It’s Saturday and We’re in Laurel Canyon, Elvis is In The Spotlight, and Emmylou Harris is Live Later, May 18, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We have hit the weekend and we’ve got a great Saturday lineup for you today.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

We’re back in Laurel Canyon today where two generations of music helped create the country-rock sound, among other things. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Stephen Stills & Manassas, 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 Elvis Presley

The King is in The Mermaid Lounge this afternoon.

8:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & Spyboy Live at Kongresshaus, Zurich, Switzerland, January 20, 1997

A great performance by a woman who is not shy about shifting gears and making change. This was the band she put together to take her career-redefining album Wrecking Ball on the road. If you haven’t heard the album, you must.

I’m on the road early this morning on a mission of mercy, but The Music Mermaid has this under control. Talk to you all tomorrow!

‘Are You Ready for The Country’, a Guy Clark Spotlight and ‘Live’ Lukas Nelson & POTR on Saturday, May 11, 2024

Good morning, musicologists! We keep it on the country side today with our programming, both old school and country-rock, that great sound out of Laurel Canyon.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

Another EP out of mothballs this morning as we pay homage to the old standards and the country rockers with The Eagles, Asleep at The Wheel, The Byrds, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Poco, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Jerry Jeff Walker, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Carlene Carter, Rosanne Cash, The Desert Rose Band, Kris Kristofferson, Gram Parsons, John Prine, Tom Rush, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Guy Clark

Surely one of the absolute best country singer-songwriters ever. I know I’ve told this story before, but one dreadfully snowy night my friend George and I were walking around Harvard Square freezing when we decided to go into a place called Passim’s Coffee House to warm up. We had no idea who Guy Clark was, but we paid the cover charge and went inside. It was undoubtedly one of the best things I ever did in my life. I was totally hooked. And he played a mean fiddle to boot.

8:00 p.m. Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real Live at The Boathouse, Newport News, VA, June 14, 2018

We close out the country programming with Lukas Nelson and his great little band. Lukas comes from great country outlaw pedigree, so it’s no wonder we love him here in The Mermaid Lounge.

We’re here 24/7 for your listening pleasure, at absolutely no charge to you and with absolutely no commercial interruption. Ever. Just an occasional station I.D. bit courtesy of yours truly. That’s it. The button’s below.

It’s a Laurel Canyon Day with Our EP, The Lovin’ Spoonful and Stephen Stills & Manassas, Thursday, April 18, 2024

Today is a totally Laurel Canyon kind of day, as we feature the music from the artists who lived and made music there.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

We start it off with five hours of music from the bands that lived and made music in Laurel Canyon over two generations, including The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more! UPDATE COMING SOON!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Lovin’ Spoonful

We continue our tour of Laurel Canyon with a great sixties-seventies band formed in New York City in 1965 by John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky.

8:00 p.m. Stephen Stills & Manassas Live at The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 22, 1972

This often-forgotten supergroup was formed by Stephen Stills in 1971, mostly as a vehicle for Stills’ music. They released two albums before disbanding for good. Other members included Chris Hillman, founding member of The Byrds, Al Perkins, Dallas Taylor and Joe Lala.

We’re headed to the weekend once again and we’ll be here to help get you there with some great, commercial-free music. Did I mention we’re totally free and ask for neither a credit card nor your personal information.

The “Court & Spark” Finale, A Trip to Laurel Canyon, and ‘Live’ Heartbreakers on Saturday, March 16, 2024

Good morning, weekenders! We have made it to Saturday once again, and we’ve got some great stuff on tap, including The Heartbreakers 30th Anniversary Tour from Gainsville.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Court & Spark by Joni Mitchell FINAL AIRING!

Today we give you the final airing of this unbelievably amazing album, one of the best albums of all time, as we continue on the 50th anniversary roundup.

12:00 p.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

We’ve got an update on tap for this great playlist that covers two generations of musicians who lived and made music together in Laurel Canyon. It was the cross-fertilization of styles that helped usher in country-rock. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more!

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live From the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL, September 21, 2006

The photo on this post is from an earlier timeframe, but the energy The Heartbreakers brought to their live performances never changed over their amazing 40-year run. This would be the band’s 30th Anniversary Tour from their hometown, and it was a beauty.

Wake up and tune us in. We’re on 24/7; not just when we have programming. We’re continually circulating 27,000 songs daily. You never know what’s coming next, and that’s what we really like about radio. Those were the days. We didn’t have custom playlists, Spotify, or whatever else pay-for-play hell is out there. We had our transistor radios and endless summer days waiting for the next song to cue up.

Thursday Brings ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’, ELO’s AOW, and The Beatles’ Love Songs, February 15, 2024

Good morning, citizens! Today we’ve got the pioneers from Laurel Canyon, Eldorado by Electric Light Orchestra, and the love songs of The Beatles.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

Laurel Canyon was the proving ground for bands for two decades of music. They lived and worked in harmony cross-fertilizing each other and establishing the country-rock genre. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more! This one is due for an update soon!

4:00 p.m.  Album of The Week: Eldorado by Electric Light Orchestra

We are winding down on this album’s 50th birthday celebration. The final airing will be sometime Saturday.

8:00 p.m.  The Beatles: The Love Songs

We could not completely walk away from Valentines Day without this playlist. The Beatles were masters of the love song, and we’ve got them for you this evening.

Well, gang, we’re over the hump and on the downslide to another weekend. We’ll help you get there in musical style with some old music and some new additions! Tune us in. Just use the button below.

We’re in the Wayback Machine Heading for the Sixties, and We’ve Got Jackson Browne’s AOW, Thursday, January 25, 2024

Good morning, time travelers. We’re headed back to the early sixties today with ‘The Original Sixties Rotation’ EP, and we’ve also got some rare ‘live’ Hendrix.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

Personally speaking, the sixties and early seventies were the best of times in music. It is why I started the station to begin with. This EP features 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, The Temptations, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Bob Dylan, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Fats Domino and more!

4:00 p.m.  Album of The Week: Late For The Sky by Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne’s Late For The Sky, his third studio album, is the first album in our ‘Happy 50th Birthday’ series of albums to open up the new year.

Yes, there’s no venue in the title because this show was held on a farm on the lower slope of the Haleakala volcano on a makeshift stage. The only audience were a few hundred Maui residents who heard the show was happening and showed up. These folks got to see a rare, little-known Hendrix performance. There’s a long story behind how this show came about and why it was so “secret” to begin with. It’s explained here much better than I could ever manage.

It’s Simply Sunday With Kris Kristofferson’s New AOW and the ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP, January 14, 2024

Good morning and welcome to yet another simple Sunday here in The Mermaid Lounge as we give you a great new Album of The Week and spin the music from the fabled Laurel Canyon, the birthplace of country-rock.

Here’s your musical lineup:

This was Kristofferson’s fourth studio album released in 1972. Every response to the album was mixed, but his out-of-character religious song Why Me became a number one hit. How the song came about is explained here. Nevertheless, I loved the album and, in spite of the fact that the title song was released then faded, I think it’s one of his best.

3:00 p.m.  Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

We’re back visiting the inhabitants of Laurel Canyon, the birthplace of country-rock, a fertile creative landscape for two generations of musicians (sixties, seventies). You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Linda Ronstadt, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and more. Best of all, this one’s due for an update soon!

Friday Brings Our Big Folk Music EP, Henley & Frey’s Swan Song, and ‘Live’ Emmylou Harris, December 22, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! Are we in the Christmas spirit yet? We’ll make your day better with our big folk music EP, the final airing of Don Henley & Glen Frey and Emmylou Harris bring up the rear.

Here’s your musical lineup:

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

Yes, citizens, the music that helped spread social justice and consciousness. You’ll hear Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, 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, 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, Guy Clark, James Taylor, Harry Chapin, Townes Van Zandt, The Carter Family, Neil Young and many more!

4:00 p.m.  Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Don Henley & Glen Frey FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to Don Henley and Glen Frey today, the musical songwriting genius behind The Eagles.

8:00 p.m.  Emmylou Harris & The Desert Rose Band Live at Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley, CA, August 8, 1986

Emmylou Harris has traveled the world both assembling great bands and joining others. This time she’s on stage with Byrds founding member Chris Hillman and his Desert Rose Band.

We’re getting closer to both the weekend and the Christmas holiday! What better way to take the edge off than with great music. Hell, here we are. Give yourself a Christmas gift. It won’t cost you a penny.

The Boogaloo Swamis, Our ‘Ode to Morning EP’ and Henley/Frey Are Our Singer-Songwriters, Saturday, December 16, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We are here in The Lounge preparing for a great day of music courtesy of The Music Mermaid, including the debut of Don Henley and Glen Frey as our featured singer-songwriters.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m.  Album of The Week: Down At The Roadhouse by The Boogaloo Swamis FINAL AIRING!

Today is the final airing of this fine Cajun-Zydeco album by a little band out of Boston that certainly added to my musical appreciation of the genre.

12:00 p.m. Ode to Morning: Various Artists

We pay homage to the sunrise and the start to the day with Cat Stevens, Hoyt Axton, The Beatles, Neil Young, The Rascals, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Gram Parsons, Simon & Garfunkel, Taj Mahal, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Chapin, Three Dog Night, Ry Cooder, Tim Buckley, Muddy Waters, Jonathan Edwards, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Pure Prairie League, Badfinger, Chris Hillman and more!

This week’s singer-songwriters were part of the Laurel Canyon crew that helped fuse country and rock into a genre that spread like wildfire and was heard around the world. 

At Midweek It’s the ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP, Jesse Winchester and Tim Hardin, Wednesday, December 13, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! Today we give you five uninterrupted hours of music from Laurel Canyon, Jesse Winchester is our singer-songwriter, and we spotlight folk legend Tim Hardin later.

Here’s your midweek music:

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

Back in the day, the British musicians were taken by our Laurel Canyon artists, and vice versa. It’s called cross-fertilization. And Laurel Canyon was the home for two generations of American musicians like The Mamas & The Papas, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Doors, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, J.D. Souther, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson, The Eagles, Canned Heat, Carole King, James Taylor, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Jimi Hendrix and more!

4:00 p.m.  Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Jesse Winchester

Jesse Winchester returns for his second turn as our featured singer-songwriter.

Tim Hardin’s heroin addiction kept him from superstar status, but his songs found their way into the hands of many musicians during the sixties and seventies. Sadly, Hardin died in 1980 of a heron overdose at the young age of 39. Tonight, we put Tim Hardin in the spotlight where he belongs.