Minnesota Music Notes

Series produced by Ampers

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Moments in the musical history of Minnesota

Moments in the musical history of Minnesota


82 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Minneapolis’ Basilica Block Party was started in 1995 as an effort to raise funds for repair and maintenance of the Basilica of Saint Mary. As prod...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 3
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In just 16 years of living in Minnesota, Anna Schoen-Rene made a tremendous contribution to the state’s music scene. Producer Daniel Zamzow describ...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 3
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The accordion was a gift that kept on giving for Leonard “Skeets” Langley, who as a young adult, was crowned champion at the 1963 World Accordion C...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 3
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Les Fields put a Dixieland Jazz band together at the last minute to cover for his work Christmas party in 1968 Rochester, Minnesota. As producer Da...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 3
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The Minnesota radio treasure, “A Prairie Home Companion”, had its humble beginnings at Macalester College in 1974. As producer Daniel Zamzow explai...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, Radio K, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Duluth, Minnesota is the birthplace of Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan. Producer Daniel Zamzow describes the annual festival that honor...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, Radio K, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Born and raised in Cook, Minnesota on the Boise Forte Reservation, musician Keith Secola has an intimate relationship with Anishinabe culture. As p...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 3
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The godfathers of the Minneapolis punk and indie rock scene are The Suicide Commandos, a trio at the center of the budding subculture in 1970s Minn...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, Radio K, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Jack Pearson was a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and storyteller devoted to sharing his talents in schools, libraries, and churches all across M...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 3
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The independent music scene of Minneapolis began its ascension in the mid-1970s. This happened for a number of reasons, but, as producer Daniel Zam...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, KSRQ, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Frances Gumm was born in 1922 Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She would grow to become the singer and actor Judy Garland, star of The Wizard of Oz. Produc...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, Radio K, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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The Wallets were a band in 1980s Minneapolis known for their high-energy jams and theatric performances. Producer Daniel Zamzow describes how in on...

Bought by WTIP, KQAL, Radio K, and KFAI Minneapolis


  • Added: Jul 15, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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How does a kid go from being a coffee shop guitarist to City Pages’ best new music act of the Twin Cities? Britt Aamodt unravels the legend of Thom...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:29
  • Purchases: 4
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Bruce Swedien set up his first recording studio in his parents’ basement in Minneapolis. But he’s best known for his work with Michael Jackson. Bri...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Cornbread Harris was a Minneapolis pianist noodling around with a song recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra. Augie Garcia was a guitarist from St....

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, KSRQ, and WGZS


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 5
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The ancient Hmong culture developed a number of musical instruments. Britt Aamodt looks at the qeej, an instrument whose tradition that is kept ali...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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Tou SaiKo Lee is a man of words. He’s a poet, spoken word artist and hip hop emcee. Britt Aamodt tells the story of how Lee married his Hmong herit...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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In the 1990s, Venus de Mars was the goddess of Minneapolis dark glam with her group All the Pretty Horses. Today, she is an icon. Britt Aamodt take...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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In 1985, the union workers at the Hormel plant in Austin, Minnesota, went on strike. When they did, Minnesota’s musicians rallied behind them. Brit...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4
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If you took accordion lessons in Duluth between the 1950s and ‘70s, you probably had John Copiskey as a teacher. And if Copiskey was your teacher, ...

Bought by KQAL, KFAI Minneapolis, WTIP, and KSRQ


  • Added: Jun 26, 2018
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 4