Category: Gospel

We Head for The Weekend with Joan Baez, Carly Simon, and the Drumming of Ringo Starr, Friday, April 7, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We are one day away from the weekend and we’ve got Joan Baez In the Spotlight, Carly Simon’s final turn as our featured singer-songwriter and the best of Ringo’s drumming while a Beatle.

Here’s your musical landscape:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Joan Baez

Joan Baez is a legend in these here parts. Through sixty years of performing, she has consistently remained a voice for social justice. During that time, she has released more than thirty albums. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she has released songs in at least six other languages. Although she’s regarded mostly as a folk singer, her musical style over the years has expanded to include pop, folk rock, country and gospel. Although a songwriter herself, she prefers to interpret the music of others, including Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Jackson Browne, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, among others. Today she’s in the spotlight where she belongs.

3:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Carly Simon FINAL AIRING!

Carly Simon takes her final spin this afternoon as this week’s featured singer-songwriter. Tomorrow we will have another artist to unveil. Don’t miss it.

8:00 p.m. The Best of Ringo Starr, Drummer NEW!

We spent some time on this one because we think it’s important in a musical sense. Long before the Beatles employed Ringo, he was already respected in musical circles as a drummer for Rory Storm & The Hurricanes. The Beatles, in fact, lured him away and did so for a reason. Drummers around the globe respect Ringo. He has his own style, his own swing and his own sound, and he’s not concerned with drawing attention to himself with long, protracted drumming solos. Rather, Ringo gives the song what it needs. He’s part of its fabric, and that’s what talented drummers do. We combed through articles to put this playlist together, amassing the list from other drummers and musical artists. It includes Beatle songs from the start to The End, the only drum solo Ringo ever played as a Beatle.

Here we are on the brink of another weekend and, for those who celebrate, Happy Easter, Happy Passover or Happy Ramadan, as they all converge. We’re here with some great music 24/7 at no cost to the listening world. There is also no commercial advertising. We’re in it for the music.

Friday Has Arrived!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP, Our AOW, and Buddy Guy, April 4, 2023

It’s Tuesday Bluesday once again and we’ve got our Chicago blues EP on tap to start the day. Later we’ll have our AOW and Buddy Guy.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

We head to the Windy City for some blues with Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Bo Diddley, Koko Taylor, Lowell Fulson, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Son Seals, James Cotton, Paul Butterfield, Elmore James, Jimmy Reed , Otis Spann and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Prodigal Son by Ry Cooder

Cooder’s great 2018 gospel-influenced album get its second spin today.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Buddy Guy

Buddy Guy’s career started back in 1953. Since then, this great blues guitarist and singer has infuenced several generations of blues players. At 86, Guy is still performing live and is in the midst of his 2023 tour. Tonight he’s In the Spotlight.

It’s always a full house here on Tuesday Bluesday, but there’s always room for more, my friends. We’ve got some great stuff here today, all free of charge and commercial free. No lie.

Tuesday Bluesday!

Sunday in The Lounge Brings Ry Cooder and Our AOW and the ‘Color My World’ EP, April 2, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! As you know, we keep it simple here on Sundays. It’s our album of the week selection and an extended playlist as a rule. Read on to find out what’s on tap today!

Here’s Sunday’s lineup:

12:00 p.m. Album of The Week: The Prodigal Son by Ry Cooder NEW!

Released in 2018, this was Ry Cooder’s first studio album in six years and his sixteenth release overall. Although he has never lost his activist voice, this album returns him to the gospel-infused spirit of his early years. Without a doubt, this singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is a Mermaid Lounge favorite. It should also be noted that Linda Ronstadt considers Ry Cooder to be the finest guitarist she has ever heard or worked with. We here in the lounge respect Linda’s impeccable musical taste.

4:00 p.m. Color My World: Various Artists

Today’s multi-artist EP is about colors with music from Linda Ronstadt, Valerie Carter, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, Jonathan Edwards, George Harrison, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, John Hiatt, Joni Mitchell, Badfinger, Donovan, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Elton John, Procol Harum, Electric Light Orchestra, Amy Winehouse, The Who, Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Sam & Dave, Jefferson Airplane, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, The Hollies, Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Booker T & The MG’s, Lucinda Williams, John Cougar Mellencamp, Creedence Clearwater Revival and more!

It’s a day of rest. Consider this: If there is a big guy in the sky, they tell us he took the day off too. So my not you? Put your feet up, pull up a tab and tune us in. It won’t cost you a penny to give us a try, and you will not regret it!

Just Push Play.

On Saturday, We Introduce Van Morrison as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter, and Give You ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ (EP) Plus the Final Airing of Our AOW, February 11, 2023

Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a fine Saturday on tap for you today as some of us begin our weekend (mine doesn’t start until 5:00 p.m. this evening). But fear not. The Music Mermaid will be at the helm today.

Here’s today’s musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Van Morrison NEW!

Today we premier our new singer-songwriter, Northern Irish musician and multi-instrumentalist Van “the man” Morrison (to his many fans). Morrison’s music career spans seven decades, starting with his lead singer role with Irish R&B and rock band, Them, when he recorded the great garage hit Gloria.

12:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

As you know, every month is black music history month here in The Mermaid Lounge, and today we give you five hours of uninterrupted R&B and soul music featuring Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, James Brown, The Shirelles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Eddie Floyd, The Ad Libs, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Percy Sledge, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

8:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Poet, A Tribute To Townes Van Zandt, Various Artists FINAL AIRING!

Tonight we bid a fond farewell to this great album featuring artists like Emmylou Harris, Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, John Prine, the Cowboy Junkies and others paying homage to a great American singer-songwriter. Tomorrow we’ll have a brand new album for you.

Yes, it’s the beginning of the weekend and this is a great place to begin life in the no-work zone. We are stress-free: No subscription, credit card or personal information are ever required. We run 24/7 circulating more than 27,000 songs from my personal collection. Why not join our worldwide listeners today?

A Little Bit O’ Soul

The Weekend Has Officially Arrived! Today We Start It Off With Volume Two of Our Sixties Rotation, Move On To Our AOW, and Introduce Stevie Wonder as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter, Saturday, January 28, 2023

Good Morning, Weekenders! We’ve got some great stuff lined up for the weekend, but let’s start with today. We kick off the programming with volume two of our Sixties Rotation, and move on to Motown from there!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists

This is volume two of our sixties songfest, mostly covering the mid-to-late sixties, but we can never promise there won’t be some overlap between time periods. You’ll hear The Mamas & The Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, The Beach Boys, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Linda Ronstadt, The Byrds, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Blind Faith, the Spencer Davis Group, Elvis Presley, The Box Tops, The Doors, Marvin Gaye, Wilson Pickett, The Band, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, TheRonettes, The Kinks, The Beatles, Jimmy Cliff, The Zombies, Donovan, Velvet Underground, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin and more!

5:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Going To A Go-Go by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles FINAL AIRING!

Today is the swan song for this great album. Our final airing has arrived. Tomorrow when you roll (or fall) out of bed, we’ll have a brand new selection!

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Stevie Wonder NEW!

Today we intro Stevie Wonder as our featured singer-songwriter for the week. When he first started out, he was called “Little” Stevie Wonder because he was just eleven years old when he signed his first contract with Tamla Records, and just thirteen years old when his first No. 1 hit, Fingertips, was released. Wonder is widely recognized as a pioneer and major influencer in many musical styles, including rhythm & blues, pop, soul, gospel, funk and jazz. He has sold over 100 million records worldwide and has won 25 Grammy awards. You can read more about Stevie Wonder here.

As always, the majority of our 24-hour periods are devoted to our great wide Open Stream of more than 27,000 songs. We’re totally free of charge and do not accept commercial advertising. We’re simply all about the music. Join us.

The Sixties!

It’s New Year’s Eve and We Celebrate With The ‘M is For Motown’ EP, Our AOW, Jackson Browne as The New Featured Singer-Songwriter, and The Heartbreakers’ ’78 New Year’s Eve Concert, Saturday, December 31, 2022

Good Morning, Revelers! We’re celebrating New Year’s Eve (and day) all day today with some great music to get you through to the midnight hour and beyond!

Here’s your New Year’s Eve lineup:

9:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We kick it off early by paying a musical visit to Motor City (Motown) where you’ll hear the songs that put Motown on the map from the likes of Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Eddie Holland, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Rare Earth, Mary Wells, Tami Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes.

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Carney by Leon Russell FINAL AIRING!

This is the final airing of this week’s AOW. It’ll be in the history books tonight, and we’ll have a brand new album on Sunday.

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Jackson Browne NEW!

Tonight we launch Jackson Browne as our newest singer-songwriter. This is a guy who wrote songs for other artists in the sixties, but broke out on his own during the early seventies. He hasn’t stopped since.

10:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA, December 31, 1978

We close out the programming with a great live performace by our house band at their infamous New Year’s Eve concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. They are kickin’ ass and taking names.

Time to Tune us in as we get ready for a new year here in The Mermaid Lounge!

Happy New Year!

We’re at Midweek With Our ‘M is For Motown’ EP and a New Playlist Called ‘Instrumentally Speaking’ Later, Wednesday, November 30, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We are hitting our midweek stride and closing out November with our ‘M is For Motown’ EP, plus a brand new playlist of rock instrumental music later.

Here’s your midweek musical journey:

10:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We’re back with the music that made America get up off the sofa and dance! You’ll hear Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Eddie Holland, Edwin Starr, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Rare Earth, Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes, and many more!

7:00 p.m. Instrumentally Speaking: Various Artists NEW!

We’ve been thinking about this one for a while and finally had the time to put this together. This is an underappreciated genre, and we’ve decided to give it some shine. You’ll hear Mason Williams, the Edgar Winter Group, The Allman Brothers Band, Booker T & The MGs, Electric Light Orchestra, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Little Feat, the Jeff Beck Group, the J. Geils Band, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Jefferson Airplane, and more. We even toss in some great surf guitar music from Dick Dale, The Surfaris and the Blue Stingrays!

Before, in between and after, we’ve got that great wide Open Stream that runs 24/7 without interruption, endless chatter, or commercial advertising. We’re all about the music here.

M is For Motown!

The Work Week Rears Its Ugly Head But We’re All Set Here With John Prine, Al Green, and ‘Live’ Emmylou Harris With The Nash Ramblers To Get You Through Monday, November 14, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! We are back in The Mermaid Lounge to help you through yet another work week. And even better, the teeming masses start to follow the sales around in preparation for pissing away holiday money on gifts that will be obsolete in about an hour (if you have kids, that is).

Here’s today’s line-up:

10:00 a.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Prine

We’ve got our second airing of this week’s Singer-Songwriter Series featuring John Prine, one of the most amazing songwriters of all time whose Angel From Montgomery became Bonnie Raitt’s calling card. That’s what great singer-songwriters do. They create the vehicles for great vocalists.

3:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Al Green

At mid-afternoon, we’ve got the smooth soul sound of the great Al Green who brought us so many great hits like Let’s Stay Together, Take Me To The River, You Ought To Be With Me and more!

7:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers Live at The Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, April 30-May 2, 1991

Emmylou Harris put together an acoustic band for this event at the old home of the Grand Ole Opry over a three day period. This single event and the acclaim the resulting album brought was the impetus for renewed interest in The Ryman and led to its renovation after 20 years of being abandoned. It is now a concert hall. By the way, the resulting album from these shows won the Grammy for Best Album in 2017.

We’ve cut a wide swath here today with all kinds of musical programming coming your way, from folk to soul to country. And in between, we give you that great wide Open Stream! Close that office door pull up a tab and enhance your work environment. It’s not illegal. Yet.

Cursor Here, Please!

It’s Sunday Funday in The Mermaid Lounge and The Ladies Are In Charge, Including Janis Who Owns Our Album of The Week, November 13, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! It is officially Sunday in the Lounge and the living is easy here today. It’s rainy. It’s chilly. And the music is already rolling here as we welcome our usual Sunday morning listeners. You should join us too.

Here’s today’s musical journey:

11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama by Janis Joplin NEW!

Janis gets a spin for this week with her very first and only solo album released during her lifetime on September 11, 1969. This is the album she recorded right after leaving Big Brother & The Holding Company. She enlisted Sam Andrews, guitarist for Big Brother, to help with the project, as well as the Kozmic Blues Band. She also added a brass and horn section, something Big Brother would not allow when she was with them. This album was a departure from her psychedelic rock days as it was much more R & B- and blues-driven. This is the expanded 1999 release with ‘live’ tunes from Woodstock included and with a cover of Dylan’s Dear Landlord, with some new lyrics and a new arrangement by Joplin.

3:00 p.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

The women of rock own the programming today. After Janis makes her AOW debut, you’ll hear her right here along with Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, Shawn Colvin, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crow, Valerie Carter, Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton and more!

Ooooh, wheee! We’ve got a good one going today, music lovers, and you should be part of it. The Music Mermaid has chosen this day to put her sirens in charge of the music. It’s always a good choice. Join our full house of listeners from Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, California, Texas and Oregon this morning!

The Ladies are Here!

It’s Officially The Weekend and We’ve Got Our AOW, the ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, and John Prine as Our New Featured Singer-Songwriter, Saturday, November 12, 2022

We are officially now called Weekenders as we’ve made it to Saturday! We’ve got an outgoing Album of The Week, a brand new featured Singer-Songwriter, and five hours of uninterrupted soul and R & B in between!

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Sweet Harmony by Maria Muldaur FINAL AIRING!

Yes, folks, we’re at the farewell stage with this week’s Album of The Week from Maria Muldaur.Tomorrow when you awake, we will have already chosen the next album!

11:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

We’ve got our big, bad soul and R & B extended playlist on tap today bringing you five uninterrupted music from Soulsville, U.S.A. and beyond with Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, James Brown, The Shirelles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas The Box Tops, Jr. Walker & The All-Stars, Eddie Floyd, The Ad Libs, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Percy Sledge and more!

7:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of John Prine NEW!

John Prine is not new to our station by any stretch, but he is our newest featured Singer-Songwriter for this coming week. Considered primarily a performer in the country-folk genre, John Prine’s stories of love, loss and social justice were often tinged with a touch of sarcasm and wit. Perhaps his most famous composition is Angel From Montgomery, which became an iconic identifier for Bonnie Raitt. We kick off his week tonight.

Let’s go, folks. Get on board The Mermaid Musical Express as we take you through your Saturday. We’ve got listeners from Ireland, the UK, Chile, Portugal, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland, Texas, New York, and Colorado on this morning, Join them.

A Little Bit O’ Soul!