Category: The Blues

We’re at Midweek With Our Multi-Artist ‘Folk Music From A-to-Z’ EP and Chuck Berry In The Spotlight, Wednesday, October 19, 2022

We hit our midweek stride with a great EP focused on folk music and folk-rock. We play both the great pure folk artists (like Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan), along with those who pay homage to the musical genre (like The Beatles and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers). Later, we put Chuck Berry front and center.

Here’s your midweek lineup:

10:00 a.m. Folk Music From A-to-Z: Various Artists

We’ve got them all here in this playlist. You’ll hear 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, Joan Baez, 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, The Carter Family, Harry Chapin, Linda Ronstadt, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and more!

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Chuck Berry NEW!

Tonight we put a rock n’ roll pioneer, one of its Founding Fathers, In the Spotlight as we celebrate his birthday (belatedly, it was October 18). John Lennon once said this about Chuck Berry, “If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it ‘Chuck Berry.'” Indeed.

Before, in between, and after we’ve got that great wide Open Stream all day and all night long, because we run 24/7, not just when we have programming. You are in the hands of The Music Mermaid who, as you well know, has impeccable taste in music.

Happy Birthday, Chuck Berry!

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With The Blues Project and The Robert Cray Band with Stevie Ray Vaughan on October 18, 2022

Good Morning, Blues Lovers! We have got a dandy lined up today with The Blues Project doing a ‘live’ gig in Central Park and SRV out there with The Robert Cray Band. In between, it’s our AOW.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Blues Project Reunion in Central Park, New York, October 24, 1973

This reunion, recorded at the Schaefer Festival in 1973 is amazing, in light of their nasty break-up six years prior. The band that helped pioneer blues-rock included Andy Kulberg, Roy Blumenfeld, the great Al Kooper, Steve Katz and Danny Kalb. They were all on the same page for this one and, if there was any acrimony remaining, it certainly didn’t show.

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Their Satanic Majesties Request by The Rolling Stones

We interrupt our blues programming for a bit of psychedelia from The Stones with the second airing of our Album of The Week. Funny thing is, the Rolling Stones are steeped in the blues, so there is a symmetry here.

7:00 p.m. The Robert Cray Band with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Club Redux, Dallas, TX, January 21, 1987

Two blues greats on stage at Club Redux in Dallas. What is not to love here?

Another Tuesday Bluesday rolls around. We expect our usual full house today, and it also marks the first time we’ve had listeners from Iran tune us in. It’s always one of our busiest days in The Lounge. You should give us a try. Hell, we won’t cost you a thing but a little bit of time. We’re totally free and we are on air 24/7, not just when we have programming scheduled. That’s because we have The Music Mermaid running the show here.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday!

Welcome to Tuesday Bluesday and Our Big ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP, Koko Taylor In the Spotlight, and The AOW to Start It All Off October 11, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! Today we’ve got our big ‘Best of Chicago Blues’ EP along with Koko Taylor, The Queen of The Blues, In the Spotlight later. In between, it’s Dr. John’s AOW.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Gris-Gris by Dr. John

The second airing of this great New Orleans R & B meets psychedelic voodoo album is here for your listening pleasure. It may not quite be the blues, but it sets the tone.

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

There’s nothing like a trip to Chicago to catch some blues. Been there on business several times and never failed to find a great venue to visit. You’ll hear from 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!

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

Koko Taylor’s raw, powerful voice led to her title as Queen of The Blues. Koko was no delicate flower; she was a kic-ass, take-no-prisoners blues vocalist with attitude. And we love her in The Mermaid Lounge and give her the spotlight treatment today.

There’s nothing like Tuesday Bluesday to cut your teeth on a great radio station. We don’t infect the airwaves with commercial advertising or mouthy D.J.’s who like to talk through the first minute of every damned song. Instead, we rely on The Music Mermaid to take us through the day. As you know, she has impeccable taste in music.

Tuesday Bluesday is Back!

Sunday in The Lounge Brings Our ‘Ode To Morning’ EP, Our New AOW, and a Birthday Celebration for John Lennon, October 9, 2022

It’s Sunday here in The Mermaid Lounge and the sun is just coming up over the horizon here and will soon be spilling into the studio. It’s a perfect day to celebrate John Lennon’s birthday.

We wish John Lennon a very happy birthday today! His celebration closes out our programming tonight at 7:00 p.m.

Here’s Sunday’s musical offering:

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

We opened the month with our ‘Here Comes The Night’ EP, so it’s only fitting that we continue on with our celebration of morning with Joni Mitchell, The Move, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nina Simone, Yusef (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!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Gris-Gris by Dr. John NEW!

Here we have Dr. John’s debut album, released on January 22,1968. That’s when Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr. introduced us to his alter-ego (that would be Dr. John), reportedly based on a 19th century voodoo doctor. The rest is history. Dr. John shows us his vision right off the top. This album is a great combination of New Orleans R & B and psychedelia. Fun Fact: The entire album was funded by money that Dr. John and his arranger made on Sonny & Cher sessions!

7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: John Lennon HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We manage, finally, to pull one of these off on the very day as we celebrate the birthday anniversary of John Winston Ono Lennon, one of the greatest rock n’ rollers of all time and a visionary in his own right. We have music from his days with the Beatles, his solo work and his work with the Plastic Ono Band. Join the birthday celebration tonight.

It’s a day of rest. For those of you who’ve got the religion, remember that even the big guy took a day off. You should as well. The lounge is jumping with listeners this morning from Australia, Greece, Italy, France, the UK, Canada, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, and our domestic friends in Florida, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, and California. Join the fun!

Happy Birthday, John Lennon!

At Midweek, We’re Airing Our ‘Music From Laurel Canyon’ EP and Putting Bonnie Raitt In the Spotlight, Wednesday, October 5, 2022

We’re at the midweek stage and we’ve got those echoes coming from Laurel Canyon. We’re also spotlighting Bonnie Raitt later on.

Laurel Canyon was home to two generations of great musicians and singers.

Here’s your midweek music:

10:00 a.m. Music From Laurel Canyon: Various Artists

The Laurel Canyon scene was like musical cross-pollination on steroids as it become “home” to the best of two generations of musicians and singers that ultimately brought us country-rock. You’ll hear The Byrds, The Mamas & The Papas, Linda Ronstadt, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Doors, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, The Monkees, CSNY, Manassas, John Mayall, The Eagles, J.D. Souther, Harry Nilsson, Canned Heat, Carole King, James Taylor, the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band and more!

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

Tonight we put one of the Laurel Canyon crew In the Spotlight when we feature the great Bonnie Raitt. She’s still out there kickin’ in, a true road warrior.

Before, in between and all night long we’ve got that great wide Open Stream courtesy of The Music Mermaid. As you know, she’s got impeccable taste in music and we’re adding new tunes to the standard rotation as we speak. We’ll have a final report for you about who’s been added soon!

Music From Laurel Canyon!

We Celebrate Tuesday Bluesday With New ‘Live’ John Mayall, our AOW, and The Heartbreakers Sing The Blues, October 4, 2022

Good Morning, Bluesologists! It’s Tuesday Bluesday here once again and we’ve got a great programming lineup for you wrapped around our psychedelic Album of The Week!

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

11:00 a.m. John Mayall Live at Kongresshalle, Berlin, Germany, May 21, 1969 NEW!

We’re in possession of some new ‘live’ John Mayall recordings from the 35-disc box set we just scored, and we’re going to start off with this one on this fine Tuesday Bluesday. You’ll be hearing more in the future for sure!

3:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Odessy and Oracle by The Zombies

We go for round two airing of this week’s featured album by The Zombies as we toss in a bit of psychedelia for the afternoon. As we said in our blog post on Sunday, it took nearly half a century for this album to be fully appreciated. (But not by me.)

7:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Sing the Blues

Tom Petty said he once envisioned his main band growing old together and sitting around in chairs playing the blues together. He never quite got there, unfortunately for all of us. However, he and the boys did sing some great blues together during their 40-year run, and we’ve got those songs here for you this evening as we continue on with Tom Petty month.

It’s always a great day to tune us in, but Tuesday Bluesday is an especially good day to do so. Why not join your friends from Italy, Greece, Russian Federation, Australia, Spain, the UK, France, Brazil, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Portugal, California, Kansas, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and points beyond? It’s totally free; no surprises, no lie.

Tuesday Bluesday is Back!

We Kick Off Tom Petty Month Today and Give You Some ‘Live’ Hendrix and Neil Young To Boot, Monday, October 3, 2022

Good Morning, Pettyologists! This is the month we remember the leader of one of our house bands as we modestly dip our toes into Tom Petty Month. Hard to believe he passed five years ago yesterday.

Welcome to Tom Petty Month

Here’s today’s musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Traveling Wilburys

We kick off Tom Petty month modestly today with the greatest supergroup of all time In the Spotlight today. Tom was only part of this band, but he was an important cog in the wheel of friendship that made this band work.

3:00 p.m. Neil Young & Crazy Horse Live at The Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA, October 22, 1978

We’ve got Neil Young and one of his most consistent back-up bands live for you at mid-afternoon. We haven’t aired this one for a while, so tune it in.

7:00 p.m. Jimi Hendrix Live at The Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA, May 30, 1970 NEW!

Hendrix performed this one just a few months before his untimely death. It’s also brand new to the station; we’ve never heard it before ourselves.

Before, in between, and after we’ve got that great wide Open Stream, and a little later today, we’ll be adding music to that stream to make it even better. The Music Mermaid demands it. We’ve got our usual cast of listeners on from around the globe. Join us (and we mean that rhetorically; there are no joining requirements except that you push that button below).

October is Tom Petty Month!

We Close Out Both The Month and Week in Style With Our ‘M is For Motown’ EP and Tom Rush In the Spotlight, Friday, September 30, 2022

Good Morning, Motown Music Lovers! We’ve got your playlist for you today starting at 11:00 a.m. EST, and we close out the programming later with Tom Rush.

Here’s your musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We have two soul/R & B playlists, one that encompasses all record labels and this one, which features the Motown sound. 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, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Mary Wells, Rare Earth, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Marvelettes, The Spinners, Jimmy Ruffin and more!

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

We bring back the Pride of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I saw this guy in Portsmouth at his 79th birthday bash just before COVID-19 hit hard. This was the last time I’ve been in a concert venue, and it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. I eventually lost the friend I saw the show with to COVID. I made this selection with her in mind today.

Before, in between, and after it’s our great wide Open Stream at the discretion of the Music Mermaid, who patrols the studio area with great pride. We run music on a 24/7 basis with no commercial interruption and no chatty DJ’s who just love to hear themselves speak. Oh, yeah, did I mention that we are completely free of charge?

M is for Motown!

We’re On the Weekend Downslide as We Hang Out ‘In Your Dreams’, Play Our AOW, and Put Bill Withers In The Spotlight, On This Bright, Sunny Thursday, September 29, 2022

Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are not only approaching the end of the week, but also the end of another month as we head into a nice, fall weekend here. We’ve got your music all laid out.

Here’s your musical layout for today:

9:00 a.m. In Your Dreams: Various Artists

We kick off the day early with our ‘In Your Dreams’ EP for our global listeners today, and give you songs that talk about dreaming in the title, lyrics or both. You’ll hear the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Aerosmith, Crowded House, The Moody Blues, Van Morrison, The Eurythmics, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Nanci Griffith, The Electric Prunes, Fleetwood Mac, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Mamas & The Papas, Jimmy Buffett, The Allman Brothers Band, Supertramp, Randy Newman, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Bob Dylan, Widespread Panic, The Youngbloods, Jimmy Ruffin, Jackson Browne, Mudcrutch, Patsy Cline, Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, k.d. lang, Dusty Springfield and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Cloud Nine by The Temptations

We’re winding down on our tribute to psychedelic soul here as we give you the next-to-last airing. The final airing will be sometime on Saturday. By Sunday, we’ll have a new selection.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Bill Withers

Tonight we put a great singer-songwriter In the Spotlight in Bill Withers, a guy who made some really great music in his career. We are in the process of creating a new ‘Singer-Songwriter’ series (not sure of the format just yet), and Bill Withers will certainly be a part of that. Tune him in this evening.

Here we are again staring the world in the face with listeners from Greece, Russian Federation, Chile, The Netherlands, the UK, France, Spain, Iceland, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Denmark, India, somewhere called Unknown, Pennsylvania, Kansas, New York and many other locations. Why not join our international community of musicologists today? It won’t cost you a penny. Your money’s no good here.

In Your Dreams

We’re in Total Sixties Immersion Mode With Volume Two of ‘The Sixties Rotation’ and Donovan In the Spotlight Later, Wednesday, September 28, 2022

It’s our usual ‘early start’ day here in The Mermaid Lounge as Truck Day calls. Today we go for total immersion in the sixties with our programming (the Open Stream portion is at the discretion of the Music Mermaid).

Here’s your musical landscape at midweek:

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

Last week we brought you Volume One; today it’s the mid-to-late sixties with Volume Two. You’ll hear The Beatles, 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 Rolling Stones, The Who, 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, The Ronettes, The Kinks, Jimmy Cliff, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Zombies, Donovan, The Velvet Underground, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, and more!

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

A true flower child of the sixties joins us tonight with a treasure trove of his best stuff, both known and not, both psychedelic and not. Tune it in.

Before, in between, and all through the night you’ll hear great music totally uninterrupted by commercial advertising. We don’t want your money. We just want your ears. Give us a try. There are no tricks, no surprises and no bait-and-switch routine.

The Sixties!