Opening the "Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia," Part 4 -- Winding up our four-part miniseries in conversation with Rick Pender, author of "The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia," and featuring selections from such classic musicals as "Follies," "Gypsy," "Into the Woods" and "Company."

The Sundilla Radio Hour for the week of 12/04/2023.

TOMMY EMMANUEL is arguably one of the best and most influential guitarists in the world. From Australia, across America and around the globe, Tommy is packing major concert halls to the rafters with his amazing and brilliant guitar skills.

LARRY CAMBPELL & TERESA WILLIAMS are a husband and wife music powerhouse. Larry Campbell is perhaps best known for his time as part of Bob Dylan’s band. Teresa Williams is an accomplished musician who has worked with artists such as Julie Miller, Levon Helm, Peter Wolf, and Hot Tuna.

ISAAC BEVERS is our WoodSongs Kid who recently won the National Thumbpickers Award!

We're celebrating the season of Advent on this week's show, with works like Canite tuba by Giovanni da Palestrina, Charpentier's O Antiphons, Alma redemptoris mater by Tomás Luis de Victoria, and settings of Nun komm der Heiden Heiland by Buxtehude and Bach. We'll also hear medieval music for the Feast of St. Nicholas performed by La Reverdie.

This week on Beale Street Caravan, we’re back at the Overton Park Shell for the 2023 Tambourine Bash, a night of Memphis music collaboration and showcases benefitting Music Export Memphis (MEM). Listen to performances from the Rising Stars Fife and Drum band,  Grammy winner Cedric Burnside, Dirty Streets, Deonna Pruitt, Alexis Grace, and more! We also sit down with MEM executive director, Elizabeth Cawein, to learn more about how the organzation benefits local artists. 

Grammy nominated blues man, Guy Davis, will also be with us to deliver an installment of the Blues Hall of Fame, an exploration of the lives of the pioneers and innovators enshrined in the Blues Hall of Fame.

Peter Gabriel’s 2010 collection Scratch My Back finds Gabriel covering songs from artists such as Randy Newman, Regina Spektor, and Paul Simon. Co-produced with Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, KISS), the album finds the singer accompanied by an orchestra, making for a stark, arresting collection that some critics hailed as among his best work. Listen for music from that as well as selections from Wayne Gottstine, Jon Regen, and Teddy Thompson.

Ozark Highlands Radio is a weekly radio program that features live music and interviews recorded at Ozark Folk Center State Park’s beautiful 1,000-seat auditorium in Mountain View, Arkansas.  In addition to the music, our “Feature Host” segments take listeners through the Ozark hills with historians, authors, and personalities who explore the people, stories, and history of the Ozark region.

This week, Christmas songs both traditional & rare, performed by an interesting array of folk musicians, recorded live at Ozark Folk Center State Park.  Hosts Dave Smith & Mark Jones present these festive archival holiday recordings.  Mark Jones offers an archival recording of his father, Country Music Hall of Fame legend Grandpa Jones reciting a poem called “The Christmas Guest.”  Aubry Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile the story of folk music royalty Jean Ritchie’s first family Christmas tree.

Musicians at the Ozark Folk Center State Park have been putting on Christmas music shows for over four decades.  As with most music performed at the park, the Christmas music represented here is not your normal collection of holiday standards.  You’ll hear a few songs that you know and love, as well as many others that you’ve likely never encountered before.  The eclectic range of musicians performing on this edition of Ozark Highlands Radio include Grandpa Jones, Randall Hylton, The Dowden Sisters, The Lonesome Cowboys, Joni Bishop, Bob Olivera, The Heritage Quartet, and more.

In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, musician, educator, and country music legacy Mark Jones offers an archival recording of his father, country music legend Grandpa Jones, reciting a poem called “The Christmas Guest,” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

Renowned folk musicians Aubrey Atwater & Elwood Donnelly profile influential folk music icons Jean Ritchie and the Ritchie Family, as well as explore the traditional Appalachian music and dance that the Ritchie Family helped to perpetuate into the modern American folk lexicon.  This episode relates Jean Ritchie’s own childhood memories of an early Ritchie Family Christmas.

Edgy. Classic. Country. A defining voice of music and a modern-day legend, GRAMMY award winner, Tanya Tucker is known for some of country music’s biggest hits such as" "Soon," "Two Sparrows in a Hurricane," "It's a Little Too Late," "Trouble," "Texas (When I Die)," "If It Don't Come Easy" and "Strong Enough To Bend," Tanya has cemented herself as one the most admired and influential performers in county music. Since the auspicious start of her career at the age of 13, when released the classic county hit, "Delta Dawn," in 1972, Tucker has amassed 23 Top 40 albums, 56 Top 40 singles, 10 No. 1 songs on the Billboard country charts, numerous accolades including two CMA's, two ACM's, three CMT awards, and in 2020 she won her first two GRAMMY Awards for Best Country Album.

Molly & The Danger Band started in 2006 when Molly Otis crawled onto a three foot wide ledge, hovering eight feet above a glass top bar at the Pavilion in downtown Hayward WI. You probably had heard or seen Molly Otis as the front person for Warner recording artists Molly and the Heymakers. She is a powerful vocalist and plays multiple instruments including fiddle, mandolin and guitar. Randy Wydra sings, lays down the bass lines, adds acoustic guitar and even plays drums with his feet. You could call them a rock/country/jazz/bluegrass band, but they are really an Americana band. The blending of different American roots music creates a unique musical cocktail, with a twist of Irish. From classic covers, traditional and original music, no matter what you call it, you're bound to have a good time.

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2023 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/ 
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Washburn Area Chamber of Commerce - https://washburnchamber.com/

SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/ 

National Youth Orchestra of the USA
Daniel Harding, conductor
Alisa Weilerstein, cello

Elgar - Cello Concerto in E Minor
Mahler - Symphony No. 5

T-Bone Walker

Drop a nickel in the ol' Rockola Juke to hear one of the best selling and most influential bluesmen and guitarists of all-time, T-Bone Walker. This week's show looks at how T-Bone's immense guitar talent developed from his first recordings in the early 1940s to his breakthrough after WWII with the now classic, "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday's Just As Bad)" for Black & White Records. We'll also get a taste of T-Bone's work for the Cornet, Imperial and Atlantic labels. B. B. King, Ray Charles and Chuck Berry have all cited T-Bone Walker as a heavy influence. Find out why on this week's "Juke In The Back" with Matt The Cat.

And this is it. To quote Commander Cody, this is the “bendin’ end.” The last episode of Geezer Rock. To close out the series, I’ve got a new single from Yes, other goodies from Rundgren’s Utopia and Kansas, and a few different incarnations of Journey’s Neil Schon, who has a new live album out, looking at the early days of Journey, with help from original Journey organist Greg Rolie. Thanks for listening over the years. Peace and love.

This week my good friend Dan Olson joins me to share songs from some of the artists that he's seen in concert.  Great set of classic rock and bluegrass!