Category: In The Spotlight

Welcome Back to Tuesday Bluesday With ‘The Best of Chicago Blues’ EP, Our AOW, and Koko Taylor, March 7, 2023

Tuesday Bluesday is a ritual here in The Mermaid Lounge and it’s back again. We’ve got our big, bad Chicago Blues EP and Koko Taylor In the Spotlight later!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

We start off our first Tuesday of the month with our big, bad Chicago blues EP. You’ll hear 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: Bluesiana Triangle by Bluesiana Triangle

This was a short-lived band of jazz and blues greats Art Blakey, Dr. John, and David “Fathead” Newman and they put out one sweet album here.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Koko Taylor

Koko Taylor is often called The Queen of The Blues, and rightly so. Her potent singing style encompassed Chicago Blues, electric blues, soul blues and straight-up R & B. We’ve got her In the Spotlight tonight.

It’s always a full house around here on Tuesday Bluesday and there’s plenty of room for everyone, so jump on in!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

We Start Off the Work Week With Dylan’s 1966 Concert at Royal Albert Hall, Valerie Carter In the Spotlight, and Some Live Little Feat Later, Monday, March 6, 2023

We kick off the work week in style today with three great programming interludes interspersed among all that great wide Open Stream!

Here’s your Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Bob Dylan Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, May 17, 1966

Dylan was just about 24 years old when he played the Royal Albert Hall in London. We have that performance here to kick off our programming today.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Valerie Carter

Valerie Carter began her singing career in coffeehouses as a teen, then became part of a trio called Howdy Moon. The band released one album, now fairly obscure. However, she wrote the song Cook With Honey, which became a hit for Judy Collins later and managed to meet Lowell George of Little Feat, who produced her next album and became her mentor until his death. He introduced her to Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt and so it began. Valerie Carter has an amazing voice and that girl can sing. Give a listen as we continue to celebrate Women’s (Musical) History Month.

7:00 p.m. Little Feat Live at The Rainbow Room, London, August 4, 1977

Speaking of Little Feat, we’re back in London tonight for their performance at The Rainbow Room. It’s a good one. Don’t miss it!

Let me repeat. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free of charge and free of commercial advertising. We have absolutely nothing to sell you. Not even a subscription. Because you don’t need one. What more can you ask for?

Monday! It’s Back!

We Leap Over the Hump With Our ‘Color My World’ EP, Our AOW, and The Animals In the Spotlight, Thursday, March 2, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’re over the week’s hump as we start the downslide to the weekend, and we’ve got three slots of great programming for you today.

Here’s your Thursday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Color My World: Various Artists

We start out with songs that refer to colors in the title, lyrics or both! You’ll hear Linda Ronstadt, Valerie Carter, The Kinks, The Beatles, The Traveling Wilburys, Jonathan Edwards, George Harrison, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, 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, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Cougar Mellencamp and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Innervisions by Stevie Wonder

Many have said that this is the album where Stevie Wonder took a giant leap into more self awareness and social consciousness. It certainly helped him shed that “Little” Stevie Wonder aura.

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

The Animals were a great blues-rock band founded in the early sixties in Castle upon Tyne in England. Their driving force was the great voice of Eric Burdon.

We’re on 24/7 at no charge to you. No surprises. No lie. This is truly a labor of love. It’s all about the music. Come see for yourself.

Color My World!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday in The Lounge and We’ve Got a Delbert McClinton Spotlight, Stevie Wonder’s AOW and Live Tedeschi-Trucks Later, September 28, 2023

Good morning, Bluesologists! We’re closing out the month of February with some great blues from Delbert McClinton and Tedeschi-Trucks. Read on for details!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Delbert McClinton

Delbert McClinton is a blues rock and electric blues singer, songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player and pianist of extraordinary talent. He has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards and won four. He has had four albums reach number one on the Blues chart. He made his first stage appearance in 1957 and completed his most recent tour in 2018. Delbert McClinton is a legend to us here in The Mermaid Lounge and today he’s In the Spotlight.

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Innervisions by Stevie Wonder

We go from electric blues to rhythm & blues with the second airing of Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, our Album of The Week.

7:00 p.m. Tedeschi Trucks Band Live at The Orpheum Theater, Madison, WI, March 18, 2015

Tonight it’s back to big, bad electric blues with the finest big blues band and one of the premier blues guitarists ever in Derek Trucks. We’ve got them live tonight in Wisconsin.

It’s always a hot ticket here in The Mermaid Lounge on a Tuesday Bluesday, so give us a listen and tune us in. There’s plenty of room for everyone, and no charge to anyone.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

The Work Week Begins With The Mamas & The Papas, BeauSoleil Live in Louisiana, and Emmylou Harris Live in London, Monday, February 27, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’re on our last Monday of the month of February and we’ve got some great music lined up, including brand new ‘live’ Emmylou Harris!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: the Music of The Mamas & The Papas

Whenever I talk about the Laurel Canyon set, this is one of the first bands that comes to mind. When I was a mere kid, I wore out every vinyl album of theirs that I owned. Today we put them In the Spotlight where they belong.

3:00 p.m. BeauSoleil Live in Louisiana!

I know many will be saying “who the hell is BeauSoleil?” Well, allow me to enlighten you. Led by fiddler Michael Doucet, BeauSoleil has been making great Cajun music for more than 30 years and has been called the world’s greatest Cajun band. The sounds of Louisiana are among my favorites. This selection of live songs was culled from their 2006 post-Katrina tour that included several benefit performances.

7:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris with The Daniel Lanois Band Live at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London, UK, November 23, 1995 NEW!

This tour was in support of Emmylou’s amazing Wrecking Ball album, a collaboration with Daniel Lanois. At the age of 48, Emmylou felt the need to redefine herself to some degree, moving away from her traditional acoustic sound and taking a harder edge. The album won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

We start off Monday with a bang, folks. I know many of you are back at work, but if you work in an office, that’s perfect. Shut your door, pull up a tab and click the button below. I promise there is no subscription required, no forms to fill out and no credit card necessary.

Monday, Monday

We’re at Midweek With ‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ EP, Kate & Anna McGarrigle as Our Featured Singer-Songwriters and The Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas, In the Spotlight, Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We’re at midweek as we look toward the weekend, and we’ve got a spectacular programming lineup for you today that starts off with our ode to the early sixties!

Here’s your midweek music:

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

We’re back with our homage to the early sixties, the years of the British Invasion and when American popular music was transforming itself. You’ll hear Del Shannon, Little Eva, The Drifters, The Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Hollies, The Walker Brothers, Mary Wells, Dusty Springfield, The Searchers, The Monkees, Sonny & Cher, Petula Clark, Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, The Dave Clark Five, The Supremes, Harry Nilsson, The Band, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Simon & Garfunkel, Blind Faith, Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Bob Dylan, Procol Harum, The Temptations, Fats Domino, The Rolling Stones, and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Kate & Anna McGarrigle

We’ve got our second airing today of the brilliant music of Kate & Anna McGarrigle, whose compositions contributed to the success of so many artists, including Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris and Judy Collins.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas was a contemporary of Aretha Franklin, but she never achieved the national spotlight like Aretha did. Sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw, because Irma Thomas is one hell of a soul and R & B singer, and is known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans. We turn our spotlight on her this evening. Give her a listen.

It’s midweek and, as they say, it’s all downhill from here but in a good way. We’re on 24/7, as our international listeners know, and we play music non-stop, not just when we have programming. We’re also totally free and totally free of commercial advertising.

It’s Midweek Madness!

Tomorrow is Officially Fat Tuesday and The Grand Finale of Mardi Gras Season, So The Mermaid Lounge Celebrates With Our ‘Down in New Orleans’ EP and The Neville Brothers In The Spotlight Later, Monday, February 20, 2023

Yes, folks, we’ve been in the midst of Mardi Gras and that is party time in party town! Since tomorrow is Tuesday Bluesday, we are celebrating today. Some of the greatest music on the planet comes from New Orleans and we’re giving it to you today!

Here’s your Mardi Gras lineup:

10:00 a.m. Down in New Orleans: Various Artists

We start off the day with just over four hours of great music from New Orleans. We feature original cajun/zydeco bands as well as artists who were born in New Orleans. Some of the band in this EP were ‘locals’ I discovered on a 2014 trip to The Big Easy. You’ll hear Fats Domino, Lucinda Williams, Professor Longhair, Boozoo Chavis, Tony Joe White, Kermit Ruffins, Louis Armstrong, The Daywalkers, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Neville Brothers, Chance Bushman, The Boogaloo Swamis, La Touche, Irma Thomas (the Soul Queen of New Orleans), Kermit Venable, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Allen Fontenot and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Neville Brothers

The Neville Brothers are an R & B, soul and funk band formed in New Orleans in 1976. The members consisted of brothers Aaron, Art, Cyril and Charles, and have also intermittently included Aaron’s son, Ivan (keyboards) and Art’s son, Ian (electric guitar). They have officially disbanded, but they have left behind a legacy of great music.

Before, in between, and after we have our wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. We are on 24/7 uninterrupted by commercial advertising and overly-talkative DJ’s. Tune us in, folks. Join your friends from around the world.

It’s Mardi Gras!

Welcome To Tuesday Bluesday! We’ve Got Our ‘Best of Louisiana Blues’ EP, Edgar Winter’s Tribute to Johnny, and Stevie Ray Vaughn In the Spotlight, February 14, 2023

It’s Tuesday Bluesday once again and we have got ourselves a blues trifecta going on today. All of the programming is blues related. It doesn’t get any better than that. Happy Valentines Day, folks! We LOVE da blues here.

Here’s today’s Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

When it comes to music, Louisiana is culturally rich on many levels, including the blues. This is our newest blues EP, and you’ll hear familiar voices along with some you may not know, including Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Roy Brown, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Dave Bartholomew and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Brother Johnny by Edgar Winter

We have the second airing of Edgar Winter’s 2023 Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Blues Album, a tribute to the great bluesman and high-energy guitarist Johnny Winter. Not to be missed.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Stevie Ray Vaughan

SRV, as he is lovingly known, is probably best known as the front man for the blues trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, but he was more than that. His mainstream career spanned just seven years before his tragic death, but he is on the tip of everyone’s tongue in the blues world. He is one of the most influential artists of the blues genre, and one of its most revered guitarists.

Tuesday Bluesday is always a busy listening day in The Lounge. We’re crowded around the world here. Today will be no exception. Why not give us a listen today? You’ve got nothing to lose, and it won’t cost you a penny. Seriously. Ever.

Tuesday Bluesday!

We Are at The Week’s End and We’re All About The Women Today With Bonnie Raitt, Bobbie Gentry and Carole King. It’s Friday, February 10, 2023.

Good morning, music lovers across the globe! We’ve made it to Friday and it’s a Ladies Day Only with the programming today (but not all the stream) and with good reason. Read on for details!

Here’s Friday’s musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Bonnie Raitt UPDATED!

Today we celebrate Bonnie Raitt’s eleventh Grammy, won just earlier this week in what even she considered a stunning upset. It was for Song of the Year, winning for the first time as a composer for the song Just Like That from her latest album. She’s not only a great singer and songwriter, she’s a badass slide guitarist. Winning at the age of 73 proves that the generation of artists we built this station around has staying power. We’ve updated the playlist as well to include our favorite newer songs by Bonnie.

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Bobbie Gentry FINAL AIRING!

This is the final airing of Bobbie Gentry as our featured singer-songwriter this week. She was an amazing songwriter who just wanted to write songs for others to sing, but it didn’t quite work out that way. She charted 11 singles before she moved into what we consider early retirement in the late seventies. She never wanted the limelight, but her unique talents changed her path for a time.

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Carole King

This evening we celebrate Carole King, who is not only in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but also in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her list of compositions has got to be more than a mile long. On February 9, Carole King turned 81 years young, and today is the 52nd anniversary of the release of her seminal album Tapestry.

Every month is Woman’s month here in The Mermaid Lounge, but you can expect a little more focus as we move into March and International Women’s Month. We’re giving you a preview here. We’re totally free 24/7 with no commercial advertising. As we continue to say, it’s all about the music.

Ladies Invited Day!

We’re Heading to the Weekend With Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, Our AOW Tribute to Townes Van Zandt, and Allen Toussaint In the Spotlight, Thursday, February 9, 2023

Good morning, folks! On Sunday we had our EP about the night time being the right time. Today we’ve got our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, along with our Townes Van Zandt tribute AOW and the great New Orleans R & B master, Allen Toussaint.

Here’s Thursday’s lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Poet, A Tribute To Townes Van Zandt, Various Artists

We’re back with our AOW, this time in a fairly early morning airing for our listeners outside the U.S. You’ll hear John Prine, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith and others singing the great songs of one of America’s premier songwriters.

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

Today we have our ode to the sunrise, and it’s certainly a beautiful one here outside of Boston, although they are predicting rain for later today. You will hear Joni Mitchell, The Move, Fleewood Mac, Foreigner, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nina Simone, Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Dan Fogelberg, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Linda Ronstadt, Jonathan Edwards, Townes Van Zandt, Pure Prairie League, Bob Dylan, Chris Hillman, Badfinger and more!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Allen Toussaint

Some of the greatest music comes out of the city of New Orleans, and Allen Toussaint was certainly a great music ambassador from the city. A musician, songwriter, arranger and producer, Toussaint was a legendary figure in New Orleans R & B from the 1950’s to the end of the century. Many recorded his compositions and he produced hundreds of songs, including Right Place, Wrong Time by his good friend Dr. John, and Lady Marmalade by LaBelle.

It’s always Black History Month here in The Mermaid Lounge, but we’ll be picking up the pace even more as we move through the month of February, so keep us dialed in. We’re totally free 24/7 with no commercial advertising. What’s not to love?

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