All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – By Any Other Name…
What’s in a name? Listen in and you’ll find out why Emmett Ellis Jr. became the bluesman Bobby Rush; how folks get names like Topsy (Chapman), Sherman & Wendell (Holmes); and how country singer George Jones became known as “the possum.” Also, we talk to Yale anthropologist David Watts about names of non-human primates.
Banks of the Ohio with George McKnight – Time and Memories
This weeks show features songs about time and memories, life experiences, bitter/sweet memories of lost loves, back and front porch tunes and good thoughts of sweeter times. Enjoy.
Bluegrass Breakdown – Silver
On this week’s BGB, we’ll be acquainting ourselves with silver—the element, the precious metal, the coin and the color as seen through high lonesome eyes. With the help of Claire Lynch, Tony Holt, Crucial Smith, the Shady Grove Band and Charlie Sizemore, we’ll be viewing silver moons, silver ghosts, silver wings, silver quarters, silver tongues and silver haired daddies.
Bluegrass Master Class
You’ll be surprised by what surfaces from seven decades of bluegrass history, including Wade Mainer’s 1941 prototype for “How Far To Little Rock,” Jerry & Sky’s “Sparkling Brown Eyes” from 1947, the Osborne Brothers’ only calypso song from 1963, a 1983 mandolin duet from Red Rector and Jethro Burns, and bluegrass versions of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “I Know a Little.” Hosted by Fred Bartenstien, produced with support from the International Bluegrass Music Museum.
Bluegrass Review
The show begins with recent bluegrass releases. Then, the Gem of Bluegrass considers bluegrass guitar stylistic options. Later, we talk to Rim Stafford and listen to him sing some of his great songs. Tim is a member of Blue Highway, but to him songwriting is the most important part of the creative process. As the show winds down, we play another in the trickle of bluegrass songs stimulated by war, ‘Pert Near Sandstone’s “Just One Day.” The show website is BluegrassReview.com. Contact host Phil Nusbaum at pnusbaum@bitstream.net
Bluegrass Signal– Winter’s Come and Gone
A seasonal celebration this week on Bluegrass Signal, for “Winter’s Come & Gone” as “Springtime Comes Again.” Flowers are bloomin’, birds are singin’, and home runs are being hit once again. Spring songs from the Parmley & McCoury Families, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Laurie Lewis & Kathy Kallick, Don Reno & Red Smiley, John Resichman & Jaybirds, The Carter Family, Vern Williams Band, Good Ol’ Persons, High Country, Bluegrass Patriots, Casey Henry, Jeanette Williams, and The Cooke Duet.
*The Dick Spottswood Show
Lester and Earl introduce a sweet suite of songs for Sally, and Uncle Dave, the Carlisle Brothers, Don Rich and Rose Maddox pick up the thread. Then Buck Owens and Don Rich effortlessly conquer Carnegie Hall, and Sleepy John Estes, Slim Harpo, “Ma” Rainey and Prince Albert Hunt sing the blues. Blind Roosevelt Graves does too, and adds some gospel singing and dance hall rags. There’s incomparable vocal harmonies from the Browns, Johnnie & Jack, the Louvins and the Stanleys, and others. It’s Obsolete Music–you could do worse!
*etown
Etown heads north to the wonderful community of Fort Collins, Colorado, to tape a show before a sold-out audience at the Lincoln Center. Bruce Cockburn is back with us to kick things off. He’s been a tremendously influential musician throughout his 35-year career, and as always, delivers powerful lyrics with masterful guitar playing. The phenomenal singer Joan Osborne is back, too. Over her 15 year career she-’s been a consistently dynamic performer. She-’s joined by her pianist/keyboardist Keith Cotton, who joins forces with Etown hosts Nick & Helen Forster and the Etones to lend solid musical and vocal support to her set. There-’s also an engaging -’in-person-’ E-Chievement Award this week you won-’t want to miss, right here, in Etown!
The Free for All – Wednesday, 6-9 p.m. LIVE, Friday 9 p.m.-12 a.m.
The Gary Henderson Show – Saturday 8-11 a.m. LIVE, Monday 12 p.m., Friday 12 a.m.
The Katy Daley Show – Monday-Friday 7-10 a.m. ET LIVE
The Lee Michael Demsey Show - Saturday 11a.m.-2p.m., Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET LIVE.
Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard, Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m.
*Mountain Stage – Featuring Joan Osborne, Rachael Yamagata, The Low Anthem, Johnny Staats & Robert Shafer, and Todd Burge. Playlists.
Music from Foggy Hollow
Mike Kear features a new CD from Johnny Williams in Music from Foggy Hollow from Australia this week. The cd’s called Last Day of Galax and as usual Mike discusses Johnny’s career and plays some music from the CD. And also in the show there’s new music from Johnny’s wife Jeanette Williams, and Larry Sparks, excellent young musicians Nate Leath, Jordan Tice, Patrick McAvinue and Mark Delaney, as well as Audie Blaylock and Redline, Pam Gadd, Blue Moon Rising and Dailey and Vincent. Plus the regular features, some messages from listeners, and some fun along the way. Mike doesnt take things too seriously and it’s another show packed to the gunwales with bluegrass goodness. Don’t miss it!
Musician Tip – Band Leader for Country Current, Kenny Ray Horton.
Open Mic
This week on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country we open the mic for Carol Beaugard of Lonesome Pine RFD. She’ll be interviewing Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer, as well as Jeanette Williams.
Old Time Jam
This week, we’ll feature some of the many very talented young musicians coming along, like fiddlers Chance McCoy, Nate Leath, Matt Brown and Erynn Marshall. Give them and all the others a listen and see if you don’t agree the music’s getting better all the time. The others are good too, including Killer Grits, the Hungry Hash House Ramblers, Bruce Molsky, the Canote Brothers, Lea Coryell, the Mysterious Redbirds, and on and on….
The Ray Davis Show Mon-Fri 3-6p.m., Sunday 10am-1p, LIVE
Rotating Shows
The Bill Miller Show - Sunday 3 a.m. (4/05)
Bill will be featuring cuts from new releases – Dailey & Vincent’s “Brothers From Different Mothers,” Lost & Found’s “Love, Lost & Found,” and Marty Raybon’s “This, That & The Other.” Also, “Lesterfest,” the salute to Lester Flatt, and great bluegrass music from yesterday and today from the ‘Bell Buckle Of The Bluegrass Belt.’
The Tom “Cat” Reeder Show – Tuesday 12 p.m. LIVE, Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (4/12)
Special Programming
Missy Raines & the New Hip perform in the studio, Bob Webster interviews Tim Shelton from New Found Road and Phil Nusbaum presents Gems of Bluegrass.
LIVE Stained Glass Bluegrass Hosted by Bob Webster
This week we add to our list of favorite old hymns with newly found bluegrass recordings of “Stand Up For Jesus,” “Near To the Heart Of God,” and “Onward Christian Soldiers.” So…have your hymn books at the ready for the start of the third hour so you can sing along. On the other hand these may be so familiar you can sing from memory!
*Thistle and Shamrock – For Freedom Alone
In 1320 a landmark document set out the principles of democracy on which the U.S. constitution was later based. The Declaration of Arbroath is remembered today in Tartan Day celebrations held throughout the U.S. and in fiddler Laura McGhee’s “Arbroath Suite.”
LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff, Saturday 2-6 p.m.
