We’ve added some new music to our Standard Rotation over the past couple of weeks. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to update you on these additions.
The great Curtis Mayfield.
We’ve added some new people and bands to the rotation, like The Jerry Garcia Band, The Boogaloo Swamis (Cajun/Zydeco), and the combination of Jimi Hendrix & Little Richard.
We’ve also added to the volume of several artists: Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield, Emmylou Harris, The Youngbloods, Tracy Chapman and BeauSoleil.
We’ve also cleaned out some duplicates and some old political stuff (we still have more of this junk to go; but it is a painstaking process), giving us a total of 26,834 songs in the rotation.
We will be adding some of our Album of The Week selections to the on-demand section over the next few weeks.
In spite of the fact that we offer several hours of planned programming during each day, the vast majority of our 24-hour cycle is devoted to Open Stream. We hope you’ll tune us in.
Good Morning, Musicologists! We’ve got a great line-up today here from The Mermaid Lounge. Some people are forgotten at times. We won’t allow that to happen to Sam Cooke.
Sam Cooke, the man whose voice was made to sing soul.
Here’s today’s line-up:
11:00 a.m. One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live at The Harlem Square Club, Miami, Florida, January 12, 1963
This performance was recorded back in 1963, but not released until 1985. RCA kept it locked in their vaults, thinking it was too gritty and would tarnish his pop image. In fact, it is now recognized as one of the best live performances in popular music history. Today we celebrate what would be Sam Cooke’s 90th birthday.
3:00 p.m. The Shadow: 08 Murder By The Dead FINAL AIRING!
That pesky beyond-the-grave killer returns. It’s a mystery, of course, until The Shadow figures it out.
7:00 p.m. Between Heaven & Hell: Various Artists
Haven’t heard this one in a while. This is a good day for it. Tuning us in will bring you Donovan, Led Zeppelin, The Foo Fighters, Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty, The Grass Roots, Pink Floyd, ZZ Top, Elvis Presley, Van Morrison, and then some!
We’re free. We’re not intrusive. We do not require a credit card or personal information. All you need to do is click on the link below.
Good Morning, Students! Here we are again. It’s another Friday here in The Mermaid Lounge, and this was a pretty active day in rock n’ roll history!
The Beatles put their differences aside and managed to finish Let It Be, a great fucking album.
Here’s today’s lesson:
January 22, 1959: Buddy Holly left for Milwaukee to begin The Winter Dance Party tour.
January 22, 1960: Sam Cooke signed with RCA Records on this day, his 29th birthday.
January 22, 1963: Gerry & The Pacemakers held their first recording session ever, laying down How Do You Do It.
January 22, 1964: Sonny Boy Wiliamson and The Yardbirds appeared at The Cavern Club for their Big R & B Night.
January 22, 1965: The Rolling Stones began a tour of Oceana with two shows at the Agricultural Hall in Sydney, Australia.
January 22, 1966: The Beach Boys began recording Wouldn’t It Be Nice at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood.
Also on this day:
Stevie Wonder went to #1 on the R & B chart with Uptight (Everything’s Alright). He was just 13 years old at the time, making him the youngest artist to ever top the charts.
The Beatles album Rubber Soul was at week three in the top Album position.
Simon & Garfunkel had their first #1 hit with Sounds of Silence.
January 22, 1968: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition released their first single, Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In). I wonder if anybody realizes that he started out as a rocker before he began singing formualted country hits.
Also on this day:
Another great band, Sly & The Family Stone, sent their first 45 record, Dance To The Music, to the radio stations.
The Who performed two shows in Sydney Stadium in Australia. They were backed by the Small Faces.
January 22, 1969: Billy Preston arrived at Apple Studios to play keyboards and help the Beatles finish the Let It Be album. In addition to his talents, he also provided a great buffer for their in-fighting.
January 22, 1971: The Joe Cocker film, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, premiered in London. It featured performances by Cocker himself, along with Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge. There was also a cast of great session musicians like Jim Keltner (Buster Sidebury of Traveling Wilbury fame), Jim Horn, and Carl Radle.
January 22, 1972: Don McLean’s album American Pie hits #1 in the US, where it will remain for seven weeks.
January 23, 1973: Gladys Knight & The Pips released the single Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye).
Also on this day, Roberta Flack released the single Killing Me Softly With His Song. The lyricist was Lori Lieberman, who was inspired by a 1971 live performance by none other than Don McLean.
January 22, 1974: Carly Simon’s great album Hotcakes is certified Gold.
January 22, 1977: Paul McCartney & Wings have the #1 album in the US with Wings Over America.
January 22, 2004: The famous nightclub, The Bottom Line, closes its doors in Greenwich Village, New York after thirty years.
Born On This Day
January 22, 1931: Sam Cooke, the man with the voice made to sing soul music, was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
January 22, 1949: Another great vocalist, Steve Perry, the frontman for Journey, was born in Hanford, California. (No matter what they tell you, there’s no real Journey without Steve Perry at the mike.)
January 22, 1959: Nigel Pegrum, drummer for both Small Faces and Uriah Heep, was born in North Wales.
I hope you took notes. Because this is a lot of information. We’ll be back with the line-up.
Yes, the sun is out for a change here. Let’s see how long it lasts. But in the meantime, we have all the news that’s fit for a trivia buff.
Sam Cooke. His voice was made for soul.
Here’s today’s lesson:
January 9, 1962: Sam Cooke releases Twistin’ The Night Away, a great fucking song.
January 9, 1963: Charlie Watts joins the Rolling Stones on drums, replacing Tony Chapman.
January 9, 1965: The Beatles begin nine weeks at #1 on the US Album chart with Beatles ’65, their fourth #1 album.
January 9, 1967: The Buffalo Springfield release one of the greatest songs in history, For What It’s Worth.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, The Beatles supervised the recording of the flutes, trumpets, piccolos and flugelhorn for Penny Lane.
January 9, 1969: The Beatles owned #1 on the UK Album chart with The Beatles (also known affectionately as, The White Album).
January 9, 1970: During their UK tour, Led Zeppelin played Royal Albert Hall on Jimmy Page’s 26th birthday. John Lennon, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton were in attendance.
January 9, 1976: Queen was at #1 on the UK singles chart with Bohemian Rhapsody.
Born On This Day
January 9, 1941: American singer, songwriter, musician and activist Joan Baez was born in Staten Island, New York. She recorded and released her debut album in 1960 at the age of nineteen. She is the first singer to record songs written by Bob Dylan.
January 9, 1944: James Patrick “Jimmy” Page was born in Heston, Middlesex, England. he was a session musician before forming The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. One of the greatest guitarists on the planet.
And that is it. It’s Saturday. Your lesson should be light and it is. Have a great day and we’ll be back with the line-up.
Good Morning, Music Trivia Buffs! We’re getting a jump on the day because it’s an “opening” shift this morning on Truck Day. Here’s everything you need to know to impress your friends.
Tom Petty said of Bo Diddley: “Remember, Elvis is King, but Diddley is Daddy.”
Here’s today’s lesson:
December 30, 1957: Sam Cooke’s You Send Me finished the year as the #1 R & B song where it spent the previous six weeks.
December 30, 1961: This year it was the Marvelettes finishing up a seventh week at #1 on the R & B chart with Please Mr. Postman.
December 30, 1962: The Chiffons released the single He’s So Fine.
December 30, 1965: The Who, The Hollies, The Kinks, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Manfred Mann, and Georgie Fame performed on the popular TV show, Shindig.
December 30, 1967: The Beatles were still tearing up the charts. Their new album release, Magical Mystery Tour, climed from #157 to #4 in one week.
As if that wasn’t enough, The Beatles also had their 51st hit, their 25th Top 10 song in four years, and 15th #1 with the song Hello Goodbye.
December 30, 1968: The Turtles released the single You Showed Me.
December 30, 1969: Santana released the single Evil Ways.
December 30, 1972:Seventh Sojurn by the Moody Blues remained at the #1 position on the Album chart for a fourth week.
Also on this day, Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina cracked the Top 10 with Your Mama Don’t Dance.
December 30, 1974: Bob Dylan recorded Tangled Up in Blue (a personal all-time favorite), Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, and If You See Her, Say Hello.
December 30, 1979: Emerson, Lake & Palmer announced their break up.
Born On This Day
December 30, 1928: R & B and Rock n’ Roll icon Bo Diddley (vocalist, guitarist, songwriter) was born Ellas Otha Bates (add McDaniels at the end from his adoptive family) in McComb, Mississippi. He grew up on the South Side of Chicago where he and his friends sang on street corners. Rumor has it that his nickname, Bo Diddley came from the diddley bow, a one-stringed African guitar popular in the Mississippi Delta region.
December 30, 1931: Country singer Skeeter Davis was born Mary Frances Penick in Dry Ridge, Kentucky. She is actually best known for her crossover hit, The End Of The World.
December 30, 1934: Del Shannon (Runaway) was born Charles Weedon Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
December 30, 1937: Bluegrass, folk, and country multi-instrumentalist and singer John Hartford was born in New York City.
December 30, 1937: Folk singer-songwriter Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) was born in Baltimore, Maryland.
December 30, 1939: R & B singer Kim Weston was born Agatha Nathalia Weston in Detroit, Michigan. She would sign with Motown in 1961.
December 30, 1939: Felix Pappalardi, bassist and vocalist for Mountain, was born in The Bronx, New York.
December 30, 1940: Punk rock queen Patti Smith was born in Chicago.
And that, my friends, is it from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!
Good Morning from the College! It’s a really kind of quiet day here, and your lesson will be smaller than usual. It was mostly an uneventful day in rock music history. But we do have some interesting events.
Sly & The Family Stone. Sly Stone was erratic, but this was a great band.
Here’s today’s lesson, You won’t have to strain your brain:
December 18, 1961: EMI Records rejected The Beatles. They later signed them after they realized what the fuck they had.
Also on this day, Sam Cooke, a man whose voice was made for R & B, recorded Twistin’ The Night Away.
December 18, 1962: The Beatles returned to Hamburg for the last time before hitting the big time, where they play a twelve-night run at The Star Club.
December 18, 1971: Sly & The Family Stone had the #1 album on the Billboard chart with There’s a Riot Going On. It was originally going to be called Africa Speaks To You, but the name was changed at the last minute to respond to Marvin Gaye’s album, What’s Going On.
Born On This Day
December 18, 1938: Chas Chandler (bassist for The Animals and later, manager of the Jimi Hendrix Experience), was born in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
December 18, 1941: Sam Andrews, guitarist for Big Brother & The Holding Company, was born in Taft, California.
December 18, 1943: Keith Richards, lead gutarist for The Rolling Stones, was born in Dartford, Kent, England.
And that is the lesson today from the College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge! Stick around, Today’s line-up is coming!
It’s another fairly active day at the College. We’ve got all sorts of information of a musical historical nature for you, including some amazing CCR history!
The extraordinary Creedence Clearwater Revival, led by John Fogerty.
Here’s your mid-week lesson!
December 16, 1957: Sam Cooke remained at #1 on the R & B charts for a fourth week with the great song, You Send Me.
December 16, 1965: The Beatles’ We Can Work It Out and Day Tripper, released as a Double-A side 45, both hit #1 in the UK on this date.
December 16, 1966: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released Hey Joe (their first single release) in the UK.
December 16, 1967: The Rolling Stones announced that Marianne Faithful was the first artist signed to their new Mother Earth Records.
Also on this day, the Lemon Pipers release the single Green Tambourine. (There are just those sixties songs that stick with you. This is one of them. You know, like Incense & Peppermints.)
And also on December 16, 1967: Gladys Knight & The Pips remained at #1 on the R & B chart for a third week with I Heard It Through The Grapevine.
December 16, 1968: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band released their first career single, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.
December 16, 1970: Creedence Clearwater Revival was as good as any band of its time. They made some amazing music. On this day they were rewarded with five gold records for: Down On The Corner, Lookin’ Out My Back Door, Travelin’ Band, Bad Moon Rising and Up Around The Bend. They were also awarded 5 gold albums for the following LPs: Cosmo’s Factory, Willy & The Poor Boys, Green River, Bayou Country, and the self-titled, Creedence Clearwater Revival.
December 16, 1974: John Lennon released the single #9 Dream.
Also on this day, America released the single Lonely People.
December 16, 1986: Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram released the single Somewhere Out There.
December 16, 1995: The Beatles’ Free As A Bird peaks at #2 on the UK charts and #6 in the US. It was written and recorded as a demo by John Lennon shortly before his murder. The rest of the Beatles complete the single in Paul’s home studio.
December 16, 1997: Nicolette Larson, who had a hit with Neil Young’s Lotta’ Love, and who worked with Linda Ronstadt, The Doobie Brothers, The Beach Boys, and Jimmy Buffett, died in LA at the age of 45.
December 16, 2007: Singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg died at his home in Deer Island, Maine, at the age of 56, after a three-year battle with prostate cancer.
Born On This Day
December 16, 1945: Tony Hicks, guitarist for The Hollies, was born in Nelson, Lancashire, England.
December 16, 1949: Billy Gibbons, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for ZZ Top, was born in Houston, Texas.
And thus ends today’s lesson from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!
School is never out here in The Mermaid Lounge. We are here every day giving you all the news that’s fit to print. Of course, you know we post early for Wednesdays as retail slavery starts early.
Taj Mahal 1968, one of our favorites here in The Mermaid Lounge.
Here’s today’s lesson:
December 2, 1957: Sam Cooke proves third time’s a charm when You Send Me becomes his first hit on the Billboard Pop chart.
December 2, 1962: The Beatles are the opening act for a gentleman named Frank Ifield. However, contrary to his calm crooning style, the Fab Four were pounding out blistering rock n’ roll, prompting some in the crowd to tell them to “turn it down.”
December 2, 1963: Roy Orbison released the single “Pretty Paper.”
Also on this day, the Beatles performed This Boy, All My Loving, and I Want To Hold Your Hand for the UK’s Morecambe & Wise Show.
December 2, 1967: Gladys Knight & The Pips hit #1 on the R & B chart with a remake of Marvin Gaye’s I Heard It Through The Grapevine.
Also on this day, Donovan had one of the hottest songs on the charts with Wear Your Love Like Heaven.
December 2, 1968: The Bee Gees released the song I Started A Joke. They made some fine fucking music before turning disco. After that? Nah.
December 2, 1969: George Harrison joined Delaney & Bonnie on stage at Colston Hall in Bristol, England.
Also on December 2, The Rolling Stones stop by Muscle Shoals Recording Studios in Alabama on their way to their ill-fated Altamont show on December 6. There, they record Wild Horses, You Gotta Move, and Brown Sugar over a three-day session.
December 2, 1971: Taj Mahal plays for death row inmates at North Carolina’s Wilmington State Penetentiary.
December 2, 1972: The Temptations’ version of Papa Was a Rolling Stone gives them their fourth US #1 song.
Steely Dan made The Billboard 200 for the first time with their debut album, Can’t Buy A Thrill. The album’s name is taken from a line in the Bob Dylan song, It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.
And Cat Stevens’ album, Catch Bull At Four, continued at #1 for a third week. This would also be Cat’s most commercially successful album.
Born On This Day
December 2, 1941: Tom McGuinness, bass guitarist with Manfred Mann, was born in Wimbledon, London, England.
December 2, 1942: Ted Bluechel, drummer for The Association, was born in San Pedro, California.
And that’s it for today from The College of Rock n’ Roll Knowledge!
Good Morning, Ungovernables! It’s mid-week and it’s Wilbury Wednesday! Can it get any better than that? Check out the line-up and see for yourself.
Here’s your line-up:
12:00 p.m. Joni Mitchell Live at Club 47, Cambridge, MA
The year was 1968, and Club 47 was the place. We remember Linda Ronstadt playing there and getting roast beef sandwiches at Elsie’s in Harvard Square. Others also launched their careers there, like Bonnie Raitt. This turn was for Joni.
4:00 p.m. Wilbury Wednesday! The Traveling Wilburys are in The Spotlight
George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison. Five friends who simply loved making music together and having fun. It shows.
7:00 p.m. One Night Stand: Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club NEW!
Sam Cooke. Sometimes his name doesn’t flow off the lips when you talk about soul music. It should. He’s the man who invented soul.
Join us. It’s free. It’s outside the system. Just do it. All you need to do is click the link.
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