Here we are hitting our midweek stride with some great soul and R & B to kickstart your day. We follow that up with John Prine In the Spotlight later.
Here’s today’s programming:
10:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists
Today we pay homage to all of those soul and R & B artists who made America get off its seat. You’ll hear Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Jimmy Ruffin, The Drifters, 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, The Ad Libs, Arthur Conley, Joe Tex, Wanda Jackson, Percy Sledge and more!
7:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of John Prine
October is a busy month, and the late, great John Prine would have celebrated his birthday on October 10. He is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time who had a unique wit and perspective on life. We’re celebrating his life today by putting him In The Spotlight.
Before, in between and all night long we’ve got all the non-programming filled in with wide Open Stream under the expert guidance of The Music Mermaid. You know her reputation already: She has impeccable taste in music and is ready to share it with you.
Good Morning, Music Lovers across the globe! We’re kicking off the work week in fine style today, starting off with the musical flavor of New Orleans in The Neville Brothers.
The Neville Brothers will be here to start your day promptly at 11:00 a.m.
Here’s your Monday lineup:
11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Neville Brothers
Aaron, Art, Cyril and Ivan are The Neville Brothers, a great R & B, soul and funk band formed in New Orleans in 1977. I may never have known this band had I not spent the better part of a decade traveling to New Orleans on business. That’s when I fell in love with the city and its music.
4:00 p.m. The Soul Men, Volume 1: Various Artists
Last week we gave you The Soul Sisters and this week we give you their male counterparts. You’ll hear Jimmy Ruffin, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Ben E. King, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Stevie Wonder, Clarence Carter, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Al Green, Bill Withers, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Fats Domino and more!
8:00 p.m. Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George & Friends Live at Ultrasonic Studios, Hempstead, NY, October 17, 1972
Bonnie Raitt and Lowell George were joined by John Hammond and long-time bass player Freebo (Daniel Friedberg) for a concert at the famed Ultrasonic Studios that was broadcast on WLIR-FM. Although Freebo is known mostly for his work with Bonnie Raitt, he has played with Aaron Neville, Maria Muldaur, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Ringo Starr, John Mayall, Dr. John and many others. He’s a Class-A session musician if ever there was one.
Your week will always start out better with great music, and we’ve got you all set up for today. Don’t squander this opportunity or you’ll have to wait until next week to start your week out right!
Good Morning, Weekenders! It’s your time here in The Mermaid Lounge and we kick off the day with our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP (not to be confused with ‘M is For Motown’). This covers soul and R & B from all over the spectrum!
Today we’ve all got ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’
Here’s Saturday’s lineup:
10:00 a.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists
Motown is the most renown, but it’s not the only record label for the genre. There was Stax with Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett; Muscle Shoals where Aretha Franklin released her first song in 1967; and Atlantic, with Ray Charles. Many of those who recorded for Muscle Shoals were distributed through Atlantic. We’ve got them all for you today including 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 and more!
7:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Living With the Animals by Mother Earth LAST AIRING!
Here’s the final airing of this great blues album featuring the amazing voice of Tracy Nelson. When you roll out of bed tomorrow morning there will be a brand new selection.
10:00 p.m. LIVE DEAD! The Grateful Dead Live at Dillon Stadium, Hartford, Connecticut, July 31, 1974
Another great soundboard recording from the Dead. It’s not new, but it hasn’t been aired since 2020 so it will be just like new. Remember, no two shows are the same anyway.
Get your weekend underway in style! We’ve got some great programming for you today interspersed in between all that great wide Open Stream. We’re totally free. That not only means that we’re free of commercial advertising, but we also don’t charge for anyone to listen. What’s not to love?
Here we are again, people. The beginning of another work week. But we’ve got some great music for you today as we celebrate Walter Becker’s birthday and Black History Month. But hey, here in The Mermaid Lounge, every month is Black History Month.
We celebrate Walter Becker’s birthday with Steely Dan In the Spotlight
Here’s your Moan-Day line-up:
11:00 a.m. Between Heaven & Hell: Various Artists
We start the day with a real Monday playlist because on Monday we are generally between heaven and hell. Here we have references to heaven and hell in the title and lyrics, and you’ll hear from Donovan, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, The Byrds, ZZ Top, Van Morrison, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Presley, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Fats Domino, Foo Fighters, The Grateful Dead, and more.
3:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Steely Dan
After the 60’s the music of the 70’s was a bit of a letdown. (It only got worse in subsequent decades, by the way.) But Steely Dan was one of those bands who was an oasis in the middle of a desert. Love this band and the rap that they can’t reproduce their sound ‘live’ on stage was bullshit, by the way. That was not my experience when I saw them. Today we (belatedly) celebrate Walter Becker’s birthday by putting Steely Dan In the Spotlight.
7:00 p.m. That Sweet Soul Sound: Various Artists
I’d say we’re celebrating Black History Month, but every month is Black History Month here in The Mermaid Lounge. If it weren’t for black music, there would be no rock n’ roll. And no. Elvis never said he invented rock n’ roll. He deferred to his black counterparts on that issue. You’ll hear from Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Roberta Flack, Rare Earth, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Fontella Bass, Edwin Starr, The Friends of Distinction, The Isley Brothers, Sly & The Family Stone, James Brown, Ray Charles, Etta James, Ben E. King, Mary Wells, Ann Peebles, The Temptations, Jackie Wilson, and more.
Your Monday doesn’t have to be a bad experience. Not when you’ve got access to all this great music totally free 24/7. No lie, people. We’re all about the music. People over profits. We live that here.
Good Morning, Weekenders! Maybe you’re sleeping in; maybe not. But we never actually sleep here in The Mermaid Lounge. We blast out music on a global basis 24/7!
Mid-afternoon brings a little under five hours of the best of the mid-to-late sixties!
Here’s your musical landscape for today:
11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Blood On The Tracks by Bob Dylan NEW!
Dylan is another one of those guys who gives me fits. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for me to pick a favorite album. Is it Desire? Is it Blood On The Tracks? Is it Nashville Skyline? I don’t know. It varies with my musical mood, I guess. I have the same problem with The Heartbreakers and The Beatles.
This is Bob Dylan’s 15th studio album, released on January 20. 1975, so we honor this album very close to it’s 47th anniversary, written at a time when there was a lot of stress in Dylan’s personal life. Jakob Dylan once described this album as “my parents talking,” but his father insists it’s not autobiographical. Either way, this album logged in at no. 16 on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time. By 2004, it has risen to no. 9. It reached no. 1 on The Billboard 200 Chart, and no. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. Give it a listen. It is undoubtedly one of Dylan’s very best.
3:00 p.m. The Sixties Rotation, Volume Two: Various Artists
The Sixties Rotations (volumes 1 & 2) were the very first playlists we ever put together for this station. They have both expanded to EP’s at this stage of the game, and today we give you the one that focuses on the mid-to-late sixties. You’ll hear The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Simon & Garfunkel, the Grateful Dead, Buffalo Springfield, Janis Joplin, The Four Tops, Roy Orbison, The Yardbirds, James Brown, Chuck Berry, The Four Tops, Vanilla Fudge, Sly & The Family Stone, The Zombies, The Doors, The Chambers Brothers, The Animals, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Donovan, Procol Harum, The Electric Prunes, Them, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Mamas & The Papas, and many more!
It is indeed a day of rest. And what could be better than joining your fellow global listeners on such a day? You don’t have to wait for programming. We run on wide Open Stream 24/7, so our button is never in the ‘off’ position. All you really have to do is click the button below. Go ahead. See for yourself.
Good Morning, Musicologists! It’s a Sunday here in The Mermaid Lounge and it was declared a “day of rest” eons ago, so why not tune us in for some great music today, including the new album by Neil Young & Crazy Horse?
Neil Young & Crazy Horse still crazy good after all these years
Here’s your Sunday Funday line-up:
11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Barn by Neil Young & Crazy Horse NEW!
Neil Young is like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps on going and going and going, and he never seems to lose his edge. He has partnered with several bands over his career, but Crazy Horse is the perfect fit for him, and it shows on his latest album, Barn, released on December 10, 2021. You can learn more about the album by clicking on the image of the album cover on the right sidebar. But the best way to learn about Barn is to just listen.
3:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’Soul: Various Artists
There’s nothing like a little soul and R & B to get the blood flowing, and this is a great playlist that is also one of our most popular. 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 Cooke, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, The Supremes, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and then some.
Before, in between, and after our programming we continue on air under the able guidance of The MusicMermaid who will seamlessly stream our catalogue of 27,000+ songs. All of this without commercial interruption and only my melodious voice every so often for a quick station break so you know who the hell you’re listening to. Carry on, mates, and enjoy your Sunday!
Good Morning, Weekenders! Hope you’re all settled in for the weekend and ready for some great music because we’ve got it here! We celebrate a birthday of sorts, and we bring you a little bit of soul for most of the day.
The fun starts at 3:00 p.m. this afternoon!
Here’s your Sunday Funday programming:
11:00 a.m. Album of The Week: Blue by Joni Mitchell NEW!
Joni Mitchell’s Blue turned 50 years old in June, so this feature has been on our “to do” list for a while. It’s finally here. This album is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest albums ever recorded, with Mitchell writing and producing the entire masterpiece. It was made right after her break-up with Graham Nash and during her intense relationship with James Taylor, and the songs reflect those events in her life. It was released on June 22, 1971.
Blue was Joni Mitchell’s fourth studio release in a career that gave us so many great albums. The New York Times referred to the album as one of the 25 albums that represented “turning points and pinnacles in 20th-century popular music.”
3:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists
You know how much we love long players here in The Mermaid Lounge. It’s our way of focusing on musical genres. We’re working on Reggae right at the moment. Finding the music and the singers is half the fun. This is a great long player covering five hours of soul and R & B.
We bring you Irma Thomas, The Ronettes, The Shirelles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Etta James, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Drifters, Stevie Wonder, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Curtis Mayfield, Edwin Starr, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, James Brown, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Al Green, Aretha Franklin and many more!
Even the gods took Sunday off, so that means you can too. That also means it’s a great day to kick back and tune us in. I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but the sun is out here and we are in the mood for some great music as we go about our business. Join your friends from around the world. They know what we’re all about. So do we. It’s called music. Not money.
Good Morning, Musicologists! Here we are on holiday, and we’ve got the perfect antidote to that bad Christmas music that I know is playing in ACE Hardware today. Luckily, I’m here in The Mermaid Lounge.
Dylan and Petty. Does it get any better? Not from where I’m sitting.
Here’s your Christmas Eve day programming!
11:00 a.m. Bob Dylan with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live in Sacramento, June 12, 1986
One day, Bob Dylan asked Tom Petty to go on tour with him. There’s a reason why all these guys wanted The Heartbreakers around. You’re about to find out just exactly why. In return, all of the members of The Heartbreakers credit Dylan with teaching them the importance of adjusting plans, songs, and being more spontaneous on stage. It was a marriage made in music heaven.
4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Moondog Matinee by The Band
I could go on and on about The Band, undoubtedly one of the great treasures in American popular music. They may have started as Dylan’s back-up band, but they carved their own very real place in music history.
7:00 p.m. That Sweet Soul Sound: Various Artists EXPANDED AND UPDATED!
This is a great playlist to close out today’s programming. We’ve added some new music, so we’ve added some new songs to the playlist. We hope you’ll enjoy hearing Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Mary Wells, James Brown, Rare Earth, The Box Tops, The Marvelettes, Jackie Wilson, The Temptations, Ann Peebles, Bill Withers and many more!
It’s Christmas. Time to pack it in. Be done with the pursuit of capitalism, and tune in to a radio station with no ulterior money-making motives. We don’t ask you to subscribe. We don’t ask for your credit card. We don’t ask for personal information because we don’t intend to sell you anything. We’re here for the music, believe it or not. If you choose not to believe, then all I can say is that you have no idea what you are missing.
Yeah, we are. We’re back in the mines tomorrow, and we need to get a jump on our week here in The Mermaid Lounge. This is a pretty brutal day here in rock history. I got writer’s cramp just putting this thing together.
Dusty gets deported from South Africa after a concert near Cape Town. Apparently she crossed the line and sang to a multiracial audience. Bad Dusty.
Here’s today’s lesson in useless information:
December 15, 1956: Fats Domino had one of the biggest R & B songs of all time with Blueberry Hill. On this day it remained at #1 for a ninth week. There is no denying that this guy was a rock n’ roll pioneer.
December 15, 1958: A new soul artist named James Brown made his debut on the R & B charts with a song called Try Me.
And in the meantime, Jackie Wilson’s Lonely Teardrops took over the #1 spot on the R & B charts this day.
December 15, 1962: The Beatles played two shows at the Majestic Ballroom in Brkenhead, Merseyside, England. At midnight, the first ever Mersey Beat poll awards show took place. As the winners of the poll, The Beatles then closed the festivities at 4:00 a.m.
December 15, 1964: The Beatles release the album Beatles ’65.
Also on this day, Dusty Springfield is deported from South Africa after performing in front of a multiracial audience at a show near Cape Town.
December 15, 1966: The trumpets and cellos are recorded for the song Strawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios in London.
December 15, 1967: The Beach Boys met the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in Paris where they were taught Transcendental Meditation.
Also on this day, just a few days after its release, The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour album went Gold. It will hold the top spot on the Billboard Hot 200 album chart for eight weeks and will receive a Grammy Award nomination for Best Album.
The Who released the album, The Who Sell Out.
December 15, 1969: John Lennon gave his last live performance in England at a UNICEF Benefit in London. Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Delaney & Bonnie, Billy Preston, and Who drummer Keith Moon also took part.
December 15, 1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival released another winning album in Pendulum.
December 15, 1975: Paul Simon released the single, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.
The Eagles remained on a roll, releasing the single Take It To The Limit on this day in 1975.
December 15, 1979:The Long Run by The Eagles held on to the #1 position on the Album charts for the seventh week.
Born On This Day
December 15, 1919: Max Yasgur, owner of the farm in New York where Woodstock was held in 1969, was born in New York City.
December 15, 1939: Cindy Birdsong, a member of the Supremes beginning in 1967, was born in Mount Holly, New Jersey.
December 15, 1942: Dave Clark, drummer for The Dave Clark Five, was born in Tottenham, England.
December 15, 1946: Carmine Appice, drummer with the Vanilla Fudge and Jeff Beck, was born in Staten Island, New York.
And thankfully, we are at the end of today’s lesson! Back with the line-up later.
Class is once again in session in The Mermaid Lounge, and we’ve got some details you won’t want to miss today!
Three Dog Night, one of my favorites. Especially Shambala.
Today in rock n’ roll history:
November 13, 1961: Please Mr. Postman goes to #1 for the Marvellettes.
November 13, 1965: James Browns’s I Got You enters both The Billboard Pop and R & B charts where it will reach #3 and #1 respectively.
Also on this day, Fontella Bass sits atop the charts with her hit Rescue Me for the third week.
November 13, 1968: The Beatles’ animated movie Yellow Submarine is released in the U.S.
November 13, 1969: After purchasing the Island of Dorinch off the coast of Ireland, John Lennon announces that any hippie who wanted to was free to live there.
November 13, 1971: Three Dog Night, seventies hitmakers, releases Old Fashioned Love Song.
Also on this day, Santana III sits atop the album charts.
We hope you’ll stop by again tomorrow and increase your knowledge at our rock n’ roll college. Stick around. Our daily programming will be announced in just a bit!
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