Boston’s Music Hall back in the mid-seventies. I loved him so much that I when he came back as a headliner, I saw him nearly every trip he made to Boston. A great singer-songwriter with great audience rapport.

8:00 p.m. Stevie Wonder Live at The O2 Arena, London, UK, September 11, 2008

We close out the ‘live’ programming this evening with a great performance by Stevie Wonder. We’re on a hunt for more ‘live’ Stevie, as well as other soul and R & B artists. We hope to deliver this year.

Linda Ronstadt’s Final AOW, ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ and a Jimmy Cliff Spotlight on Sunday, March 24, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! It’s Sunday in The Lounge and we have our final AOW in the series today, along with our ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ EP and Jimmy Cliff later.

Here are your Sunday Funday programs:

This album was one of the very first we featured back in 2019, and it’s our final AOW as we’ll be using the slot for other programming. This album turns 50 this year, and it stands the test of time. Ronstadt’s fifth studio album was her final for Capitol Records and the album that finally put her on the map. There was no turning back. The rest is music history.

12:00 p.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

I remember the great folk music revival of the sixties, much centered around the Greenwich Village area. However, folk has a long history and was the catalyst for protest music. You’ll hear Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Odetta, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Phil Ochs, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more!

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Jimmy Cliff

Jimmy Cliff is a reggae, ska, rocksteady, soul singer, musician and multi-instrumentalist. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honor that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievements in the arts and sciences. Tonight we have him In the Spotlight.

Friday Brings a Fillmore East Focus With CSNY and Laura Nyro, Along With Our ‘Looks Like Rain’ Playlist, March 15, 2024

Good morning and welcome to the cusp of the weekend, my friends. We’ve got a focus on some live Fillmore East today with CSNY and Laura Nyro, plus our ‘Looks Like Rain’ playlist.

Here’s your Friday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Live at The Fillmore East, New York, January 5, 1970

We start off the morning with the second best supergroup on the planet (sorry, the Wilburys reign). These guys, however, made some amazing music together, in spite of the fact that they were a bit dysfunctional on a personal level. We’ve got them live from the Fillmore East.

2:00 p.m. Looks Like Rain: Various Artists

This is appropriate for where I am today since it’s pouring out there this morning. We’ve got The Rascals, Willie Nelson, The Grateful Dead, Peter, Paul & Mary, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ann Peebles, The Beatles, Maria Muldaur, Fats Domino, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Gordon Lightfoot, J.D. Souther, the James Gang, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Temptations, Warren Zevon and more.

8:00 p.m. Laura Nyro Live at The Fillmore East, New York, March 30, 1971

We return to the Fillmore East this evening to close out the programming with the late, great Laura Nyro. Yes, she was a songwriter who put many singers on the map, but there is nothing like hearing Laura sing her own songs.

We are one day away from the weekend. I’ve been down for the count with COVID, but I am negative today and things are looking up. We’ve got some great music to get you through and we’re totally free of charge and intend to remain so.

Saturday Brings ‘The British Are Coming’, Our AOW, and Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris Live From Boston, March 9, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! It’s Saturday in The Mermaid Lounge and we’ve got a great slate of music coming up today. starting with music from across the pond.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

We take you back to the British Invasion and beyond with The Beatles, The Who, Dave Mason, Electric Light Orchestra, Petula Clark, The Zombies, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Kinks, The Dave Clark Five, The Bee Gees, the Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, George Harrison, Them, Herman’s Hermits, The Rolling Stones, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, Traffic, Elton John, Lulu, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Yes, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, Spencer Davis Group, Cream, Donovan, The Searchers and more!

5:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan FINAL AIRING!

It’s the final spin for The Dan as we continue our 50th birthday airing. Tomorrow we’ll have a brand new album.

8:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris Live at The Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA, October 1, 1999

These two amazing women passed through Boston on the Western Wall tour, and I had the pleasure of being there.

We are here in The Mermaid Lounge awaiting your arrival. We’re on 24/7, so no need to wait for programming. We’re circulating 27,000 songs daily, weekly, monthly for your listening pleasure at no charge to you and without commercial interruption. Get on it!

The Final Work Day Brings Dylan & Harrison, Lennon & McCartney and Some ‘Live’ Bonnie Raitt, Friday, March 8, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We are at the last day of the work week (for most; not all) and we’ve got a great lineup today along with a whole lot of wide Open Stream.

Here’s your musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. Bob Dylan & George Harrison: The Columbia Sessions, May 1, 1970

On May Day in 1970, Bob Dylan and George Harrison sneaked into Studio B at Columbia Studios in New York and recorded together for 12 hours. We’ve got it here.

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Lennon & Paul McCartney FINAL AIRING!

Today we not only bid a fond farewell to Lennon & McCartney, whose greatness cannot be denied, but also to the singer-songwriter series itself. It could very well be back again, but it has run its course for the time being.

8:00 p.m. Bonnie Raitt Live at The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, December 9, 1973

We close the programming in fine style with some great live Bonnie Raitt, vintage 1973.

Another day in musical paradise awaits, my friends. We are on 24/7 and are dedicated to free music. No credit card required. No personal information asked. Try it.

Our ‘Water, Water Everywhere’ EP, Steely Dan, and Early ‘Live’ Bob Dylan Are All On Tap for Thursday, March 7, 2024

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to The Mermaid Lounge where it is, yes, raining again. An EP about water is appropriate for the day, so that’s where we start.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Water, Water Everywhere: Various Artists

Water is one of the main elements of life, and you have no idea how many references to it there are in popular music until you go looking. You’ll hear Paul McCartney, Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Otis Redding, The Doobie Brothers, Valerie Carter, Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Al Green, Loggins & Messina, Steely Dan, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Spirit, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Rush, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Van Morrison and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan

We are winding down on this great album. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

This is early Bob Dylan recorded live sometime during October of 1962 at The Gaslight, in Greenwich Village, the hub of the great folk music revival. The performance happened between his first and second albums, when he was still relatively unknown.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and the Ladies Are In Charge, Followed by Steely Dan, Then Brand New Rory Block, March 5, 2024

Good morning, bluesologists and welcome to Tuesday Bluesday. Today we add Rory Block to our standard rotation and air her new Spotlight feature! It’s Women’s History Month!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ladies Sing The Blues: Various Artists

The women of the blues are large and in charge today. You’ll hear Billie Holliday, Big Mama Thornton, Ruth Brown, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin, Koko Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, Christine McVie, Marcia Ball, Ellen McIlwaine, Susan Tedeschi, Irma Thomas, Tracy Nelson, Etta James, Linda Ronstadt, Sippie Wallace, Bessie Smith, Shawn Murphy, Angela Strehli, Aretha Franklin, The Blues Broads and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan

Steely Dan’s back for their second spin with Pretzel Logic as our Album of The Week.

Rory Block is one of those artists whose feet are firmly planted in the blues, particularly in the more traditional blues vein and in country blues. She boasts great acoustic blues chops. Perhaps the ‘fame’ others have experienced have eluded Rory Block, but the seven-time blues award winner has is the universal respect of the blues music community.

Monday Brings Our ‘By The Numbers’ Playlist, Shawn Colvin’s Spotlight and Lennon-McCartney, March 4, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’re back to the work week, but all is well here in The Lounge. Today we close out our singer-songwriter series with the best.

Here’s your Monday music:

10:00 a.m. By The Numbers: Various Artists

We start with songs with numbers in the title, lyrics or both from Three Dog Night, Chicago, J. J. Cale, Steely Dan, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jefferson Airplane, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, Emmylou Harris, The Grass Roots, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Paul Simon, Rosanne Cash, Johnny Rivers, The Searchers and more!

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Shawn Colvin

It’s Women’s History Month, so we feel the need to pick up our game here a bit in the month of March. We start today by putting singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin in the spotlight.

We close out this version of our Singer-Songwriter Series with the best songwriting duo in the history of popular music from the band that changed everything. Nothing else needs to be said. All you need to do is listen.

We’ve Got ‘The Female Species’ EP, Queen’s AOW, and Bobbie Gentry In The Spotlight Later, Thursday, February 29, 2024

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to the downslide to the weekend! We’ve got quite an eclectic lineup today, including songs about women, girls, dames, sistahs, ladies and all that stuff.

Here’s your Thursday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

We start out the programming with songs about women in all their forms. You’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, Talking Heads, The Boogaloo Swamis, Hot Tuna, John Mayall, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, the Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Sheer Heart Attack by Queen

We’re winding down on this one. The final airing will be sometime Saturday.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Bobbie Gentry

Did you know that Bobbie Gentry charted 11 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 during her career, and that she was one of the first female performers to write and produce her own material? Well, it’s true. Although she was a reluctant star who simply took herself out of the stardom loop, her talent and contributions should never be forgotten.

I can hear the wind outside; it’s been going all night. Yesterday here it was 55 degrees; today it’ll be 33. So, if you’re where I am and you don’t have to be anywhere, why not simply tune us in? We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. No strings. No kidding.

We Focus on Folk On The Downslide To the Weekend With Our EP and A New Roches Spotlight, Thursday, February 22, 2024

Good morning, folkologists! We are focusing on the genre today to open and close our programming. In between, we’ve got The Stones and their Album of The Week.

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Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-To-Z: Various Artists

This, my friends, is the musical genre that birthed the protest song movement.Today we give you the anchors and those who simply love the genre and pay homage to it. You’ll hear John Prine, Dave Van Ronk, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Odetta, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Arlo Guthrie, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, The Band, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, Judy Collins, Nanci Griffith, Jesse Winchester, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Lead Belly, Tim Hardin, The Kingston Trio, Simon & Garfunkel, Richie Havens, Jackson Browne, Phil Ochs, Guy Clark, Harry Chapin, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: It’s Only Rock N’ Roll by The Rolling Stones

The Stones return to The Mermaid Lounge for another round of our AOW.

Here’s a band of sisters who never, in my opinion, reached the level of respect that they deserved despite making some fine music. Today, we put them In the Spotlight. They have not yet been added to our big folk EP, but they’ll be there for the next airing.