5/31/09 Blog/Playlist: 1962

Opening theme—So What's New Herb Alpert& Tijuana Brass

Segment 1: Theme - 1962

Today I am taking a look back at the year 1962 in music. It was a pretty interesting year...still a couple of years away from the British Invasion, teen idols and the Twist were making a strong presence on the charts, and some of the greatest singers around were having a very good year. I'll start with one of my favorites who placed a couple of songs on the top 100 that year.

Gene Pitney – Town Without Pity
Gene Chandler – Duke of Earl
Del Shannon – Little Town Flirt
Patsy Cline – She's Got You
Connie Francis – Vacation
Freddy Cannon – Palisades Park
I used to hear the radio commercials for this all the time, having grown up on the East coast not far from NYC. The song, by the way, was written by Chuck Barris of "Gong Show" fame.

Segment 2: Picking Through the Record Box

Continuing on with 1962 for a bit, as I mentioned, the Twist was at its height in popularity during that year if the Billboard top 100 is any indication. The great Sam Cooke got in on celebrating the dance craze as well.

Don & Juan - What's Your Name
Sam Cooke – Twisting the Night Away
Rick Nelson – It's Up To You
Barbara Lynn - You'll Lose a Good Thing
Bobby Darin – Things

I thought I was going to have a glitch-clean show. Silly me.

I had "Twisting the Night Away" by Sam Cooke in the playout system because I forgot to pack his CD. Well, the playout didn't work, so I had to grab a random track off the Time-Life compliation CD I was using for most of the show. The Don and Juan track came up and then I noticed that "Twisting The Night Away" was also on this same CD! So I played it next. At least I didn't make a complete liar out of myself.

Segment 3: Soul Stew

Brook Benton – Hotel Happiness
Shirelles – Baby It's You
Booker T and the MGs – Green Onions
Drifters - Up On The Roof

Segment 4: Non-oldie/Current/New (Outside the Box)
I played a couple of songs from some terrific women. One is a singer/songwriter I found earlier this year who blew me away, and over Memorial Day weekend she was a New Folk winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival in TX. Congrats to Louise Mosrie! I plan to have her on the show at a later date.

Louise Mosrie – Maybe I'm Your Angel
Samantha Mooney – Laying It All On the Line
(both tracks are from EPs with full albums soon to come from both artists)

I had a couple of minutes to fill...so I thought about artists like Samantha and Louise and what it felt like to hear them and others like them for the first time. I encourage everyone to go and seek out new artists and give them your support, because you never know how they're going to touch your world. You can learn about some in my "Wendy V's Nashville Blend" blog, for starters.

Frequency To The Heart:

Last week we talked about setbacks. You may not want to be in the place in life you are at the moment. But can you find something in it to help you make the best of your present circumstances? You may be without a job right now...but that gives you time to take a nap in the summer sun. If you're on your own, you have the freedom to see new places, have new experiences and meet new people without being tied down. (I'm speaking from experience on these, folks). Even at the hardest times in life, we all have things to be grateful for. Focus on those and you will find the rough waters in your heart will calm a bit.

Closer – Soul Serenade – King Curtis

Coming up on June 14, I will have Boomer Castleman on as my guest...he's been a part of some pop music history and he's still going strong here in Nashville; so do check that out in a couple of weeks.

I was sad to hear from our program director after the show that Kerry Miller, who had been doing the "Samurai Songs" show after mine, decided to end his show. Kerry was an absolute pleasure to have in the studio with me every Sunday. He's been a great encourager and gracious enough to be my "blog photographer" when needed. I will certainly miss him.

5/24/09 Blog/Playlist: In-studio guest Les Kerr

I was again fortunate this week to have another wonderful, talented and articulate guest, Les Kerr. And, it was so easy to prep for this show. Musicians can take a lesson from the efficiency of his press materials...concise, to the point and included all the essential info.

No opening theme today. The CD got off kilter in the player and wouldn't work. Technical glitch of the day. Not what I wanted when I had a guest in the studio so that threw me off a bit mentally.

Once again, it sounded like mic #1 was checking out. I couldn't hear myself in the headphones and Les said he couldn't hear me in the monitors. So a few words in I decided to bring up mic #2 which was over on Les' side and hoped it would pick me up until I had a chance to switch. But playing back the show, everything came out fine. So go figure!

I began with a few shout-outs to some of my fellow DJs:

- Bobby Bob, host of Bobby Bob's Rock and Roll Revolution on Saturdays at noon, for a heartfelt and emotional Memorial Day tribute on his show yesterday.

- Congrats to the Haggard and King Radio Hour which celebrated its 1st anniversary on the air this past Tuesday. Steve and Kimberly play some great music, pass on some facts and knowledge, have a real fun chemistry, they crack me up...and they're two of the dearest people I know as well. Tune in Tuesday from 4-5 p.m.

- I attended a reading and book signing yesterday by River Jordan, who is on a short leave from her show on Saturday afternoon supporting her new novel, "Saints In Limbo", which was a Random House pick of the month. Great to see her again and very happy for her success!

Segment 1: Picking Through the Record Box
For the "picking through the record box set" I asked Les to tell me some of his favorite oldies and I actually had a couple of those, believe it or not! I threw in a few New Orleans related songs and artists here, too.

Elvis Presley – Heartbreak Hotel
Arlo Guthrie – City Of New Orleans
Ernie K-Doe – Mother In Law
Frankie Ford - Sea Cruise
Fats Domino – I'm Walkin'

Guest segment: Les Kerr

I came to hear of Les Kerr actually through the station. River Jordan had him on as a guest and I got a MySpace note from him the same day telling me that he listened to my show. I really appreciated that and all his support ever since. Les describes his music as "Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock & Roll." He is a cheerleader for all things New Orleans as a singer and songwriter and is also a prolific writer of blog entries and other things.

Born in Shreveport, LA but raised in Mississippi, Les has loved New Orleans, its music, its food and its culture all his life. He is also quite knowledgeable about its rich musical heritage. Les is just back from a trip from New Orleans. You can read about that and see pictures at his MySpace page.

In addition to being a musician, Les is also an accomplished writer. He is a freelance journalist and most recently contributed to the book Tennessee with photos by George Humphries. He's also a co-author of the All-American Truck Stop Cookbook. Keeping it in the family, many people may also be familiar with his wife, Gail Kerr, columnist for the Tennessean.

Tracks:
Retro (a wonderful song not yet recorded about many of the things folks our age loved about growing up with music...especially buying vinyl records and 45's. When I heard him do this song at the recent Pegram Park Writers Night, I begged him to do it on the show. It was the perfect fit I imagined it to be.)

Pray for New Orleans (done live, written years before Hurricane Katrina hit)

Smile Upon Your Soul

The Camellia Grill (last two from his CD New Orleans Set)

Links:
www.leskerr.com
www.myspace.com/leskerrmusic

Upcoming gigs:

May 28 2009 6:00P
Bluebird Cafe with Nashville ECLECTIC Service, Nashville, Tennessee
May 31 2009 8:00P
Les hosts Bluebird Cafe Sunday Songwriter Showcase, Nashville
Jun 20 2009 3:00P
Jefferson Street Jazz and Blues Festival, Nashville, Tennessee
Jul 17 2009 7:00P
Red Caboose Park Concert Series, Nashville

Frequency To The Heart:
Setbacks will come in our lives. Things will happen to us that will seem puzzling or unfair. Jobs or people will leave us. Sometimes that means that where we were when those bumps in the road came may not have been the ideal places or situations for us at the time. But those are the times to hold fast to who we are and what our gifts are. Think about those you know of who may have been in similar situations, picked up the pieces and moved on...and landed on their feet. It may seem dark now...but morning will come.

Closer – Soul Serenade – King Curtis

5/17/09 Blog/Playlist: In-studio guest Mark Elliott

Yay! The microphones all worked today! Mark Elliott was such a great guest. There was so much I wanted to cover, but time just seems to fly so fast. I also wish I could have captured some of the stories Mark shared during CD plays, but you can't really manage show details and take notes(at least I can't).

Segment 1: Picking Through the Record Box
While I set up for guests, I do a "picking through the record box set" that will have a mix of things. I asked Mark what some of his favorite oldies were and unfortunately, I bombed out on having all but one...so I picked some songs by artists which were relevant to him.

Beatles – Thank You Girl
Wilson Pickett – 634-5789
Gordon Lightfoot- Early Morning Rain (the only song I had that he requested!)
John Sebastian - She's A Lady
Kim McLean – Ain't No Glory (Kim and Devon O'Day are part of the FolklahomaAppalachi-Groove Train with Mark)
Tom Paxton - The Last Thing On My Mind (Tom was influential in getting Mark to Nashville)

Guest segment: Mark Elliott

I must tell you my story of how I came to hear of him. I was doing some music screening last year for an indie music organization for their music awards presentation. One of those artists who came up in the process was Mark Elliott. I was very impressed, saw he was in the Nashville area and made a mental note to check him out if he played in the area. Well, I had plans that weekend to go to one of the Friends of Pegram Park Writers Nights held at Fiddle and Pick because I'd never been there before. Well, lo and behold, much to my surprise, on the bill was none other than Mark! He was great, he was nice and he did a special favor for me that evening that he did again here this morning...played "Baseball and Beatles" for me live!

Mark grew up around a vibrant bluegrass and folk music scene in Washington, D.C. He and his parents drove around in an old VW van with an 8 track player (high tech for that time), listening to Jim Croce, John Denver, the 5th Dimension and other 60s acts. His parents gave him the van for his 16th birthday, but sadly he wrecked it shortly thereafter.

A debut album (Common Ground, 1988) and a last minute opening act for Tom Paxton earned some encouragement from Tom, leading him to Nashville and a publishing deal with Cherry Lane Music. Mark wasn't quite sure what a publishing deal was at that time, but he managed to do well, placing a cut on an album by Chris LeDoux (which included a duet with Garth Brooks, so it was a well-timed opportunity!).

Mark's tracks:
Baseball and Beatles (live in studio--by request! From the "American Road" CD) My favorite song of Mark's. Co-written with Jim Moran, a story of two communication points between a father and daughter during the tough growing up years. You should have seen my face when he played this song.
Good Life (title track from his CD)
Bye Bye Baby Jane (live in studio- from the Good Life CD)
Crescent City Lullabye (cut from Good Life CD)

Mark's links:
www.myspace.com/cubcreekrecords
markelliottmusic.com (website)
http://markelliottmusic.blogspot.com/ (music blog...Mark was very kind to write about his experience on my show and post the audio file! Go listen!)
www.myspace.com/folklahomaappalachigroovetrain

Frequency to the Heart: Repeated from last week, since no one was able to hear it then. See last week's blog.

Closer – Soul Serenade – King Curtis

Pretty smooth show overall. Great artists who are nice people make it easy. Thanks, Mark!

5/10/09 Blog/Playlist: Boys and Girls

Opening theme: So What's New - Herb Alpert and TJB

Well, apparently no one heard me this morning. I am listening to my archive and I don't hear myself at all. I thought my mike was working this morning although maybe kind of fuzzy. But my fellow DJ Kerry who follows me thought it might not have been and he used the other mike. So, he was right. Hey, the technical stuff isn't my thing (somebody get me an engineer!). But apparently, no one around town was listening to my show this morning or someone would have told me--I hope. Or, everyone just dug the music (which did work) and didn't care what I said....good thing I played longer sets. Maybe I could say I borrowed an idea from my friend in the Twin Cities, TD Mischke, who once did an evening of silence on his old talk show. Anyway, below is some of what I said to myself, I guess...

Segment 1: Theme – Boys and Girls

OK boys and girls, the first set is all about you. I wanted to be sure that I gave equal time to both sexes here and fortunately my collection cooperated.

Four Seasons – Candy Girl
Connie Francis – Where The Boys Are (I didn't realize Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield wrote that song!)
Rascals – Girl Like You
Beatles – This Boy
Okaysions – Girl Watcher
Shirelles – Boys (Now a lot of you probably grew up hearing Ringo sing this with the Beatles, but that's the original)
Barbarians - Are You A Boy Or A Girl (A real period piece! Couldn't resist playing that one when I found it. A notable fact about this group was their drummer, Moulty, who had a hook for a hand due to an accident.)

Segment 2: Picking Through the Record Box

I'm going to start with a song I remember first hearing in the 60s on FM progressive stations by the group Rhinoceros. That group had another FM track that was popular, that being the instrumental "Apricot Brandy". But Three Dog Night picked up this song from them and had a hit with it in 1973.
Three Dog Night – Let Me Serenade You
Petula Clark – I Couldn't Live Without Your Love
Ricky Nelson – Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)
Critters – Mr. Dieingly Sad
Jackie DeShannon - Needles and Pins

Segment 3: Soul Stew

I have a song for the boys and girls theme here that covers both in one song!
Intruders – Cowboys To Girls
Four Tops – It's the Same Old Song
Wilson Pickett – I'm In Love
Impressions – I Loved And I Lost

Segment 4: Non-oldie/Current/New (Outside the Box)

I played this song a few months ago from this group from Scotland called OneDay40, which had found me on MySpace and blew me away. I have an update on them for you—they have been signed to a deal here in the US by an indie Nashville label and their album will have a US release very soon. I sure hope it involves a visit to the US at some point to play here—I would definitely go!

OneDay40 – Sad Cowboy
Nancy Moran – Perfect World

Nancy Moran is a singer/songwriter, known as part of the group "The Four Bitchin' Babes". She also does some occasional workshops here in town for songwriters and musicians on how to make money playing music...very informative, so keep your eyes and ears open for those if you're interested.

Frequency To The Heart:
The Vanessa Williams hit of some years back, "Save The Best For Last", has the great line "sometimes the very thing you're looking for is the one thing you can't see." When we go looking for that thing or person we perceive to be our ideal, we should make sure that as we're looking, we aren't missing something that is right in front of us. Sometimes the goodies are placed on the lower shelf. If you're reaching high, or you're tall, it's possible you could miss seeing them. So, don't overlook that person or that opportunity that might have blended into your world and not be sticking out as much; it could be what you wanted after all.

Closer – Soul Serenade – King Curtis

Join me next week with my in-studio guest, singer/songwriter Mark Elliott. I hope the mikes are working.

5/3/09 Blog/Playlist: By The Numbers

Opening theme—So What's New - Herb Alpert and the TJB
(It was a little quick to get started this morning. Automation before my show was a replay of a very nice show called "Acoustic Guitar Revival" which usually airs 12-2 Monday afternoons. I should have watched the clock though because I clipped in on an ID and a little bleed through in the archive from "Democracy Now)

Segment 1: Theme- By The Numbers

I have come up with a set of numbers songs for this morning. As I was preparing this, I noticed that one number in particular seems to come up a lot in songs of the baby boomer generation. That number is the number 16. I probably could have done an entire set of 16 songs if I had all the songs that came to mind. Most likely, that's because a popular song subject back then was turning 16 years old. It was a big milestone for a lot of us growing up. Honestly, I don't know if it's the same big deal for teenagers these days…I don't have any so I couldn't speak from experience. I just wonder if it was just a bigger part of the innocence of those times past. Anyhow, I'll start with a couple of those 16 songs.

Neil Sedaka – Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen
Sam Cooke – Only Sixteen
Johnny Burnette – You're Sixteen (I played it from a cassette--it seemed a little speeded up to me)
Three Dog Night – One
Lovin Spoonful – Six O'Clock
Gene Pitney – Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa

Segment 2: Picking Through the Record Box

I found a song that was a pretty good hit for Leo Sayer in the 70s but it was originally done by Bobby Vee.

Bobby Vee - More Than I Can Say
Association - Six Man Band
Vogues – Five O'Clock World
Sonny and Cher – Baby Don't Go

Segment 3: Soul Stew
Continuing the numbers theme for a bit…

Four Tops – Seven Rooms Of Gloom
Barbara Lewis – Make Me Your Baby
System – Don't Disturb This Groove (This was the song I wanted to play last week in the 80s show but it glitched on me. I was bound and determined to play it because I dig it, so I put it in this week.)
Mary Wells - Two Lovers

Segment 4: Non-oldie/Current/New (Outside the Box)

Les Kerr – Smile Upon Your Soul
Little Village – Don't Think About Her When You're Trying To Drive (John Hiatt, Nick Lowe, Jim Keltner, Ry Cooder "supergroup" in the 90s. I always dug this song so when I saw the CD in the library I decided I'm so playing this!)
Kim McLean - All About Us

Frequency To The Heart:
Wendy V's Encouraging Words: Remind Yourself Of Who You Are

Closer: King Curtis - Soul Serenade

Upcoming guest reminder:
May 17: Mark Elliott
May 24: Les Kerr (I finally met and heard him at the Pegram Park Writer's Night on Saturday. He did a new song that will be perfect for my show so I made the request of him to play it on the 24th. You'll love it.)

The rest of the show went okay, except I could use a speech coach. Add it to the list of things I want but can't afford right now, money or time wise (along with the guitar lessons...).