Tag: The Staple Singers

On Sunday, It’s ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul,’ a Livingston Taylor ‘Spotlight’ Feature and Live Emmylou Harris, August 24, 2025

Good morning, musicologists. It’s Sunday Funday as we open up with five hours of uninterrupted soul and R & B across all music labels, not just Motown!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

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

We start off with five uninterrupted hours of soul and R & B from 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, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Ann Peebles, Al Green, and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Livingston Taylor NEW!

He may not have the universal appeal of Sweet Baby James, but Livingston Taylor is a fine multi-instrumentalist and folk singer famous and loved here in Boston and the New England area. Today he’s in our ‘Spotlight.’

8:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris & The Desert Rose Band Live at The Nevada County Fairgrounds, Grass Valley, CA, August 3, 1986

Tonight we close with Emmylou and her friends from the Desert Rose Band, a fine country- rock band founded in 1985 by Chris Hillman, Herb Pederson, and John Jorgenson.

We’re here 24/7. The sun never sets in The Mermaid Lounge. We’re totally free, and we’re playing you the best music on the planet! The button is below.

Sunday Funday!

At Midweek It’s ‘The British Are Coming,’ a Staple Singers ‘Spotlight,’ and Ry Cooder Live at Montreux, Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to the midweek once again. We’ve got a pretty great lineup today, including some new live music from Ry Cooder with David Lindley.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. The British Are Coming: Various Artists

Music from across the pond with The Beatles, The Who, Dave Mason, Electric Light Orchestra, Petula Clark, The Zombies, The Hollies, Dusty Springfield, Small Faces, Led Zeppelin, Queen, The Kinks, The Bee Gees, The Dave Clark Five, The Moody Blues, Rod Stewart, Them, Herman’s Hermits, The Rolling Stones, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Badfinger, The Yardbirds, and more!

4:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Staple Singers

This afternoon, we groove with one of the finest soul, R & B, and gospel bands ever to grace the airwaves.8:00 p.m. Ry Cooder with David Lindley, Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, July 9, 1990 NEW!

8:00 p.m. Ry Cooder With David Lindley Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Montreux, Switzerland, July 9, 1990 NEW!

A brand new-to-the-show live performance with friends Ry Cooder and David Lindley from the 1990 Montreux Jazz Festival held on the shores of beautiful Lake Geneva will close out the midweek programming.

Of course, before, in between, and after our scheduled programming, it’s our big, wide Open Stream to entertain you 24/7 at no charge, and with NO commercial interruption. The button is below.

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We Start a New Month With a McCartney ‘Spotlight’ Feature, Soulsville U.S.A., and Live Heartbreakers, On August 1, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! We kick off the month of August with a Macca ‘Spotlight’ (sans Beatles), a trip down Stax memory lane, and The Heartbreakers live in NOLA.

Here’s your Friday musical lineup:

10:00 a.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of Paul McCartney

Macca without The Beatles, only as a solo artist and as the leader of Wings.

4:00 p.m. Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Stax Records Legacy

This one’s due for an update soon, but for today you’ll hear Albert King, Booker T & The MGs, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, The Staple Singers, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, and The Delfonics!

8:00 p.m. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Racecourse Fair Grounds, New Orleans, LA, April 28, 2012

One of our House Bands live this evening at a great New Orleans event that would become a staple for them.

We are kicking off a new month in style today with a great eclectic group of programs interspersed inside our big, wide Open Stream. We’re on 24/7 and we’re totally free. There’s no advertising and no strings. See for yourselves. The button is below!

STAX Records!

We’re Feeling Soulful With Our Big EP, a Drifters ‘Spotlight’, and Live Nina Simone on Saturday, February 22, 2025

Good morning, soul and R & B lovers! We’re amped up today as we bring you ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ for starters, then it’s the Drifters ‘In the Spotlight’ and some live Nina Simone!

Here’s your Saturday lineup:

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

We officially begin the weekend with our biggest soul music EP, featuring Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, 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, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

4:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Drifters

The Drifters have an interesting background, reflecting the social injustice of the times. It’s too long for me to write about on this blog, but you can read all about it here. Regardless, they made some great music and we’ve got them ‘In the Spotlight’ today.

8:00 p.m. Nina Simone Live at Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, France, July 24 & 25, 1965 NEW!

Today we celebrate the birthday (February 21) of the late, great Nina Simone, singer, songwriter, music arranger and, yes, civil rights and social justice activist. Here she’s live at the the annual Jazz a Juan International Jazz Festival. We need her fighting spirit now.

Come on in to The Mermaid Lounge for a little bit of soul and R & B today. In between that programming, we’ve got our big, wide Open Stream running 24/7 at no charge. We’re anti-capitalist. We care about only one thing: Playing great music for you folks with absolutely no commercial interruption. The button is below.

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On Sunday, It’s ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’, Live Emmylou Harris, and The Pretenders ‘In The Spotlight’, January 26, 2025

Good morning, music lovers! We’re all over the musical map today with our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP, some live Emmylou Harris and The Pretenders ‘In the Spotlight’ later!

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

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

We start the day off with our big kahuna of soul and R & B encompassing Motown, Stax and Atlantic, among others. 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, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Ann Peebles, Al Green and more!

4:00 p.m. Emmylou Harris Live at My Father’s Place, Roslyn, New York, September 14, 1976

This afternoon we’ve got some early Emmylou Harris from My Father’s Place, a popular venue for young, aspiring artists on Long Island.

8:00 p.m. In the Spotlight: The Music of The Pretenders

Chrissie Hynde’s band brings up the rear with some hard-edged rock as we close out the day’s programming.

But we’re here all day and all night. Before, in between, and after our scheduled programs we give you our big, wide Open Stream without interruption. The button is below.

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On Sunday It’s The Staple Singers, Live Leon Russell and Our ‘M is For Motown’ EP. It’s December 15, 2024.

Good morning, musicologists and welcome to Sunday in The Lounge. We’ve got a Staple Singers ‘Spotlight’, some live Leon Russell and our ‘M is For Motown’ EP to bring us through late afternoon and into the evening hours.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

9:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of The Staple Singers

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B group with a civil rights emphasis founded by Roebuck “Pops” Staples and his children Cleotha, Pervis, and Mavis. They left us a great library of music.

1:00 p.m. Leon Russell Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, August 7, 1972

To put it bluntly, Leon Russell was a musical legend. Over a sixty-year career he had multiple hits covering many genres, including rock and roll, country, bluegrass, rhythm & blues, southern rock, blues rock, folk, surf and the Tulsa sound. He won two Grammys, was named the top concert attraction of 1973 by Billboard, and in 2011 he was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

4:00 p.m. M is For Motown: Various Artists

We close out the day with our great multi-artist Motown EP featuring Barrett Strong, Eddie Kendricks, Eddie Holland, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Jackson Five, Kim Weston, Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Four Tops, The Isley Brothers, The Temptations, The Contours, Rare Earth, Mary Wells, Tammi Terrell, Diana Ross & The Supremes and more!

It’s damned cold here today, and it’s a great day to be inside enjoying the world from a window with some great music coming from my speakers. Join me. The button is below.

The Sunday Funday Button!

On Sunday It’s Our ‘A Little Bit O’ Soul’ EP in Between a Patty Griffin ‘Spotlight’ and Live John Fogerty, October 27, 2024

Good morning, music lovers, and welcome to The Mermaid Lounge where we have some great stuff on tap. We play the stuff nobody else is playing.

Here’s your Sunday Funday lineup:

10:00 a.m. In The Spotlight: The Music of Patty Griffin

I’ve been on the planet a long time. I’ve not heard Patty Griffin on the radio anywhere, but you’ll hear her here. Who is she? She’s a (primarily) folk singer, songwriter, guitar and piano player who is known for her stripped-down songwriting style. Her songs have been covered by many singers, including Emmylou Harris, Rory Block and Bette Midler. She has won numerous Grammy awards, but women still do not get representative play time on the airwaves. Unless, of course, you listen to us! You can learn more about Patty here.

1:00 p.m. A Little Bit O’ Soul: Various Artists

We’ve got our big soul and R & B playlist today with Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Ronettes, Marvin Gaye. Ray Charles, Otis Redding, The Drifters, Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Carla Thomas, James Brown, The Shirelles, Etta James, Curtis Mayfield, Sam & Dave, Sam Cooke, Edwin Starr, Fontella Bass, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Irma Thomas, The Box Tops, Ann Peebles, Al Green, The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, LaVern Baker, Diana Ross & The Supremes and more!

8:00 p.m. John Fogerty Live at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, June 24, 2008

This guy’s a rock n’ roll legend, the leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival and a prolific solo artist. Tonight we have him live from Royal Albert Hall.

We are here all day playing the tunes you love to hear. We’re on 24/7. We are totally free; no personal information or credit card required. We don’t track you. We just play music.

It’s Sunday Funday!

Thursday Brings ‘Travelin’ Fever,’ Live Lucinda Williams, and a Staple Singers Spotlight Feature, June 5, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! We’re on the downslide to the weekend and we’ve got some great stuff today, including a brand new Staple Singers Spotlight feature.

Here’s your musical lineup:

9:00 a.m. Travelin’ Fever: Various Artists

Life on the road is always a great musical subject, and that’s what we open with this morning. You’ll hear music from Canned Heat, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Box Tops, Arlo Guthrie, The Allman Brothers Band, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, The Doors, Tom Rush, The Byrds, Little Feat, The Band, Willie Nelson, Edwin Starr, The Traveling Wilburys, Del Shannon, Janis Joplin, Ray Charles, The Doobie Brothers, The Guess Who, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, Carole King, Cream and more!

4:00 p.m. Lucinda Williams Live at The Moody Theater, Austin, TX, December 5, 1998

The great singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams recorded live for Austin City Limits.

7:00 p.m. In The Spotlight: The Staple Singers NEW!

The Staple Singers are an American classic, a gospel, soul and R&B group started by Roebuck “Pops” Staples and his children that signed their first professional contract in 1952. They are best known for a string of hits in the seventies that included Respect Yourself, I’ll Take You There, If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me) and Let’s Do It Again. The Staple Singers have also been a steady voice in the civil rights movement. The Staple Singers have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999) and The Gospel Music Hall of Fame (2018). They were also honored with a marker on the Mississippi Blues Trail in Drew, Mississippi and were given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

It’s always a good time to give us a listen. We’re totally free (no “free trial” bullshit), we don’t ask for a credit card, and we don’t ask for your personal information. We’re all about the music. No lie. Hit the button below and see for yourself.

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‘The Best of Reggae & Ska’, ‘Soulsville, USA’ and ‘Live’ Mudcrutch Are All On Tap For Monday, May 20, 2024

Good morning, workforce! We’re all back at it for another week and we aim to start it off on a great note with a pretty eclectic lineup!

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

10:00 a.m. The Best of Reggae & Ska: Various Artists

We love this playlist, but it’s a first pass. We are poised for expansion and, perhaps, splitting it into two volumes, but I digress. You will hear Bob Marley & The Wailers, Prince Buster, Desmond Dekker (with and without The Aces), Peter Tosh, Jimmy Cliff, Judy Mowatt, Laurel Aitken, Marcia Griffiths, Rita Marley, The Jiving Juniors, Derrick Morgan and more!

4:00 p.m. Soulsville, USA: The Music of Stax Records

There’s Motown and then there’s Stax, where the ‘house’ band was the great Booker T & The MG’s. In addition to Booker T, you’ll hear Albert King, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, The Staple Singers, Carla Thomas, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, The Dramatics and more. By the way, the Stax documentary produced by HBO begins streaming today!

7:00 p.m. Mudcrutch Live at The Fonda Theater, Hollywood, CA, June 26, 2016

We’ve got a Mudcrutch Monday on tap today as we give you their live performance from the band’s great 2016 tour. Still kicking myself for missing them at Boston’s House of Blues, but at least I have this!

Yes, it’s Monday and Mondays suck in general, but they don’t have to. Just join us here. We’ll make your life better. And we’re free.

Soulsville, USA!

It’s a Busy Monday With ‘Working Songs’, Rickie Lee Jones, Van Morrison and Elvis Costello, February 12, 2024

Good morning, music lovers! I was a bit overexuberant last night and went off the ledge on scheduling today. (We’re actually exploring a bit of late-night programming for our overseas listeners!)

Here’s your Monday, Monday lineup:

11:00 a.m. Working Songs: Various Artists

Quite appropriate on a Monday morning as the work week begins. You’ll hear from The Staple Singers, Van Morrison, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Lennon, Slim Harpo, Neil Young, Jim Croce, Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Jesse Winchester, Maria Muldaur and more!

4:00 p.m.  In The Spotlight: The Music of Rickie Lee Jones

Over five decades this great singer-songwriter has recorded songs in a variety genres, including jazz, rock, pop, soul and R&B.

7:00 p.m.  Van Morrison Live at The Bottom Line, New York, NY, November 1, 1978

Van the Man is a staple around these parts. We haven’t heard him for a while, so we thought it was about time we break him out of mothballs.

10:00 p.m. Singer-Songwriter Series: The Music of Elvis Costello NEW!

Here we have another great Elvis, but it’s Costello. You can love him or hate him, but the man broke barriers and is a hell of a singer-songwriter. He’s one of the very few of his generation that I actually listen to.

Another Monday in paradise…at least for me since my “weekends” fall on Sunday-Monday. We’ve got some great music today and we’re toying with late-night programming. We’ll see how it goes. Our overnight listeners are generally outside the U.S. Give us a listen.

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