All times listed are Eastern Time
*denotes part of our Roots and Branches series
*American Routes – Words & Music: Ralph Ellison’s Jazz-Shaped America & James Talley
Find the connections between the literary landscape and soundscape. We talk with Columbia University jazz scholar Robert O’Meally about the music writings of the Harlem Renaissance author best known for the novel Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison. And visit with songsmith and wordsmith James Talley.
Bluegrass Breakdown – April, May And June, 1970
On this week’s BGB, we’ll be bluegrassically celebrating April, May and June, 1970 when, among other things: Martha White Foods announces that “The Nashville Grass” is the winner of the Lester Flatt name the band contest; Raymond K, Raymond W., Ruth and Alice McLain perform under the name of “The Bluegrass State”; Eddie Adcock leaves the Country Gentlemen and heads to California where he plans to play rock under the name of Clinton Kodak; Sam Bush graduates from high school and reportedly will be joining the Bluegrass Alliance; and Bill Monroe, the Osborne Brothers, Larry Sparks and Jimmy Martin otherwise rule the roost.
Bluegrass Master Class – Dudley Connell: Seldom Scene Years
Earlier this year, we aired part one of a two-part interview chronicling the storied career of Washington, D.C., bluegrass great Dudley Connell. The first part was wildly popular and covered Dudley’s involvement with The Johnson Mountain Boys.
Sunday, June 20 at 3pm ET we’ll premiere the second part of this interview on Bluegrass Master Class, featuring Dudley’s years with The Seldom Scene.
Go here for more information about this interview and to view videos from Akira Otsuka featuring stories about John Duffey’s mandolins.
Bluegrass Review
On our Gem of bluegrass, we explore bluegrass songs that are about farming. There’s been a big change over the years. Then, it’s songs about father. It turns out that a lot of songs about dad are also farming songs. Then, some songs about mom. The playlist is located at www.bluegrassreview.com. Join the Bluegrass Review discussion on Facebook. Just do a Facebook search for Bluegrass Review.
Bluegrass Signal – Father’s Day Festival Previews: Then & Now
Early and current recordings of some of the performers playing this year’s California Bluegrass Association’s Father’s Day Festival, including the Good Ol’ Persons (plus the Kathy Kallick Band and Laurie Lewis), Sally Mountain Show (and Rhonda Vincent & the Rage), Michael Cleveland (with Rhonda and leading Flamekeeper), High Country, IIIrd Tyme Out, and the James King Band, with songs from his first solo album (“It’s A Cold, Cold World”) and one from his newest (“It’s Hot Down Here”) that inspired this approach.
*The Dick Spottswood Show
Some hard times songs in the first Obsolete Music Hour, followed by narrative ballads about jealousy and murder. In the second hour, a Jimmie Rodgers suite highlights songs for and about us Daddies.
*etown – Jakob Dylan and Danny Barnes
This week’s eTown highlights writers and readers! Singer-songwriter and Grammy winner Jakob Dylan returns to eTown with a haunting new sound and a brand new band (for this show he pared down to a trio with Kelly Hogan and Paul Rigby). Jakob features music from his latest project, Women & Country. Also, innovative and genre-bending artist and banjo pioneer Danny Barnes visits. He’s been called “one of the most wildly inventive musicians on the planet.”
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.
Irish Heartbeat with Dervish – Saturday 6 p.m. ET
The Katy Daley Show - Monday- Friday LIVE, 7-10 a.m. ET
The Lee Michael Demsey Show – Saturday 11a.m.-2p.m., Monday- Friday LIVE, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. ET
Lonesome Pine RFD with Carol Beaugard – Mon. 12 a.m., Wed. 9 p.m., Thurs. 12 p.m.
*Mountain Stage
Featuring Dave Alvin & Guilty Women, Ben Kweller, The Duke and The King, Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers, Cyril Neville. View Playlist.
Music from Foggy Hollow (Rebroadcast)
In Music from Foggy Hollow from Australia this week Mike Kear’s featuring the songwriting work of Mark ‘Brink’ Brinkman – his new CD and lots of his songs performed by other artists. Mike also talks on the phone interview with Brink about his songwriting and how he manages to write such evocative emotional songs. Also, Mike has a phone interview with Caroline Wright about her new book, ‘STILL INSIDE: THE TONY RICE STORY’. In addition, there’s new music from the Lonesome River Band, Nu-Blu, Donna Ulisse’s new Gospel CD, the Hillbenders, Mark Johnson and Emory Lester, and heaps more. It’s another packed show of wholesome bluegrass fun, so don’t miss it!
Old Time Jam
This week, we sample the wide variety of music now found within the old time genre. Grounded in tradition, we’ll hear Emily Spencer singing to Kyle Creed’s banjo, as well as square-dance tunes by Killer Grits, Light and Hitch, the New Southern Cowtippers, and others. But departing from that, we’ve got Chris Coole singing a Country hit with gourd banjo accompaniment, and Red Hen singing a new version of a Child Ballad accompanied by fretless banjo, both showing what can be done by sliding the banjo strings. Joe Herrmann plays a late 17th-century song by Irish harper O’Carolan on the guitar with horns joining in, Kate Lissauer sings “Walking in My Sleep,” adding a verse about banjo men, while Joe Newberry sings his own song about “Mother.”
Open Mic – A Prairie Home Companion
This week we Open the Mic for A Prairie Home Companion. A few grassy groups performed on the show in recent months: Robin & Linda Williams joined the show on March 20th from a cruise in the Caribbean. Bluegrass band, The Steep Canyon Rangers performed on the show on May 22nd at the Fox Theater in Atlanta Georgia. Fiddler Sara Watkins along with her brother Sean Watkins joined the show on June 5th at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Southern California.
The Ray Davis Show – Monday- Friday LIVE, 3-6p.m., Sunday 10am-1p
Rotating Shows
Foster’s Corner with Bill Foster – Sunday 3 a.m. (June 20)
The Bill Miller Show – Tuesday 12 p.m., Thursday 12 a.m., Sunday 3 a.m. (June 20)
It’s a full-tilt “LesterFest” on The Blue Miller Show this week. Saturday, June 19th, marks the 96th anniversary of Lester Flatt’s birth. We’ll feature cuts from Lester & Earl & The Foggy Mountain Boys, tracks from Lester as a solo artist and with the Nashville Grass, and songs associated with or written by Lester Flatt and performed by other artists. The Bill Miller Show on Tuesday at Noon, Wednesday at Midnight, and Monday morning at 3 AM (all times Eastern) on WAMU’s Bluegrass Country.
Special Programming - Jimmy Dean & The Grass Cats
Country music legend, actor, sausage king, and good friend of WAMU’s Bluegrass Country Jimmy Dean passed away at his home in Henrico, VA on Sunday evening. In honor of Jimmy Dean, we’ll be airing a very special edition of Special Programming featuring his music and portions of a recent interview with Tom “Cat” Reeder.
Also, host Bob Webster visits with The Grass Cats and discusses their new album A Good Way To Get The Blues.
Stained Glass Bluegrass hosted by Bob Webster – Sunday LIVE 6-10 a.m., Tues. 9 p.m.
This week we honor and remember all the fathers on the annual Father’s Day program. Some of the songs are sad, some inspirational, and some sentimental, but all enjoyable nonetheless. Be ready to sing the old hymns at the start of the third hour when we kick off that portion of the program with “This Is My Father’s World” dating to 1901.
LIVE *Traditions with Mary Cliff – Saturday 2-6 p.m.
Uptown Bluegrass with George McKnight – Northern Grass
This week we feature bluegrass music from mostly north of the border; Canadian bands and entertainers. We span all the regions across Canada plus there are some new releases for your enjoyment. Canadian bluegrassers’ love their music as you can here in this cross country sampler.
