Category: Country

It’s a Sunny Day Out There and We’ve Got Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP and Nanci Griffith In The Spotlight Later, Friday, March 11, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! I personally love the morning with the sun up shining into The Mermaid Lounge. It’s a perfect day to spend with our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP. Later, it’s Nanci Griffith.

In the Spotlight today is Nanci Griffith, a singer-songwriter who kept one fot in folk, and the other in country.

Here’s your musical landscape for Friday:

11:00 a.m. Old To Morning: Various Artists

We have our EP about the night time, so you know we’d have to put one together about the morning hours, and it’s pretty damned good. You’ll hear Nanci Griffith (In the Spotlight later), The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Electric Light Orchestra, Emmylou Harris, Harry Nilsson, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Norah Jones, Todd Rundgren, Jefferson Airplane, Joni Mitchell, Foreigner, Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Badfinger, Chris Hillman, Hot Tuna, Fairport Convention, B.B. King, Cat Stevens and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Nanci Griffith

It sounds like marketing bullshit, but it’s the truth: Nanci Griffith was an American treasure. She was a singer-songwriter who was raised in Austin, Texas, and lived in Nashville. She kept one foot in folk music, and the other in country, and her beautiful voice was more than capable doing justice to both genres seamlessly. Nanci Griffith made many appearances on Austin City Limits beginning in 1985, and won a Grammy Award for her album, Other Voices, Other Rooms in 1994. She passed away in August of 2021 at the age of 68. If Nanci Griffith has fallen through the cracks on your musical journey, tune her in tonight.

We are here every day spinning the tunes (that’s, of course, simply for imagery in this computerized age), we’re on 24/7, and we never cost you a penny. You won’t have to “subscribe” to our service. You won’t be asked for a credit card. And we certainly will never ask you any personal information. We have our own problems here.

Morning Has Broken!

The Women Dominate the Day With Nina Simone, Joni Mitchell, and Bonnie Raitt, on Thursday, March 10, 2022

It’s International Women’s Week and we continue to celebrate here in The Mermaid Lounge. We have some great programming on tap for you today. So, come celebrate with us.

Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell and Nina Simone represent the women of music today!

Here’s Thursday’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Nina Simone

Nina Simone was an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, and civil rights activist. Her musical style married many genres, including jazz, blues, folk, classical, gospel and pop, and is often referred to as The High Priestess of Soul.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Home Plate by Bonnie Raitt

We say this every week, so why stop now. We are winding down on this week’s Album of The Week. This will be the second-to-last airing of Home Plate, so time’s a wasting if you want to hear it here. Saturday will be the final airing before a new selection is made.

7:00 p.m. Joni Mitchell Live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Morrison, CO, July 30. 1983

There are not many people who do not know Joni Mitchell. Her influence on pop music is legendary. She helped to expand and legitimize the folk music genre, but her repertoire covers many genres. In addition to folk music, Joni has drawn on pop, jazz, rock, and classical as she sings about romance and womanhood, as well as social and philosophical beliefs. She’s a woman of many musical styles and colors.

Come on, ladies. Get on this great International Women’s Week ride before the carnival is taken down. (Quite frankly, we consider every week women’s week, but we’re playing more than usual this week.) We run 24/7 at no charge to anyone; hell, we don’t even request personal information. Nor to we track it for our advertisers. And that’s because we do not accept advertising. Get the picture yet?

Ladies In Charge!

We Hit Our Midweek Stride With Our ‘Travelin’ Fever’ EP and Laura Nyro Live at The Fillmore, Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Good Morning, Travelers and Daydreamers. Today we’ve got our EP all about hitting the road, and we continue our celebration of the women of music with Laura Nyro.

Laura Nyro is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of her generation.

Here’s your midweek line-up:

10:00 a.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

When we were kids, my friends and I dreamed of buying a VW van and driving across country. We pretty much never made it out of the driveway, although we did drive to Nashville to visit the Grand Ole Opry. In this playlist you’ll hear Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, The Box Tops, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Canned Heat, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, The Who, The Eagles, Janis Joplin, Del Shannon, Guy Clark, Asleep at the Wheel, Jesse Winchester, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Led Zeppelin, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, Willie Nelson, the Marshall Tucker Band, Fats Domino and more!

7:00 p.m. Laura Nyro, Live at The Fillmore East, New York, NY, March 30, 1971

Sweet Blindness, Gonna’ Take a Miracle, Stoned Soul Picnic, Eli’s Coming…Laura Nyro wrote some brilliant songs that put others on the map. But there’s nothing quite like hearing her sing them herself. See for yourself tonight at 7:00 p.m.

We’re out there playing music for your listening pleasure 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. All totally free of charge, and we do not accept any advertising. We pay for this out of pocket as a labor of love. Tune us in. We’re not kidding here. No strings.

We’re Free 24/7

It’s Tuesday Bluesday and We Celebrate The Blues and Women’s Week Together, March 8, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! Yes, it’s Tuesday Bluesday and today we manage to deliver the blues and continue our tribute to the women of music quite handily, I must say!

We’ve got The Best of Chicago Blues on tap this morning!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Best of Chicago Blues: Various Artists

Yeah, this one is scheduled for an upgrade in the near future, but it’s still pretty damned good. You’ll hear Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor, Howlin’ Wolf, Magic Slim, Son Seals, Lonnie Brooks, Buddy Guy, Sonny Boy Williamson, and more! My friend Dave loves the Chicago Blues. He tunes it in every time.

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Home Plate by Bonnie Raitt

It’s perfect that this is our album of the week. Call it serendipity. Although Bonnie Raitt refuses to be pigeon-holed into one specific style of music and has expanded her repertoire over her long career, she is still a blues artist at heart and every song she makes has that blues aura about it. This album delivers on that. And did I mention that she plays that slide guitar like she was practicing in the womb?

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Marcia Ball

Here we have another great female blues artist who has been at it for nearly half a century. Born in Orange, Texas and raised in Vinton, Louisiana, she’s more than qualified to sing the blues. USA Today once described Marcia Ball as “a sensational, saucy singer and superb pianist… where Texas stomp-rock and Louisiana blues-swamp meet.” If you don’t know her by now, perhaps this is an excellent time to get to know her.

Every Tuesday is a blues day here in The Mermaid Lounge, and we are always on the hunt for great blues music to add to our repertoire. Join listeners today from Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, the UK, and points beyond. We’re totally free 24/7. The music never stops.

Tuesday Bluesday!

We Barrel Into Women’s Week With A Broad Spectrum of Programming From The Pioneers, on Monday, March 7, 2022

Good Morning, aficionados of music, particularly women’s music. Let’s face it, women still get the short end of the stick in the music world. And I’m not talking contractually. I’m talking as someone who listens to other radio stations and knows that women still do not get enough air time.

These are just a few of the women you’ll hear today!

Here’s your opening day line-up:

11:00 a.m. The All-Girl Revue, Volume Four: Various Artists

We’ve got five volumes of this so far, and this is the one we haven’t heard in the longest time. So, today is the day we break it out. You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson, Shawn Colvin, The Shirelles, Phoebe Snow, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Rosanne Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Carole King, Valerie Carter, Petula Clark, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Lydia Pense & Cold Blood, and more!

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Aretha Franklin

It’s only fitting that the first one In the Spotlight this week is the undisputed Queen of Soul, the first woman ever inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and whose career spanned a half century.

7:00 p.m. Linda Ronstadt & Friends: Duets and More

In spite of her incredibly successful solo career and her position as the Queen of Rock during the 70’s, Linda Ronstadt always preferred singing with others and dreamed of being in a girl group. She finally achieved that when she joined up with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris for the Trio albums. Here you’ll hear her sing with J. D. Souther, Randy Newman Ry Cooder, Hoyt Axton, Wendy Waldman, Neil Young, Ann Savoy, Paul Simon, Rosemary Clooney, Aaron Neville, Maria Muldaur and more. And you’ll hear her as lead vocalist, background singer, and harmony singer.

Every week is women’s week here in The Mermaid Lounge. People who listen to us regularly already know that. But this is a very special week, and we’re very happy to put the pedal to the metal and give you that little extra. We’re always free, and we’re always on the air 24/7. What could be better?

WOMEN’S WEEK!

We Kick Off International Women’s Week With Our ‘The Female Species’ EP, and Bonnie Raitt Owns Our Album of The Week, Sunday, March 6, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! You all know we’re focused on giving women a greater broadcast voice in music, and what better way to do that than celebrating International Women’s Week! We’ve got a great line-up for you today, and great plans for the week.

We kick off International Women’s Week today!

Here’s today’s line-up:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Home Plate by Bonnie Raitt NEW!

Home Plate, released in 1975, was Bonnie Raitt’s fifth studio album. Although she’s mostly described as a blues singer, Bonnie Raitt has managed to expand that repertoire over the years while maintaining her blues roots. And did we mention she plays that Fender Stratocaster like she was born with it in her hands? She is one of the finest slide guitarists on the planet. I loved Bonnie Raitt before this album. After Home Plate was released, it became adoration.

3:00 p.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

This will be a week to celebrate the women of music, but we start with songs that celebrate women, ladies, girls in the title, lyrics or both. Women have long been the subject of much joy and heartache in the music world, and we’ll give it to you here. You’ll hear from Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Temptations, and more!

We updated this list in February, so there’s an updated playlist under the Playlist tab of this blog.

This may seem like a modest start to the festivities, but stick around. The week is just beginning. We have some old favorites on tap and some new additions as we bolster our rotation with new and diverse women’s music.

Welcome To Women’s Week!

The Original Sixties Rotation EP, The Final Airing of “Revelator” and LIVE DEAD! Later, Saturday, March 5, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It has certainly been a challenging week having to put in more hours than normal in retail hell, but hey, the music is fine here in The Mermaid Lounge.

We’ve got the ORIGINAL Sixties Rotation EP on tap for today!

Here’s Saturday’s line-up:

9:00 a.m. The Original Sixties Rotation: Various Artists

Today we bring you the music that inspired our little radio station and launched a new generation of music never to be equaled. You’ll hear The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Mary Wells,, Dusty Springfield, Tommy James & The Shondells, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, Petula Clark, Buddy Holly, The Kinks, Neil Diamond, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Searchers, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, Bob Dylan, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, and more.

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Revelator by Tedeschi Trucks Band FINAL AIRING!

Today we bid a fond farewell to Revelator, the great studio debut album by the Tedeschi Trucks Band. When you wake up on Sunday, we’ll have a brand new selection for you.

10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Assembly Hall, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL, February 22, 1973 NEW!

Another great soundboard concert from the road warriors, this one from the University of Illinois. Remember, no two shows are ever the same…even on the same tour.

Great day to tune us in. Before, in between, and after, we have our great wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid, who is always fully in charge and ready to go. We run on musical adrenalin 24/7 with no commercial interruptions and no endless DJ chatter. Just music.

The Sixties!

Friday Brings Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP and The Allman Brothers Live at A & R Studios Later, March 4, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! I just got called into work…again, and I’m on the run. But today? We’ve got some great programming lined up.

We’ve got The Brothers live at A & R studios later!

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

You know what the J. Geils Band says, the night time is the right time. And so it goes that there are many songs about the night. Aside from the J. Geils Band, you’ll hear Warren Zevon, Poco, Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, The Traveling Wilburys, Linda Ronstadt, The Ronettes, Joni Mitchell, Wilson Pickett, Dr. John, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Gregg Allman, Steeler’s Wheel, Phoebe Snow, Sam Cooke, The Electric Prunes, Jimmy Cliff, and more!

7:00 p.m. The Allman Brothers Band, Live at A & R Studios, New York, August 26, 1971

Tonight, we bring back a live in-studio performance that we haven’t heard for a while. The night time is always the right time for these guys. Don’t miss it.

Before, in between, and after our programming, we bring you the best wide Open Stream. See for yourself by tuning us in. There’s no need for a credit card. All you need is a computer.

Here Comes The Night

We’ve Got an Open Stream Thursday Laced With Trifectas All Day Long, But First We Open With Our AOW, March 3, 2022

Hey, Music Lovers! We’ve got our first totally Open Stream day in a while and The Music Mermaid is fully in charge. We’ve also got Trifectas scheduled all day, and they are listed below!

Here’s the lay of the land for Thursday:

8:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Revelator by Tedeschi Trucks Band

Again, let me say how much I love this album. They were always a killer band on stage, but this album proves that they are a killer in the studio.

The rest of the day is wide Open Stream with Trifectas:

10:00 a.m. Paul Revere & The Raiders

11:00 a.m. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

12:00 p.m. The Lovin’ Spoonful

1:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

2:00 p.m. Valerie Carter

3:00 p.m. Carole King

4:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris

5:00 p.m. Badfinger

6:00 p.m. The Rolling Stones

7:00 p.m. The Rascals

Get on it, people. It’s free. We take no commercial advertising. We do not ask for personal information. We just play music. That’s all. 24/7. Non-stop.

Wide Open Stream!

It’s Not Just Tuesday Bluesday, But It’s Fat Tuesday, and That Means We Head Down to New Orleans, March 1, 2022

You know what they say, Music Lovers! Beware the Ides of March. But today? It doesn’t get any better as Fat Tuesday falls on Tuesday Bluesday, and that means a pretty good dose of Bluesiana!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Best Louisiana Blues, Volume 1: Various Artists

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Louisiana, New Orleans mostly, and I can tell you that the music is unbeatable. That’s where I was introduced to the Daywalkers and Chance Bushman, both local artists who have found their way into our rotation. But today, you’ll hear from the blues masters, like Clarence Frogman Henry, Little Walter, Bobby Charles, Muddy Waters Slim Harpo, Louisiana Red, Warren Storm, to name several. Don’t miss it.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Revelator by Tedeschi Trucks Band

Better still, it’s an all-blues Tuesday this week since we’re airing today’s premier electric blues bands and their debut killer album, Revelator. There’s no denying the greatness of Tedeschi Trucks, and that Derek Trucks is the finest blues guitarist on the planet right now.

7:00 p.m. The Best Louisiana Blues, Volume 2: Various Artists

We’re back in Louisiana for a spell this evening with volume two of our blues selection today. You’ll hear Big Bill Broonzy, Smiley Lewis, The Big Bopper, Earl King, Cookie & The Cupcakes, Lightnin’ Slim, Warren Storm, Frankie Ford, Joe Jones, more Muddy Waters, Slim Harpo, and Clarence Frogman Henry.

I made a great Fat Tuesday lunch for a friend on Monday. You should make yourself one today and enjoy all this great music. Hell, it won’t cost you a thing but time.

IT’S FAT TUESDAY!