Countdown

It's night time in the big city. A bus driver talks to his only passenger. A sailor on shore leave plays Egyptian Ratscrew with a fallen priest… “It's our first annual Theme Time Radio countdown show. Where we count down the top ten songs as determined by you, the listener.” Opening music: Four On Six by Wes Montgomery

The Singers and Songs

  • Prince Buster (Cecil Campbell)
    The Ten Commandments (From Man to Woman)
    “This song was a huge hit in Jamaica and also had some chart action in the United States. Prince Buster was the first Jamaican to have a Top 20 hit.”
  • Sonny Boy Williamson
    Nine Below Zero
  • O.V. Wright
    Eight Men, Four Women
  • The White Stripes
    Seven Nation Army
    “A two person rhythm dynamo, Jack and Meg White”
  • Moon Mullican
    Seven Nights to Rock
  • Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys
    Six Pack To Go
    “One of the great beer drinking songs of all time”
  • Eddie Boyd
    Five Long Years
    “This song is a classic, been recorded by a number of artists, but originally done by the man who wrote it.”
  • The Maddox Brothers and Rose
    I Got Four Big Brothers (To Look After Me)
    “They're a country music band from California, recorded from the 40s to the 50s, here they are, Fred, Cal, Henry and Don…and sister Rose.”
  • Jewel King
    3 x 7 = 21
  • The Ink Spots
    We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me)
  • Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
    It Takes Two
  • Joe Mooney
    Tea For Two
  • Van Morrison
    One Irish Rover
    “The great Irish poet, the Bard of Belfast”
  • (“The immortal”) Bob Marley and The Wailers
    One Love
  • Irma Thomas
    Zero Willpower
    “The Queen of New Orleans”

The Other People and Players

  • Spooner Oldham
  • Leonard and Phillip Chess
  • The Percolating Puppies
  • The Riff Brothers
  • Irving Caesar
  • Vincent Youman
  • Tammy Turrell
  • Mary Wells
  • Dick Robertson
  • Sammy Mysels
  • Nelson Cogane
  • Boyd Bennett and the Rockets
  • Benjamin Franklin
    “Beer is proof that god loves us”
  • Pythagoreans
  • Jack Warden
  • Jack Klugman
  • Martin Balsam
  • E.G. Marshall
  • Ed Begley
  • Lee J. Cobb
  • Henry Fonda
  • The Sunset Travelers
  • Dave Bartholomew
    "...who wrote and arranged a log of Fats Domino's big hits. He's still down in New Orleans playin. He would show up at Preservation Hall on a regular basis to play just for the love of the music, despite his millionaire status. You gotta respect that."
  • Bob Wills
    and the (Light Crust Doughboys) Texas Playboys
  • Don Robey
  • Jerry Lee Lewis
  • Dan Penn
  • Otis Redding

The Other Songs and Albums

The Poets

  • Ted Hughes
  • Rainer Rilke
  • Samuel Beckett
  • James Joyce
  • C.S. Lewis
  • Oscar Wilde
  • Jonathan Swift
  • William Butler Yeats

The Books and Poems

The Movies and TV Shows

The Places

  • Florida
  • Helsinki, Finland
    a big blues town
  • Stovall, MS
  • California
  • Jamaica
  • Detroit, MI
  • New Orleans

Record Labels

  • Deluxe Records
  • Gold Wax Records
  • Back Beat Records
  • Capitol Records
  • Motown Records
  • Chess Records

Types of Tea and T

  • Green
  • Black
  • Oolong
  • Loraine Brocco Tea
  • Kim Basinger Tea
  • Mr. T
  • T for Texas
  • T for Tennessee
  • Liberty
  • Fidelity
  • Equality

Seven Other Things With White Stripes

  • Skunk
  • Highway
  • Memphis Slim's hair
  • Prison uniform
  • Candy cane
  • Barber pole
  • Zebra

Seven Largest Armies In The World

  • China
  • India
  • North Korea
  • South Korea
  • Pakistan
  • USA
  • Vietnam

Other Significant Sevens

Beers

  • Michelob Lite
  • Rolling Rock
  • Beck's
  • Dos Equis
  • Irish Red
  • Murphy's Stout
  • Newcastle
  • Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  • Stella Artois
  • Corona

“Well the old clock on the wall has counted down another hour which means we got to hit the road. But don't worry, we'll be counting down the days till we see you next week, right here on the Theme Time Radio Hour Christmas show. So long! 10-4, Eleanor.”