We Begin Another Work Week With Johnny Rivers, Music Banned From the Airwaves, and The Band ‘Live’ in D.C. on Monday, January 9, 2023

Good morning, music lovers across the globe! We begin yet another work week here in The Mermaid Lounge. However, do not despair! We’ve got some great music lined up for you today that will help take the workday blues away.

Here’s your Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Johnny Rivers UPDATED!

Johnny Rivers was an Italian boy born in New York City, but raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was influenced by the distinctive Louisiana music style. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues and just plain good old rock n’ roll. He is best remembered for a string of hits between 1964 through 1968, including Memphis, Mountain of Love, Secret Agent Man, and The Seventh Son. He’s also written a number of songs, including Abraham, Martin and John, a great tune that became a hit for Dion. We’ve recently expanded this playlist just a bit and we’ve got it for you today.

3:00 p.m. Banned From the Airwaves: Various Artists

Yes, you can hear these songs today, but when they were first released it was another story. Some were banned for their sexual references, some for their weed references, some because of their references to guns, and some because of their references to the almighty supreme being. You’ll hear The Doors, The Everly Brothers, The Beatles, The Kinks, Paul McCartney & Wings, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Kingsmen, The Who, Van Morrison, The Shirelles, Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Barry McGuire, Them, The Rolling Stones, Peter, Paul & Mary, Billy Joel, Neil Young and more!

7:00 p.m. The Band Live at The Carter Baron Amphitheatre,Washington, D.C., July 17, 1976

We close out the programming with a live performance by a favorite here in The Mermaid Lounge. They began as Bob Dylan’s back-up band and turned into one of the most well-respected and influential bands in all of popular music. This one was broadcast live on the legendary radio show, The King Biscuit Flower Hour.

Let’s face it. Mondays suck. The one thing we can offer to improve the situation is great music. We’re here 24/7 (not just when we have programming), uninterrupted by commercial advertising of any kind (just a few station I.D. announcements from yours truly so you know where you are), and at no cost to you. We don’t even ask your name.

Banned From the Airwaves!

We’ve Made It To Friday and We’ve Got ‘The Female Species’ EP and Poco ‘Live’ on KBFH, February 11, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! We’ve got an excellent programming plan today that includes not on one of our newest EP’s but a brand new live performance from Poco, a band that does not get enough credit for what they’ve done for country-rock.

***Today we’ve got some ‘live’ Poco, one of the premier bands of country-rock.***

Here’s your Friday line-up:

11:00 a.m. The Female Species: Various Artists

Nope. It’s not an all-girl EP, but it is a playlist that includes references to women, girls and ladies in the title, lyrics, or both. Some references are happy, some sad, but either way you’ll hear from Talking Heads, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jackson Browne, The Boogaloo Swamis, John Mayall, Hot Tuna, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Electric Light Orchestra, Percy Sledge, The Beatles, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, America, Roy Orbison, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Bob Dylan, The Temptations, and many more!

7:00 p.m. Poco Live at Orrie de Nooyer Auditorium, Farleigh Dickerson University, Madison, NJ, November 2, 1973 NEW!

We should add that it is broadcast live on King Biscuit Flower Hour as well, one of our favorite radio stations in the history of popular music. Poco doesn’t get enough credit for its contributions to the development of the country-rock genre, but we’re going to change that as we build our music library. By the time this particular live event came around, a tour in support of their sixth album, Richie Furay, Jim Messina (who went on to play with Kenny Loggins), and Randy Meisner (who later became part of the Eagles) had already left the band. Only Rusty Young (pedal steel guitar, banjo and vocals) and George Grantham (drums, vocals) remained of the original members. They added Paul Cotton (guitar, vocals) and Timothy B. Schmidt (bass, acoustic guitar and vocals). We should mention that Timothy B. Schmidt would also later become part of the Eagles. For this particular show, they added two special guests who were also instrumental to the country-rock genre in Stephen Stills and Chris Hillman.

We’re all here waiting for you to join. And by that, I mean open up a tab and hit the link below. No subscriptions, credit cards, or personal information are required. Ever. We’re all about sharing music here in a world that gets uglier by the day. Music is soothing to the soul. Take advantage of us. We love it.

Come on. Do it.

Today We Have Our ‘Are You Ready For The Country’ EP on Tap, Along With The Band ‘Live’ in D.C., Friday, January 14, 2022

Good Morning, Music Lovers! It’s time once again for our country-country rock EP, and we give you a special treat later with The Band live in Washington, D.C. as broacast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour!

***The Band: From Bob Dylan’s back-up musicians to one of the most influential bands in popular music.***

Here’s your Friday musical landscape:

11:00 a.m. Are You Ready For The Country?: Various Artists

It’s coming around again! We’ve got a great EP for you today. It’s proving to be one of our most popular as well, and that comes as no surprise with this line-up: Guy Clark, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Pure Prairie League, Asleep At The Wheel, The Band, Mudcrutch, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Marshall Tucker Band, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Eagles, and more!

7:00 p.m. The Band Live at The Carter Baron Amphitheater, Washington, D.C., July 17, 1976

Undoubtedly one of our favorites here in The Mermaid Lounge. Starting as Bob Dylan’s back-up band, they went on to become one of the greatest bands of their generation, and one of the most influential as well. This is the stuff legends are made from, and we consider The Band in that category. This one was live from D.C. and broadcast on the legendary King Biscuit Flower Hour.

Before in between and after, we give you that great wide Open Stream. We’re here in the lounge where the music never stops. We’re 24/7 totally free, no credit card, no personal information required. All we want is for you to tune us in by clicking the button below.

Yep. Right here.

It’s Mostly Open Stream on Wednesday, Punctuated By Two Great Live Shows, April 7, 2021

Good Morning, Music Lovers! I hope you are enjoying the same weather wherever you are as we are here in The Mermaid Lounge today! The sun is out, the air is clear, and the music is great!

***We’re kicking off Wednesday with a great bootleg by The Band!***

Here’s your midweek line-up:

12:00 p.m. The Band Live on The King Biscuit Flower Hour Radio Show

I used to listen to the King Biscuit show religiously. It was nationally syndicated and we had a few great radio stations here in Boston back in the day. That’s when radio was radio, people. Now it’s an enterprise. This particular broadcast is a bootleg of a 1976 concert by The Band at The Carter Baron Amphitheatre in Washington, D.C. We hope you enjoy it.

6:00 p.m. The Doors Live at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, May 8, 1970

The Doors were together for only four years before Jim Morrison’s untimely death in 1970, but they left behind a musical imprint that will not be forgotten.

The rest of the day is devoted to Open Stream. And we seriously mean that. No advertising. And our only interruptions are short, infrequent radio I.D. messages courtesy of yours truly. You can’t hold that against us, after all. How the hell would you know what you’re listening to?

www.tinyurl.com/Ungovernable-Radio

Here’s Today’s Lesson From the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge: 2/18/2021

Good Afternoon, Music Lovers! We’ve got your trivia lesson here guaranteed to make you the envy of your family and friends. You’ll impress them with the wealth of useless information you have!

***Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with producer Denny Cordell.***

Here’s today’s lesson:

February 18, 1959: Ray Charles recorded What’d I Say.

February 18, 1963: Peter, Paul & Mary released their single Puff The Magic Dragon.

February 18, 1965: The Beatles recorded two new songs on this day, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away and Tell Me What You See.

Also on this day, The Beatles’ publishing company, Northern Songs, appears on the London Stock Exchange.

The Kinks get into the act on this day also by topping the UK chart with Tired Of Waiting For You.

February 18, 1968: Paul McCartney and Ring Starr headed to Rishikesh, India to meet up with John Lennon and George Harrison. There they will study under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Also on this day, Pink Floyd fired erratic frontman Syd Barrett.

February 18, 1969: The Jimi Hendrix Experience performed at Royal Albert Hall in London.

February 18, 1972: Neil Young’s Harvest album was certified Gold.

February 18, 1973: The nationally-syndicated King Biscuit Flower Hour made its debut, featuring Blood, Sweat & Tears, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band.

February 18, 1980: Bob Seger released the hit Fire Lake.

February 18, 1985: Don Henley released the single All She Wants To Do Is Dance.

February 18, 1995: Denny Cordell, who produced Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Moody Blues, and Procol Harum dies in Dublin of lymphoma at the age of 51.

February 18, 2006: The Rolling Stones gave a free concert at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, with 1.5 million people in attendance.

February 18, 2007: Norah Jones went to #1 on the Album chart with Not Too Late, her third consecutive #1.

Born On This Day

February 18, 1934: Skip Battin, singer-songwriter and bassist for The Byrds, the New Riders of The Purple Sage, and The Flying Burrito Brothers was born in Gallipolis, Ohio.

February 18, 1941: Irma Thomas, The Soul Queen of New Orleans, was born in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.

February 18, 1948: Keith Knudson, songwriter and drummer for The Doobie Brothers, was born in LeMars, Iowa.

February 18, 1953: Robbie Bachman, drummer of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

And that is your lesson for today!