Category: Country Blues

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With the ‘Best of Texas Blues,’ Live Blues Project, and Slim Harpo ‘In the Spotlight’, On June 3, 2025

Mornin’ bluesologists, and welcome to Tuesday Bluesday as I head back to hardware hell, leaving you in the capable hands of The Music Mermaid. She’ll get you thorough a great Tuesday Bluesday until I return!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup!

9:00 a.m. The Best of Texas Blues: Various Artists

We kick off Tuesday Bluesday with a visit to Texas and music from Johnny Winter, Bobby “Blue” Bland, T. Bone Walker, Marcia Ball, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The King Bees, Freddie King, Janis Joplin, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Doyle Bramhall III, Ally Venable, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Big Mama Thornton, Albert Collins, ZZ Top, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and more!

4:00 p.m. The Blues Project Live at The Cafe A Go Go, New York, NY, November 24-27, 1965

This afternoon we’re in the Wayback Machine as we travel back in time for The Blues Project’s residency in the legendary Cafe A Go Go.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Slim Harpo

We close it out with bluesman extraordinaire Slim Harpo, guitarist, blues harp master, and a man steeped in the swamp blues style. Love him.

We’re moving into summer now and we’ll have some more ‘Spotlights’ coming up on the blues side of things as we move forward (never backwards). We’re on 24/7, not just when we have programming. We’re free. No strings. And no commercial advertising. The button of musical nirvana is below.

Best of Texas Blues!

Tuesday Bluesday Brings Our Big, Bad Blues EP, Live Albert Collins, and a T-Bone Walker ‘Spotlight’ Feature, May 27, 2025

Good morning, bluesologists! It’s another Tuesday Bluesday with our all-encompassing blues EP, Albert Collins live at The Fillmore, and a great ‘Spotlight’ featuring T-Bone Walker.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blues: Various Artists

This is our big one with Delbert McClinton, Robert Johnson, B. B. King, Little Walter, Slim Harpo, Ry Cooder, Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker, The Animals, Albert King, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, The Yardbirds, Janis Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Allman Brothers Band, Elmore James, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Robert Cray Band, J. J. Cale, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, James Cotton, Koko Taylor, Marcia Ball, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Susan Tedeschi, Roomful of Blues, Howlin’ Wolf, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and more!

4:00 p.m. Albert Collins Live at The Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA, December 26-28, 1969

This afternoon we jump into the Wayback Machine for some electric blues with Albert Collins.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of T-Bone Walker

We close out Tuesday Bluesday with singer, songwriter, musician and innovator of the jump blues, T-Bone Walker.

It’s another Tuesday Bluesday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and it’ll be another full house. There’s plenty of room for everyone, so join us. It’s quite simple, really. The button is below.

Tuesday Bluesday!

On Saturday It’s ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’, a Peter, Paul & Mary ‘Spotlight,’ and Live Linda Ronstadt, May 17, 2025

Welcome, weekenders! We’re at the weekend with some more great music coming your way, including one of the finest Linda Ronstadt concerts I had the pleasure to attend on my own home turf. Read on!

Here’s your Saturday musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

We start out with the Laurel Canyon crowd, two generations of musicians who fed off one another to create a true challenge to the chart ownership of The British Invasion and herald in the sound of country-rock. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Peter, Paul & Mary

Formed in New York City in 1961, Peter, Paul & Mary became the premier band of the great sixties folk revival. We’ll be increasing our folk content this year because I truly believe we’re in the midst of yet another revival.

8:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt Live at The Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA, May 14, 1995

I had the pleasure of attending this show. The late, great Valerie Carter was the opener and also joined Ronstadt for her time on stage. It was like listening to two angels singing. I’ve seen Linda Ronstadt many, many times during my lifetime and this was undoubtedly one of the finest performances ever.

We’re here. We’re totally free, and there are no strings attached. We’re not Spotify, and we think that’s a good thing. They’re now introducing ads to even their paid subscribers. We’re never going there. We’re all about the music. No. We admit you do not get to create playlists here. But this is radio.

Music From Laurel Canyon!

On Tuesday Bluesday the Ladies are in Charge, Then It’s Big Mama Thornton and Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, May 13, 2025

Good morning, bluesologists! Did you know that Fleetwood Mac had two lives? Before the addition of Buckingham-Nicks, they were a true blues band under the leadership of the late, great Peter Green. We give you that version today, and more!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

Some blues legends and some who simply paid homage to the genre, all legitimate. You’ll hear Billie Holiday, Big Mama Thornton, 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. In The Spotlight: The Music of Big Mama Thornton

From blues to rock n’ roll, Big Mama Thornton was a pioneer. She made the first version of Lieber & Stoller’s Hound Dog. Elvis made it famous, but Big Mama Thornton had a monster hit that stayed at number one for seven weeks on the R & B charts and sold 2 million copies at a time when women (let alone black women) were an afterthought in music.

8:00 p.m. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Live at The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA, January 30, 1970

Before Big Mac became a big pop-rock music entity, it was a blues band co-founded with John McVie by the late, great bluesman, Peter Green. That’s the version you get on Tuesday Bluesday.

Day two of another work week. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. No need to worry about being tracked or sent emails asking for you to buy anything. We’ve got nothing for sale. We give away great music for free. The button is below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

Today It’s CSNY Live at Woodstock, ‘Are You Ready for The Country’, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Live at the Isle of Wight Festival, on Saturday, May 10, 2025

We’re winding down on Festival Week, but we are far from being done! Our EP today is sandwiched between Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live at Woodstock ’69 and a vintage performance from folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young live at Woodstock ’69, Max Yasgur’s Farm, Bethel, NY, August 17, 1969

Today we’ve got CSNY’s full performance from Woodstock ’69, a complete acoustic set.

1:00 p.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

We return to our EP’s today with our big country and country-rock offering with songs from The Eagles, Asleep at the Wheel, Hank Williams, The Byrds, Patsy Cline, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Poco, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Jerry Jeff Walker, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, The Highwaymen, Carlene Carter, Rosanne Cash, Kris Kristofferson, The Desert Rose Band, Gram Parsons, John Prine and more!

8:00 p.m. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott Live at The Isle of Wight Festival, Afton Downs, Isle of Wight, UK, May 14, 1957

We’re jumping in the waaaaayback machine for this one, all the way back to 1957 from a performance by the legendary Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, who is still out there on the road at the age of 93.

It’s your time, weekenders, and The Mermaid Lounge welcomes you. We’re on 24/7, we’re free and there’s no commercial interruption. Join us for the end of Festival Week over the net couple of days. The button is below.

Festival Week!

Tuesday Bluesday Brings ‘The Best of Louisiana Blues,’ a John Lee Hooker ‘Spotlight’, and Live Yardbirds, May 6, 2025

Good morning and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday. We take a break from Festival Week just for today to carry on our blues tradition here in The Mermaid Lounge.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Louisiana Blues: Various Artists

We’ve got music from Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Roy Brown, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Marcia Ball, Dave Bartholomew, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of John Lee Hooker

One of the greatest of all time, he was the son of a sharecropper, a singer, songwriter and guitarist who developed an electric-guitar adaptation of the Delta Blues in Detroit. Hooker was a true innovator, who developed his own driving-rhythm boogie style.

8:00 p.m. The Yardbirds Live at B. B. King’s Blues Club, New York, NY, July 16, 2006

We close out the blues with Jeff Beck and the boys live from B. B. King’s club in New York, a great way to end a Tuesday Bluesday.

We’re taking a break from ‘Festival Week’ for just one day to carry out our great blues tradition. We’ll be back tomorrow with Woodstock ’69. In the meantime, tune us in for some great blues. The button is below! That’s all it takes.

Tuesday Bluesday!

Tuesday Bluesday Brings ‘The Best of Texas Blues’, Gunsmoke Blues, and a Peter Green ‘Spotlight’ (Finally), April 29, 2025

Good morning, bluesologists! We’ve got some great blues programming today. Our 4:00 p.m. slot has an interesting story. Read on for details!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Best of Texas Blues: Various Artists

We open it up with one of our great blues EPs featuring Johnny Winter, Bobby “Blue” Bland, T-Bone Walker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Marcia Ball, The King Bees, Freddie King, Janis Joplin, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Doyle Bramhall II, Ally Venable, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Big Mama Thornton, Albert Collins, ZZ Top, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and more!

4:00 p.m. Gunsmoke Blues: Various Artists

This is the stuff of legends. While on a filming break from the Gunsmoke TV series in November of 1971, blues lover Link Wyler and some of his friends from the production crew took to the road and documented the blues barnstorming tour of the Pacific Northwest underaken by Big Mama Thornton, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner and George “Harmonica” Smith. This is the result.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Peter Green NEW!

This one has been coming for a while. We give you the music of the late, great Peter Green as a solo artist, as the co-founder of Fleetwood Mac (originally a blues band before Nicks and Buckingham joined), and Peter Green’s Splinter Group.

Before, in between and after we give you our big, wide Open Stream of more than 30,000 songs. We don’t keep playing the same hundred songs over and over ad nauseum. We also don’t cost you a thing, play commercial advertising or talk through the music. We’re anti-capitalist to the core. Join us. The button’s below.

Tuesday Bluesday!

On Tuesday Bluesday It’s ‘Ladies Sing the Blues’, Live Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and a Rory Block ‘Spotlight’, April 15, 2025

Good morning, bluesologists and welcome to another Tuesday Bluesday. We’ve got a full plate of great blues programming and we start with The Mermaid Lounge in the care of the blues women.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

Five hours of the legendary blues women and those who keep it alive with Billie Holiday, 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. The Paul Butterfieid Blues Band Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA, October 14, 1966

We’re headed for the Wayback Machine with this performance from The Fillmore, a legendary blues band in a legendary venue!

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Rory Block

We close out the programming in style with a Rory Block ‘Spotlight’ featuring music over her long six-decade career.

Remember, before, in betwee and after our programming, we give you our big, wide Open Stream of more than 27,000 songs. It’s hard to find a repeat in a week, let alone a day. The button is below!

Da Blues. Da Button.

On Monday It’s Mudcrutch Madness, New Live Phil Ochs, and Our ‘Peace, Love & Understanding’ Playlist, April 14, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! Yes, it’s Monday all over again, but we’ve got some great music today that includes some brand new live Phil Ochs!

Here’s your Monday musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. Mudcrutch Monday Madness!

We’re in desperate need of a Mudcrutch Monday, so this is the day. We give you their complete catalogue including the best damned live version of my favorite Mudcrutch song, Hungry No More, recorded live right here at Boston’s House of Blues on their 2016 tour!

4:00 p.m. Phil Ochs Live at The Sall Claude Champagne, Montreal, Canada, October 22, 1966 NEW!

We take a trip in the Wayback Machine for this one as we begin to amp up our collection of protest music. It seems that this is the proper time in our history as a nation for that kind of programming, and so it shall be. No better way to start than with the late, great Phil Ochs. Pay attention, It’s coming.

8:00 p.m. Peace, Love & Understanding: Various Artists

In a world where there’s little of this, there’s plenty here in The Mermaid Lounge. We’ve got music from The Plastic Ono Band, Buffalo Springfield, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, War, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Curtis Mayfield, Ringo Starr, Dan Fogelberg, Norah Jones, The Derek Trucks Band, Cat Stevens, Elvis Costello, Peter, Paul & Mary and many more!

It’s a great day here. After what seems to be days of rain, the sun is back! Remember, in between our programming we give you our big, wide Open Stream. We’re never off the air, folks. The button is below.

The Button.

On Friday It’s ‘Money, Honey’, a Tracy Nelson ‘Spotlight’ Feature, and The Highwaymen Live, April 11, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! Today we’ve got plenty of wide Open Stream for you with our playlist about money (honey), music from Tracy Nelson, and a country supergroup!

Here’s your Friday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Money, Honey: Various Artists

We start out this morning with songs about money from The Beatles, Randy Newman, Van Morrison, The Kinks, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits, The Byrds, Rosanne Cash, Tom Rush, Allen Toussaint, Gerry Rafferty & Steelers Wheel, The Wallflowers, Jerry Jeff Walker, Laura Nyro, The Wallflowers, Willie Nelson and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Tracy Nelson

She’s a little bit country. She’s a little bit blues. She’s even got that country blues vibe. She’s also pretty fantastic.

8:00 p.m. The Highwaymen Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, March 14, 1990

We close out the programming today with the authentic outlaw country music supergroup of Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson.

We’re here and we’re always free of charge. We also don’t run commercial advertising because we’re not interested in selling you anything. No lie. The button is below.

The Button.