Our ‘Friends Of Mine’ EP, A Trio of Songwriters, and a Blood, Sweat & Tears Spotlight on Monday, November 27, 2023

Welcome to a rainy Monday here in the Boston area as I prepare to work a rare Monday shift. But The Music Mermaid has a great show lined up for you!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

9:00 a.m. Friends of Mine: Various Artists

This one has been waiting its turn for a bit. Songs to our friendships are in the pipeline today with The Guess Who, Willie Nelson, War, The Beach Boys, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Todd Rundgren, Linda Ronstadt, Queen, REM, Simon & Garfunkel, John Prine, Carole King, Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams, The Kinks, Joan Baez, The Beatles, Carly Simon, Tracy Nelson, The Byrds, Desmond Dekker, Jackson Browne, Steppenwolf, Elton John, Maria Muldaur, Argent, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Otis Redding and more.

4:00 p.m. Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt & Guy Clark Live at The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville, TN, September 3, 1995

Three brilliant singer-songwriters playing a live show together at a nationally-renowned musical venue for songwriters. This show happened just 15 months before Van Zandt’s death.

We’ve had this one on the burner simmering for months. It finally comes full circle today as we put one of the greatest jazz-rock bands on the planet In the Spotlight. Yet, there is a mystery surrounding what happened to this band that literally burst onto the scene and skyrocketed, and then just seemed to disappear. If you’re interested, here’s the story.

It’s Simply Sunday With Sam Cooke’s AOW and the ‘#BecomeUngovernable House Music’ EP, November 26, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! We are on another simple Sunday rotation today with plenty of Open Stream and minimal, but excellent, programming.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

This was Sam Cooke’s eleventh and final studio album, released in 1964. It contained his final hit, A Change Is Gonna’ Come, which became an anthem for the civil rights movement of the sixties. The song has increased in popularity over the decades since its release and, although a modest hit compared to his earlier songs, has become one of his best-known songs. Sam Cooke was a musical genius, and his considerable influence on the development of the soul and R&B genre cannot be denied.

3:00 p.m. The #BecomeUngovernable House EP: Various Artists

Primarily songs from the sixties and seventies, this is essentially the music that inspired the radio station. You’ll hear Barry McGuire, The Temptations, Edwin Starr, Peter Tosh, The Beatles, Genesis, T-Rex, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, Country Joe & The Fish, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Joan Baez, CSNY, Pink Floyd, The Animals, Ten Years After, The Plastic Ono Band, Billy Joel, George Harrison, Sam Cooke, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, Jimmy Cliff, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, The Association, Phil Ochs, Tom Rush, Pete Seger, The Band, Nina Simone, Janis Joplin and more!

Today It’s ‘The Original 60’s Rotation’ EP, Dolly’s Rock Opus and We Head to NOLA for Our New Singer-Songwriters, Saturday, November 25, 2023

Welcome, Weekenders! It’s Saturday in The Lounge and we’ve got some early-to-mid sixties music, Dolly’s AOW grand finale, and Fats Domino & Dave Bartholomew as our featured singer-songwriters.

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

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

This was our very first EP and it was built from two shorter playlists. 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, The Temptations, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Bob Dylan, Tony Joe White, Barry McGuire, Fats Domino, Procol Harum and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton FINAL AIRING!

This is the final airing of Dolly’s great rock opus, in response to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, don’t fret. It is party of our standard rotation now.

Every time we play Fats, I ask the same question: Was anybody singing rock n’ roll before Fats? I’m not sure. For absolute sure, Fats Domino was a true pioneer of the genre…one of the forefathers who made it happen. Today, along with his long-time collaborator, Dave Bartholomew, Fats is our featured singer-songwriter.

Friday Brings Psychedelia With Our Multi-Artist EP and The Beatles; Becker & Fagan in Between, November 24, 2023

Good morning, psychedelic music lovers, this is your day! We open and close with it, and in between we have Walter Becker and Donald Fagan as our featured singer-songwriters.

Here’s your Friday line-up:

9:00 a.m. The Psychedelic Express: Various Artists

We’re back with some great psychedelic music courtesy of Vanilla Fudge, The Chambers Brothers, The Beatles, Electric Prunes, The Animals, Jefferson Airplane, Blues Image, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Donovan, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Traffic, Cream, Dr. John, Procol Harum, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Canned Heat, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra, Tommy James & The Shondells, Mudcrutch, Blind Faith, Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Big Brother & The Holding Company and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: Walter Becker & Donald Fagan FINAL AIRING!

Today is the final airing of the great music these two guys made as part of Steely Dan, surely one of the absolute best bands of the seventies and eighties.

8:00 p.m. The Beatles: Tripping The Light Fantastic

We close out with a dose of Beatles psychedelic music. As with so many other genres, the Beatles led the way here as well. In fact, Paperback Writer and Rain (the latter being the B-side of Paperback Writer), included in this playlist are considered the forerunners of the psychedelic future we’d all experience.

Get on board The Psychedelic Express, folks. You don’t need no stinkin’ tickets or a credit card. Just push the button below.

It’s Tuesday Bluesday With the Louisiana Blues EP and ‘Live’ Tedeschi Trucks Later. In Between, It’s Dolly! November 21, 2023

Good morning, blues lovers! We’ve got our multi-artist Louisiana blues EP and the Tedeschi Trucks Band up later. In between, Dolly’s Rockstar airs.

Here’s your Tuesday Bluesday lineup:

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

We kick off the blues programming with blues on the bayou! You’ll hear from Ray Charles, Lillian Glinn, Slim Harpo, Ray Brown, Fats Domino, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Rodney Harris, Roosevelt Sykes, Shirley & Lee, Papa Lightfoot, Guitar Slim, Annie Laurie, Fats Matthews, Big Joe Turner, Big Boy Myles, Little Walter, Mary Butler, Erline Harris, Dave Bartholomew, Marcia Ball, Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, The Neville Brothers and more!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Rockstar by Dolly Parton

Dolly drops by for a second airing of her rock release, Rockstar, our Album of The Week.

8:00 p.m. The Tedeschi Trucks Band Live at The Orpheum, Madison, WI, March 18, 2015

Let’s fast-forward to one of the greatest blues-rock bands on the planet today. Led by Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, this is one of the most amazing blues bands on the planet.

Join us. It’s Tuesday Bluesday, always a big draw in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re on a short work week, and we have great music to be thankful for. Screw the pilgrims; they were a nasty lot.

It’s a Simple Sunday With Dolly and Our AOW and the ‘Are You Ready for The Country’ EP Later, November 19, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’ve got a real treat for you today with our Album of The Week as Dolly Parton’s Rockstar makes its debut on our station. Read on for details!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

When Dolly Parton learned she was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, she turned it down because she felt she was not a rock star. She’d never made an album of rock music. The people at the Hall disagreed with her and wanted to induct her anyway. She returned the favor by releasing Rockstar, a 30-song album of classic rock and rock n’ roll songs given the Dolly treatment. And it’s a treat. Dolly had a lot of supporters on this one, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on her version of The Beatles’ Let It Be, Ann Wilson on her version of Magic Man, and Emmylou Harris and Sheryl Crow on You’re No Good.

3:00 p.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists

While Dolly goes rock, you’ll also find her in our big, bad country EP. Along with Dolly, you’ll hear Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Pure Prairie League, Asleep at The Wheel, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, the Marshall Tucker Band, Jerry Jeff Walker, Mudcrutch, The Band, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, The Desert Rose Band, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline and more!

Saturday Brings Elvis’ AOW, Our ‘Under The Influence’ EP and Walter Becker-Donald Fagan as Our Singer-Songwriters, November 18, 2023

Good morning, weekenders! Yes, it’s finally Saturday and The Music Mermaid has her selections all queued up for this fine day. Read on for the details!

Here are your musical details:

9:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley FINAL AIRING!

We bid farewell to Elvis’ debut album today, a fine piece of music from what I personally consider his best time, right around 1956 and the Nashville/Sun sessions. Tomorrow, we’ll have a new album.

12:00 p.m. Under the Influence: Various Artists

Ah, yes. In my youth, some of my best times were spent under the influence. Today, you’ll hear Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane, Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Donovan, Glen Frey, John Lee Hooker, Jonathan Edwards, Linda Ronstadt, Little Feat, The Traveling Wilburys, The Temptations, Small Faces, Steely Dan, The Beatles, Talking Heads, Neil Young, New Riders of The Purple Sage, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Velvet Underground, The Rolling Stones, Dave Van Ronk, Emmylou Harris, John Prine, Jackson Browne, Steve Winwood, Led Zeppelin, Harry Chapin, The Band, The Fraternity of Man and more!

There’s a thing out there on social media asking the best bands of the seventies. Had it not been for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Steely Dan would have been my number one. They’re a very close number two. We love them here in The Mermaid Lounge, and they are that good because of the singer-songwriter duo that put them on the map.

It’s Friday and We’ve Got Dr. John, Our ‘Ladies Day Out’ EP and James Taylor and Joni Mitchell ‘Live’ Together, November 17, 2023

Good morning, working people! We are one day away from hitting paydirt. The weekend is on the horizon. Today, we give the ladies the floor for the better part of the afternoon.

Here’s Friday’s lineup:

9:00 a.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Dr. John FINAL AIRING!

Dr. John drops in this morning for his final spin as our featured singer-songwriter. Tomorrow, we’ll introduce a new artist here as we move toward the end of the year. We still have two very big kahunas we are holding until the end.

12:00 p.m. Ladies Day Out: Various Artists

At noon, the women of music take over The Mermaid Lounge for five hours of sheer bliss. You’ll hear all genres from 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, The Ronettes, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Norah Jones, Phoebe Snow, Nicolette Larson, Sheryl Crowe, Susan Tedeschi, Valerie Carter, Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton and more!

8:00 p.m. James Taylor & Joni Mitchell Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, October 28, 1970

Back when they were a “thing,” they went on tour together and, boy, they were great. Tonight we have them live from Royal Albert Hall in London.

It’s Friday and we’re closer to the weekend now. We can smell it in the air. By the way, when people ask you what the Labor Movement did for you, tell them you can thank them for the weekend. Sorry. Had to get that one in there. By the way, we’re anti-capitalists here. We’re on 24/7 free of charge. It’s a labor of love.

Thursday Brings Our ‘Ode to Morning’ EP, Elvis With Our AOW and ‘Live’ Bob Marley & The Wailers, November 16, 2023

Good morning, music lovers. We’re here in the lounge preparing to pay musical homage to the morning and the sunrise, followed by Elvis Presley’s debut album and Bob Marley and his crew ‘live’ at The Beacon.

Here’s your musical landscape:

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

We start off what is going to be a fine, sunny day here in the Boston area with a musical tribute to the morning hours 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!

4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Elvis Presley by Elvis Presley

We’re winding down here with this great Elvis debut album that spent ten weeks in the number one slot. There was no turning back on rock n’ roll. Our final airing will be sometime on Saturday.

7:00 p.m. Bob Marley & The Wailers Live at The Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, May 1, 1976

Bob Marley’s importance to the growth and acceptance of Reggae music is undeniable. Tonight we have The Wailers live from The Beacon Theatre in New York.

We’re here 24/7 come rain or shine. We’ve been running without interruption and without charging anyone for the music for six years now. And we’re getting better as we move along. See for yourself. The button’s below.

It’s Midweek With Our Big, Bad Soul EP, Some Dr. John and Jakob Dylan In The Spotlight, Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Good morning, musicologists! We’re on a soul music path to start out our day, then it’s Dr. John as our featured singer-songwriter, and Jakob Dylan In the Spotlight later.

Here’s your musical lineup at midweek:

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

It’s not just Motown. It’s also the artists of Stax, Atlantic, Muscle Shoals and beyond. You’ll hear 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, Percy Sledge, The Ad Libs, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Dr. John

The good Doctor returns this afternoon for his second spin as our featured singer-songwriter for the week.

8:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: Jakob Dylan In the Spotlight

We’ve not aired this one in a while, but Bob’s boy is a bit of a chip off the old block. We like him here in The Lounge. Tonight we give you his music with and without The Wallflowers.

What could be better than starting off your day with the music that made America dance? It’s Hitsville, U.S.A. and beyond. We’re on 24/7 with no commercial interruption, and at no cost to you. Just do it.