88.1 KDHX Saint Louis

Music bed. I took this from the second installment in Delmark’s "Honkers & Bar Walkers" series of saxophone-oriented R&B from Apollo Records. This instrumental from 1954 features the NYC-based saxophonist, Charliue Ferguson.

Written by Oscar Brown Jr. and found on his highly recommended debut album. "Life can be mighty monotonous! We're always battling boredom." He's clearly not tuned into KDHX.

Jon Hendricks added the lyrics to what was a Bobby Timmons instrumental.

Great version of a "5" Royales song written by Lowman Pauling and originally released in 1961. Margie Hendrix of the Raeletts sings lead on this track.

Written by Lowman Pauling who also adds the memorable guitar parts to this song. Lead vocals by Clarence Paul.

Written by Lowman Pauling and Obediah Carter and featuring guitar solos by Buddy Miller and Steve Cropper. Buddy Miller sings lead with backing vocals by Dan Penn and Keb Mo.

This is what I'm talking about! From his forthcoming album being released on October 28th. Back with Daptone Records and sounding great!

Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and also recorded by fellow Motown artists, The Temptations and The Jackson 5. This version went to #3 on the R&B charts. Produced by Norman Whitfield.

Written by Tina Turner's elder sister, Aillene Bullock.

Original version of the song released in 1964 and written by Larry Banks and Milton Bennett. It became a big hit for the Moody Blues shortly, thereafter.

Music bed. 1968 instrumental version of the Young Rascals song.

Jon Batiste put on a tremendous show at the Roots N Blues festival in Columbia, MO last Saturday.

Lead-off track from this collection of top-notch gospel artists covering songs written by Bob Dylan during his gospel period. Recorded in 2001 and grooving, mightily.

Produced by Eli Paperboy Reed, Look Up! marks the group’s first full-length release as a trio, as well as their first collection of totally original material. The Harlem Gospel Travelers are made up of singers Thomas Gatling, George Marage, and Dennis Bailey.

Written by Curtis Mayfield. "I've got my strength, and it don't make sense not to keep on pushing." Life-affirming and necessary.

He has a lot to say on this album and does it in very short time. "Straight talk only, accept no substitute / Must be lonely living in absolute / It's an emergency / Try to remain calm / Where did we go wrong."

Written by Rhiannon Giddens for the 155th anniversary of Juneteenth in 2020. This new single is performed with renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi.

Ann Peebles, Irma Thomas, Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, and Billy Preston all gathered in the studio for a week and recorded these songs. Produced by Joe Henry. The liner notes indicated this would be the first in a series, but I don't see that there were any more. Written by Bob Dylan and featuring Allen Toussaint on piano. Unfortunately, Ann Peebles is unable to keep performing and singing after suffering a stroke in 2012.

This recording captures Aoife O’Donovan and the Age of Apathy band performing a summer night show at the Hi•Fi Annex in Indianapolis, IN on August 16, 2022. Written by Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen sounds like he's having a fun time on this Motown rave-up written by Frank Wilson. From his forthcoming album of all soul covers being released on November 11th.

Various artists recorded songs from Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" album for this compilation. Three additional non-Nebraska bonus tracks were also included, and this is one of those. It's Raul Malo. He always delivers.

I've gone on enough about how much I love this album. All I'll say this is far away as from a sophomore album slump as possible. I'm really interested in hearing what she comes up with next.

Written by Elizabeth Nelson. "I became a prisoner in a posh Berlin hotel / They'd taken me there and there bid me I stay / You don't argue with the Gestapo about where you dwell /That was my own personal policy anyway." / "The broadcasts," he said, “Were not my intention" / “A means of survival, not worth a mention” / "I was 59, past my prime even then." / "No one thought they'd ever hear from me again" - But they did.

Written by David Berman. I remember driving by Blueberry Hill and seeing that Purple Mountains was coming soon on their rolling marquee just after hearing the news of his too-soon demise.

I thought this song was amazing in 1989 and I think it's amazing now. I don't know how someone can listen to this song and not feel something. Masterful in every way. "If only I'd thought of the right words / I could have held on to your heart / If only I'd thought of the right words / I wouldn't be breaking apart / All my pictures of you."

Lead vocals by Richard Thompson and Teddy Thompson. Written by Peter Filleul, Tim Finn, and Richard Thompson.

From her new album just released last Friday. Fri 12/2 Courtney Marie Andrews – Off Broadway. Both the album and upcoming show are highly recommended.

From the long-time St. Louis band's forthcoming album being released a week from Friday (10/21). They will be celebrating by having an album release concert at Delmar Hall that same night (Friday, 10/21). The band will be augmented with horns and be performing as a nine-piece band.

1996 previously unreleased version. Very impressive backing band on this including David Lindley (slide guitar), Jay Dee Maness (steel guitar), David Grisman (mandolin), Bruce Hornsby (piano), Herb Pedersen (acoustic guitar), and Jennifer Warnes and David Morgan on backing vocals. Written by Richard Thompson.

Lovely duet written by Bill DeMain, Kelly Jones, and Teddy Thompson.

Music bed. Recorded circa 1959. Written by Jack Lawrence and Walter Gross.

Music bed. This 2020 seven-song EP is a suite of sonic collages that serves as a companion to their "Light Sensitive" album which came out earlier that year. Fats Kaplin plays electric steel guitar and tenor banjo on this album.

From his forthcoming album of all John Hartford songs being released on November 11th. Sam Bush plays all the instruments on this.

This is the closing track to his brilliant debut album. Carl Wilson and Jackson Browne join in on the harmony vocals. "And if California slides into the ocean / Like the mystics and statistics say it will / I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill"

Fine new sophomore album featuring Anaïs Mitchell, Eric Johnson, and Josh Kaufman.

Tommy McLain has been making records since 1964. At age 82, he just released a new album produced by CC Adcock. It's well worth checking out and features some co-writes with Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, and CC Adcock. Tommy McLain wrote this one and it was arranged by Van Dyke Parks.

Music bed. 1968 instrumental composition by Lee Hazlewood.

Written by Jason Isbell and featuring the harmony vocals of Kim Richey. "I've heard love songs make a Georgia man cry / On the shoulder of somebody's Saturday night / Read the good book, studied it too / But nothing prepared me for living with you / Lock me up tight in these shackles I wear / Tied up the keys in the folds of your hair / And the difference with me is I used to not care / Stockholm let me go home"

Unsparing and honest album and her best one, yet. Both the vocals and songwriting keeps getting better. (Editor's note: Hey, I thought her Christmas album was really good, too). "I missed all the signals / Was it flawed by design? / I'm losing my balance / I'm not losing my mind."

Written by Warren Zevon and featuring Sara Watlins on lead vocals and Sean Watkins on harmony vocals. Produced by Mike Viola.

Music bed. 1986 instrumental composition penned by Ry Cooder and featuring Jim Keltner (drums), Jorge Calderon (bass), Jim Dickinson (piano), and Benmont Tench (organ).

Out of Brighton, England, this band impressed, mightily, at the Roots N Blues festival in Columbia, MO last weekend. Roy Kasten and Darren Snow have been playing the heck out of this 6-song release. I am, as they say, late to the party. See them if you have the chance. They are terrific live.

Written by Mike Love and Brian Wilson. Thanks to Rich Reese for getting this entire set into my hands. It's a great listen!