Category: Rock n’ Roll

It’s ‘Ladies Day Out’ in The Mermaid Lounge, the Final Airing of “No Dice,” and the Introduction of Karla Bonoff as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter on Saturday, April 15, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We have reached the first full day of the weekend! We have a great day with our five-hour, all-women music extravaganza to kick things off!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

Yes, the women of music own The Mermaid Lounge for a chunk of the day today. You will hear Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon, Emmylou Harris, Petula Clark, Laura Nyro, Cilla Black, Irma Thomas, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Etta James, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Maria Muldaur, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash, Eva Cassidy, Wendy Waldman, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crow, Valerie Carter, Susan Tedeschi and more!

5:00 p.m. Album of The Week: No Dice by Badfinger FINAL AIRING!

We bid a fond farewell to this great power pop album by Badfinger, the album that put them on the map, particularly in the U.S., and gave us the hit No Matter What. Tomorrow there’ll be a brand new album here for you.

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Karla Bonoff NEW!

Although Karla Bonoff has released several really wonderful albums, she is best known as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation. Linda Ronstadt feasted off Karla’s work, including Someone To Lay Down Beside Me, Lose Again, Trouble Again and others. Others who have sung Karla’s songs include Wynnona Judd, Lynn Anderson, and Bonnie Raitt (an amazing rendition of Home for one). Tonight, we get to hear Karla sing her compositions herself.

It is Saturday, folks, and we’ve made it to the weekend. Why not give yourself a real treat and tune us in. We’re on 24/7. We’re totally free of charge. We do not run any commercial advertising. And we offer great programming you won’t hear anywhere else. What’s not to love here?

Ladies Day Out!

Friday Brings a Tribute to The Queens, Steve Winwood’s Final Turn as Our Featured Singer-Songwriter and Some ‘Live’ Byrds, April 14, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’ve made it to the end of the work week (for most) and we’ve got a great lineup for you today.

Here’s Friday’s musical lineup:

11:00 a.m. The Byrds Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, February 7-8, 1969

The Byrds recorded live over a two-night stint at the historic Fillmore West.

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

This is our farewell airing to Steve Winwood as our featured Singer-Songwriter for this week. Tomorrow we will introduce a brand new artist, and we’re sure you’re going to love her.

7:00 p.m. Long Live The Queens: Various Artists

We haven’t heard this one in a while, and it’s time. We pay tribute to Linda Ronstadt, the Queen of Rock, Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul, Irma Thomas, the Soul Queen of New Orleans, and Koko Taylor, Queen of The Blues. Don’t miss it.

Great day to tune us in, folks. We’ve got some great music on tap, and we’re totally free 24/7 with no commercial advertising. Just do it.

Long Live The Queens!

On Thursday It’s Our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, Our AOW, and a Brand New Playlist Called ‘Those Shoes’, April 13, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We’re on our way to the weekend with ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ which is our far-ranging soul and rhythm & blues EP to kick things off.

Here’s your Thursday programming:

9:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

This one isn’t just Motown, it’s our far-ranging soul and rhythm & blues EP 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, The Supremes, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Eddie Floyd, Ann Peebles, The Ad Libs, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Percy Sledge, Al Green and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: No Dice by Badfinger

This is our next-to-last airing of this great album that put Badfinger on the map. The final airing will be sometime Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Those Shoes: Various Artists NEW!

This was a fun one to put together, a multi-artist playlist about shoes of all kinds from Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Jesse Winchester, Emmylou Harris, Elmore James, Leon Russell, Elton John, Townes Van Zandt, The Band, Elvis Costello, The Eagles, Laura Nyro, Norah Jones, Maria Muldaur, Betty Everett, Richie Havens, Traffic, Dan Fogelberg and more!

Get on board the music train, kids! You don’t need no stinking tickets. It won’t cost you a cent. All you need is a free tab and a mouse. We’re on 24/7 and we’re commercial free!

Just Push Play!

Midweek Brings the ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, Steve Winwood, and Volume Two of ‘Repeat After Me’ on Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Good morning, music lovers! We are at the midweek portion of the program here in what we call the ‘real world’ and we’ve got some great music on tap today! Read on for details!

Here’s your midweek lineup:

9:00 a.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists

We’ve paid homage to evening, now it’s time for the morning light to receive its due. You’ll hear 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 Joni Mitchell, The Move, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nina Simone and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Steve Winwood

Steve Winwood returns for his second airing today as our featured singer-songwriter.

8:00 p.m. Repeat After Me, Volume Two: Various Artists

You heard the first volume earlier in the week and now we’ve got volume two on tap with The Mamas & The Papas covering the Shirelles, Tom Petty covering Fats Domino, Joe Cocker covering The Box Tops, The Eagles covering Jackson Browne, The Traveling Wilburys covering Del Shannon, Linda Ronstadt covering Kate & Anna McGarrigle, The Beatles covering The Isley Brothers and you should get the picture here.

After today, we get closer to the weekend (yeah, I know, not quite close enough yet), right? So it gets better from here. We’ll help you get there with less pain if you tune us in. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. No lie. Try us.

We’re at Midweek!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With Our ‘Best of Louisiana Blues’ EP, Our AOW and ‘Live’ Robert Cray Band Later, April 11, 2023

Good morning, bluesologists! We have another Tuesday Bluesday on tap here in The Lounge and we kick it off with five hours of uninterrupted blues from Louisiana!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

There’s nothing like music from Louisiana. It has its own style, and that includes da blues. You’ll hear 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: No Dice by Badfinger

We take just a slight break in the blues programming to give you the second airing of our Album of The Week, the album that put Badfinger on the map.

The Robert Cray Band Live at The Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA, December 2, 1995 NEW!

A live performance by Barack Obama’s favorite bluesman and his band billed as the 10th Annual Concert for Kids and broadcast on KFOG-FM closes out our blues programming for today.

It’s always a busy day on Tuesday Bluesday as we already have folks from Ireland, Greece, Italy, the UK, France, Australia, Spain, Portugal, Norway, The Netherlands and point beyond tuned in. Why not join them?

Tuesday Bluesday!

We’ve Got Mudcrutch Monday Madness, Maria Muldaur, and Volume One of ‘Repeat After Me’ on April 10, 2023

Good morning, Mudcrutch maniacs! Today we’ve got the full Mudcrutch slate of music (we’ll tell you why below) along with Maria Muldaur In the Spotlight and volume one of ‘Repeat After Me’ a playlist of covers by our favorite bands.

Here are today’s musical details:

10:00 a.m. Mudcrutch Monday Madness!

Tom Leadon, who was Tom Petty’s childhood friend and founding member and lead guitarist of Mudcrutch, passed away on March 22 from natural causes at the age of 70. He was also, at various times the bass player in Linda Ronstadt’s band. He was brother to Bernie Leadon, a founding member of The Eagles. This seems like a good time to break out the entire Mudcrutch catalogue in memory of Tom.

3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Maria Muldaur

Maria Muldaur began her illustrious career as part of the great folk revival of the sixties, playing the Greenwich Village clubs with Bob Dylan and John Sebastian. She then joined the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. When they disbanded, she embarked on her solo career recording albums in the folk, blues, early jazz, gospel, country, and R&B traditions. She also provided backup and harmony vocals on several Linda Ronstadt albums. We love Maria here in The Mermaid Lounge and today we put her in the spotlight.

7:00 p.m. Repeat After Me: Various Artists

We haven’t heard this one in a while. We have two volumes of this one. You’ll hear the second one later in the week. We are also working on volume three for later this month. These are great fun because we get to hear different versions of the same song by different artists. In this one, we have The Heartbreakers covering The Byrds, Tracy Nelson covering Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris covering Simon & Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt covering Little Feat, Three Dog Night covering Laura Nyro, The Beatles covering Barrett Strong, Joan Baez covering The Band…you get the idea.

A great rock and roll pioneer once sang that he hated blue Monday. Why not make yours better by tuning us in? We’re on 24/7 totally free and without commercial advertising. It’s nothing but wall-to-wall music here.

Monday, Monday

We Keep It Simple Today With Badfinger’s “No Dice” as Our AOW and ‘The Female Species’ EP, Sunday, April 9, 2023

Good morning, and if you’re celebrating, Happy Easter, Happy Passover and Happy Ramadan one and all! We’re keeping it simple as usual on this fine, sunny Sunday.

Here’s your holiday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Album of The Week: No Dice by Badfinger NEW!

I fell in love with Badfinger early on, and I supposed that’s because I could hear the influence of The Beatles. However, Badfinger was its own juggernaut, helping to create what is known as the power pop genre. It was the one band Apple Records signed that became a big time entity, in spite of the fact that their future held nothing but tragedy. Our album of the week, however, No Dice, was their third studio album released by Apple on November 9, 1970, and helped to expand the group’s popularity, particularly abroad. It was the first to feature lead guitarist Joey Molland. It also gave us the hit No Matter What, and the first recording of the song Without You, which would later become a huge hit for Harry Nilsson.

1:00 p.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not music by women, but it is music about women, girls, ladies, and chicks by artists like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Talking Heads, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eatles, Elvis Presley, Electric Light Orchestra, Fleetwood Mac, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, The Temptations, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Rolling Stones, Peter & Gordon, The Rascals and more!

Before, in between and after it’s our great wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. She’s always on duty and has impeccable taste in music, as you well know by now. In between your celebrations, tune us in. We’re on 24/7, no matter what day it is.

Happy Holidays!

Saturday Brings Our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, the Final Airing of Our AOW, and Steve Winwood as Our Singer-Songwriter, April 8, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We have finally reached mecca! Today we’ve got a great EP of songs about the night, the final airing of our Ry Cooder AOW and the legendary Steve Winwood as the new featured singer-songwriter.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

10:00 a.m. Here Comes The Night: Various Artists

The night time is the right time, according to many artists. You’ll hear Warren Zevon, the J. Geils Band, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Them, The Beatles, Van Morrison, Patti Smith, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bruce Springsteen,The Kinks, The Electric Prunes, Phoebe Snow, Joe Walsh, The Eagles, The Ronettes, John Cougar Mellencamp, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, The Doors, Poco, Neil Diamond, The Animals, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Don McLean, Steve Winwood, Cat Stevens and more!

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

We bid a fond farewell to Ry Cooder’s great album today. Tomorrow we’ll have a brand new selection for you.

8:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Steve Winwood NEW!

Today we introduce a most deserving candidate for our featured singer-songwriter in Steve Winwood. He was a member of three legendary sixties bands in The Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith. He wrote Gimme’ Some Lovin’ at the age of fifteen. He also had a massively successful solo career. Tune him in tonight to see why he’s a Mermaid Lounge favorite.

Let’s cut to the chase: We’re on 24/7. We’re free. We don’t accept any commercial advertising. And we don’t employ chatty DJ’s who talk through the beginnings of songs. Does that work for you?

Winwood is In The Lounge!

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!

We Head for the Weekened with The Band’s Final Concert, Our AOW, The Rascals, and a Replay of Petty Live at The Vic, on Thursday, April 6, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We are heading for the weekend and we’ve got a busy Thursday for you, including a by request replay of a Petty favorite and The Band’s final show ever, also known as ‘The Last Waltz.’

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The Band Live at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA, November 26, 1976

A fine Thansgiving it was as The Band played their last show ever with some of their friends, including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Paul Butterfield, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, The Staples, Neil Diamond, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Bobby Charles, and more!

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

We’ve got one more airing of this great gospel-inspired album after today, and that will be sometime on Saturday! Get it while you can!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Rascals

One of the finest bands ever was formed in 1965 in Garfield, New Jersey. Between 1966 and 1968 they owned the top twenty of The Billboard Hot 100 with nine hits. Tonight they are In the Spotlight.

11:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL, April 19, 2003 By Request

We just aired this one in late March, but we had a few requests from people both here and abroad requesting a repeat performance because they missed it. We’re giving it to you tonight. One of Petty’s best.

We’re on the run this morning for another opening shift, but we’re leaving you in the capable hands of The Music Mermaid. She has impeccable taste in music and will make you happy until I return.

The Weekend’s in Sight!