Good morning, music lovers. As I prepare to head out I’m giving you the lowdown. We’ve got our big-ass country and country-rock EP up today, Aretha’s second turn as our featured singer-songwriter, and an updated Spotlight featuring Ringo Starr.
Here’s your midweek musical landscape:
9:00 a.m. Are You Ready for The Country: Various Artists
We start off the day with our playlist of great country music, from the masters to the generation that created the country-rock sound starting in Laurel Canyon. You will 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, Hank Williams, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, Dolly Parton, Dan Fogelberg, New Riders of The Purple Sage, John Prine, The Desert Rose Band and more!
4:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Aretha Franklin
From country to the Queen of Soul as Aretha Franklin takes her second turn as this week’s featured singer-songwriter.
8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Ringo Starr UPDATED!
Perhaps not as prolific as McCartney (but who is?), but Ringo Starr has made over 39 albums since The Beatles split. His All Starr Band tours continue to pack them in and, in his 80’s, he’s got his 2023 tour on track. Tonight we put him In the Spotlight where he belongs.
It’s midweek. From here on out, we’re on the downslide to the weekend. It gets better from here, people. And it will be a pleasant slide if you simply tune us in. We’re totally free 24/7 with no commercial advertising. What are you waiting for?
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.
Good morning, music lovers! Today, we’re heading for the weekend, and we’ve got a great lineup with One-Hit Wonders, our Album of The Week, and the Concert for Bangladesh.
Here’s your Thursday menagerie:
11:00 a.m. One-Hit Wonders, Sixties Style: Various Artists
Every musical generation has them. We’re giving you our favorites today from Robert Knight, Jose Feliciano, the Count Five, Brenton Wood, Los Bravos, Mama Cass. Roy Head & The Taints, The Capitols, The Knickerbockers, The Nashville Teens, The McCoys, Zager & Evans, Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, Scott McKenzie, Strawberry Alarm Clock, Merrilee Rush, Little Peggy March, Mason Williams and more!
4:00 p.m. Album of The Week: Venus And Mars by Paul McCartney & Wings
The follow-up to the great Band On The Run was no slouch. It was another great collection of songs from a great band.
7:00 p.m. The Concert for Bangladesh, George Harrison & Friends, August 1, 1971, Madison Square Garden, New York City
Before there was Live Aid or Farm Aid, there was the Concert for Bangladesh. This first-of-its-kind gathering of musical stars was the conception of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar to benefit the refugees of East Pakistan following the Bangladesh Liberation War-related genocide. Joining Harrison and Shankar were Ringo Starr, Leon Russell, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston and Badfinger.
We’ve got a great eclectic lineup for you today. It’s a great day to discover #BecomeUngovernable Radio. We’re on 24/7. We’re free. Best of all, we do not clutter up your listening arena with commercial advertising. It’s all about the music.
Happy 82nd Birthday, Ringo! Still filling stadiums around the world with his All Starr band!
Here’s your Friday lineup:
11:00 a.m. Ode To Morning: Various Artists
We opened the month with our playlist about the night time, so it’s only fitting that we begin the day with our flip-side EP. You will hear Joni Mitchell, The Move, Fleetwood Mac, Foreigner, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Nina Simone, 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!
7:00 p.m. The Best of Ringo Starr UPDATED AND EXPANDED!
You know, there’s urban legend, and then there’s sheer musical ignorance. The notion that Ringo isn’t a “good” drummer is patently absurd. In fact, his peers will tell you otherwise. Perhaps you should watch this video featuring Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Jim Keltner, Stewart Copeland, Tre Cool, Chad Smith and others. Remember, The Beatles wanted Ringo and stole him from Rory Storm & The Hurricanes, dumping Pete Best in the process. He’s a drummer’s drummer, and most of the criticism is because he isn’t John Bonham with his 40-minute drum solos. But that shit? That shit breaks up the continuity of a song, in my humble opinion. And Ringo was and still is all about giving the song what it needs. His attitude about drum solos is all that it proves is that you took lessons. But best of all is that Ringo is just a good guy who has fun on stage with his All Starr band, and at 82, he’s still filling stadiums to spread his feel-good sounds. Today, we celebrate Ringo’s 82nd birthday (yesterday) with some of our favorites where he was only the drummer, every song he sang solo on as a member of The Beatles, and his own solo stuff.
Get on board the weekend train because we are almost there, people. It’s all downhill from here, as they say. I will, of course, have one day left after today since I toil in the very real world of retail hell in a nation where buying is equated with freedom. So are guns. But we won’t go there. Instead, we’ll focus on the music, so join us. We promise no chatty DJs, and no news here. Just music 24/7. And did I mention we’re totally FREE (in all caps and with NO strings)?
Good Morning, Musicologists everywhere! Today we have some great live Doors, and celebrate Ringo’s 81st birthday. Later on, we launch our brand new playlist.
We begin the day with The Doors live at Cobo Arena in Detroit.
Here’s your mid-week line-up:
11:00 a.m. The Doors Live at Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, May 8, 1970
Just about a year before his untimely death, Jim Morrison and the Doors played the Cobo Arena in Detroit. We have it for you today.
3:00 p.m. DJ’s Choice: My Favorite Ringo Starr Music
We celebrate Ringo’s 81st birthday today by weighing in on my favorite Ringo Starr music as a Beatle, as a solo artist, and as a drummer. I hear a lot of bullshit disparaging remarks out there about Ringo’s drumming. Talk is cheap. His peers in the drumming world don’t share that attitude. In fact, Ringo is one of the most respected drummers on the planet, and The Beatles went to great lengths to lure him away from Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
7:00 p.m. Under The Sun & Moon: Various Artists NEW!
We love putting together these playlists here in The Mermaid Lounge. Today’s is a pile of songs with the sun and the moon mentioned either in the title or the lyrics (and sometimes both). You’ll hear The Beatles, Tom Rush, Little Feat, Joni Mitchell, The Wallflowers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Cat Stevens, Van Morrison, The Traveling Wilburys, Linda Ronstadt, Maria Muldaur, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Kinks, and many more!
The song list will be up under the Playlist tab before airing.
Tune us in, folks. Join your friends around the world by jumping on board the magic Mermaid Music bus. You don’t need no stinking credit card. All you need is a free computer tab. Seriously.
We’re back at the salt mines today with the general buying public, so we’re off to an early start this morning. I don’t have to tell true Beatles fans what happened on this day all those years ago.
Everything that has to be said about this day of infamy has been said.
Here’s today’s lesson from The Mermaid Lounge:
December 8, 1961: The Supremes begin recording their third single, Your Heart Belongs To Me, written by Smokey Robinson.
December 8, 1967: The Beatles release the Magical Mystery Tour double EP in the UK.
Also on this day, Traffic released their debut album, Mr. Fantasy.
And, The Rolling Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties Request album was released in the UK, which carried the hit She’s a Rainbow.
December 8, 1968: Graham Nash leaves The Hollies and begins working with David Crosby (ex-Byrds) and Stephen Stills (ex-Buffalo Springfield). Crosby, Stills, and Nash would release their self-titled debut album during the summer of 1969.
December 8, 1969: The Beatles record the Ringo Starr composition, Octopus’s Garden.
Meanwhile, at his trial in the Toronto Supreme Court for possession of hash and heroin, Jimi Hendrix testified that he had “outgrown” drugs. He was found not guilty after eight hours of deliberation.
December 8, 1972: Carly Simon’s album No Secrets is certified gold.
December 8, 1980: A day that will live in infamy. Mark David Chapman pumps five bullets into John Lennon outside The Dakota Apartments in New York City, killing him. It is reported in some outlets that he tries to get into his apartment to see his son before he collapses and dies. Later, Chapman would say the lure of the fame this event would bring was something he couldn’t resist. Fucker. RIP, John Lennon. The world misses you.
We put John Lennon In The Spotlight this evening.
Born On This Day
December 8, 1939: Jerry Butler (lead singer of The Impressions) was born in Sunflower, Mississippi. He moved to Chicago where he sings in a choir with his future Impressions bandmate, the great Curtis Mayfield.
December 8, 1941: Bobby Elliot, drummer for The Hollies, was burn in Burnley, Lancashire, England.
December 8, 1943: Jim Morrison, leader of The Doors, was born James Douglas Morrison in Melbourne, Florida.
December 8, 1947: Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band was born in Nashville, Tennessee. Much is made of Duane Allman, and he was the initial leader of the band before his death, and played that guitar like no other. But Gregg Allman was the guy who wrote the songs and had that great singing voice.
And that is today’s lesson from The College. We’ll be back with today’s line-up soon!
Good Morning, Music Lovers! Apparently, the 20th of November is a banner day in rock n’ roll history. Let’s not waste any time!
Keith Moon, on a day when he was apparently not creating problems.
Here’s today in music history:
November 20, 1955: The song that changed music forever, Rock Around The Clock, by Bill Haley & The Comets, went to #1 on the UK charts. It would re-chart six more times until 1974.
Bo Diddley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The show requested that he play Sixteen Tons. When he went on stage, he instead sang Bo Diddley. They banned him from further appearances in punishment. (Give me a fucking break, Ed.) As Tom Petty said, “Elvis was king, but Diddley was daddy.”
November 20, 1961: Bob Dylan began recording his debut album. It was completed over two days at Columbia Recording Studios in New York. Some of the songs recorded the first day are Song to Woody, Fixin’ to Die, and Baby Let Me Follow You Down.
November 20, 1965: The Supremes had their sixth #1 single in the US with I Hear a Symphony.
November 20, 1966: The Supremes again were at #1 on the US charts with You Keep Me Hangin’ On, their seventh single.
November 20, 1967: The Strawberry Alarm Clock was at #1 with Incense And Peppermints, one of my all-time favorite songs. The opening riff is what did it for me. Oddly enough, the band hated the lyrics so much, they had a friend who was attending the recording sessions sing it instead. It worked.
November 20, 1968: Janis Joplin’s manager approaches Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites about creating her a new backing band, which becomes Janis Joplin & The Kozmic Blues Band.
November 20, 1971: Isaac Hayes hit #1 on the US singles charts with The Theme From Shaft.
November 20, 1974: Keith Moon collapsed on stage when his drink was spiked with horse tranquilizer (I wonder who did that). A 19-year-old drummer in attendance at the Cow Palace volunteered to replace him and the concert went on. Moon would also collapse on stage in Boston in 1976 when yours truly was in attendance. That was allegedly from the flu. The concert was rescheduled.
November 20, 1975: The Who kicked off a North American tour at the Summit in Houston. After that show, Keith Moon was arrested for disorderly conduct. What a guy.
November 20, 1976: Paul Simon joins George Harrison on stage on SNL where they perform Here Comes The Sun and Homeward Bound together. both John Lennon and Paul McCartney were in New York at the time and watched the show.
November 20, 1991: The Rolling Stones sign a deal with Virgin Records to make three albums over six years.
Born on This Day
We’ve got so many here, we’re making this a separate entry.
November 20, 1940: Jim Horn, American saxophonist, woodwinds player and master session musician is born. He played on solo albums by three members of The Beatles, and was on stage for George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh in 1971. He also played flute and sax on Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys and flute on The Stones’ Goats Head Soup album.
November 20, 1941: Matthew John Rebennack, or Dr. John, was (thankfully) born. He was a pianist, guitarist and singer who was a session musician from the 50s until his death in 2019 at the age of 77. Dr. John came into his own as a performer in the late 60s when he released his album, Gris-Gris. He is absolutely one of my all-time favorites.
November 20, 1942: Norman Greenbaum of Spirit in The Sky fame, was born in Malden, Massachusetts.
November 20, 1946: Duane Allman, undoubtedly one of the greatest guitarists of all time and leader of The Allman Brothers Band is born. If you’ve listened in on our Skydog playlists, you’ll see he was one of the most sought-after guitarists on the planet, playing with everyone from Wilson Pickett to Eric Clapton. He dies tragically in a motorcycle accident in 1971 in Macon, Georgia.
November 20, 1947: Joe Walsh, singer, songwriter, guitarist with The James Gang and later, The Eagles, is born. Did you know that Joe Walsh is Ringo’s brother-in-law?
Whew! That’s it for today, Musicologists! We’ll be back with today’s line-up in a bit!
Good Morning, Ungovernables! Tuesday Bluesday is back and we’re heading down Louisiana way for today’s offering. And it’s Ringo’s 80th birthday, and we pay respects to him, an often underrated very important cog in the Beatles’ musical wheel.
Here’s today’s Tuesday Bluesday line-up:
11:00 a.m.  DJ’s Choice: My Favorite Ringo Starr Songs  NEW!
A simple four-drum kit was all Ringo needed to make his sound. If you watched the video I posted earlier on the #BecomeUngovernable Radio Facebook page, you’ll see that his peers revere that sound and try to recapture it. Ringo didn’t need to steal the show. He drummed to the level that the song required. He was never bigger than the song itself.
3:00 p.m.  Album of The Week: Homegrown by Neil Young
The release is finally here! Originally shelved in 1975, Neil Young’s 40th studio release, Homegrown, has hit the airwaves.
7:00 p.m.  Tuesday Bluesday: The Best of Louisiana Blues, Volume 1
Today we do something a bit different and head down to N’awlins for some Louisiana Blues!
Like Ringo, #BecomeUngovernable Radio is never bigger than the music. We’re free. No advertising. No credit card required. No politics. No bullshit. Just music 24/7.
Good Morning, Ungovernables! We begin another work week here in Empire, but the music remains a refuge here at #BecomeUngovernable Radio.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m.   Carl Perkins & Friends: Go Kat Go!
The legendary guitar man Carl Perkins has brought along some friends, like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Willie Nelson, George Harrison and more, to help him sing some of his songs. Check out the set list in the Playlist section of the blog.
2:00 p.m.    Under the Influence: Various Artists
If you need to take the edge off, this is the playlist. Some solutions are legal. Some are not. Opinions expressed in this song may or may not reflect the recommendations of management.
5:00 p.m.    The Grateful Dead: Live From the Mars Hotel (1974)
9:00 p.m.    Neil Young with Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
Neil Young hit the road without a band and had to find one. He did in Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. Yes, they are in our standard rotation and, yes, he is Willie’s boy.
#BecomeUngovernable Radio 