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Annotated Theme Time continued..... Page 1 Page 2 Page3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 It’s night time in the big city “We’re gonna be locked up, locked out, keyed up, wound up, we’re gonna be talking about church keys and skate keys, we’ll listen to the key of C and learn about the key to good living. There’ll be lip locks, Loch Ness, time locks, and vapor locks. Before the end of it we might even get the key to the city. So I hope you’re all locked and loaded and sitting by your radio.” The Singers and The Songs Bessie Smith – Lock and Key “We’re gonna start it all off old school.” Sonny Boy Williamson – The Key (To Your Door) “Kind of a crazy march…sounds like they were all playing in different keys there for a minute. Personally, I don’t think it was actually the key to her door that he was looking for; maybe he was looking for the key to her chastity belt.” Adam Hebert & The Country Playboys – Ouvre Cette Porte Jimmy Nelson – Unlock the Lock Lucinda Williams – Changed the Lock “Time Magazine called her America’s best songwriter in 2002…I guess I was out of town.” Wynonie Harris – Somebody’s Changed the Lock on My Door Dusty Fletcher – Open the Door, Richard (partial clip) Jack McVea and His All Stars – Open the Door, Richard “See, that song can be done any kinda way…’bout time for it to come back again. Maybe I’ll even do it.” Little Walter – Key to the Highway Groovey Joe Poovey – Ten Long Fingers “Kind of a rockabilly, piano based version of Johnny B. Goode.” Henry ‘Red’ Allen – Who Stole the Lock on the Henhouse Door “One of the last great New Orleans trumpet players. He was overshadowed by Louis but he actually had a fresh approach. In the 60’s he was still playing, and Don Ellis called him the most creative and avant garde trumpet player in New York.” Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies – You’re Bound to Look Like a Monkey “You don’t get any more western swing than this.” The Detroit Cobras – You Don’t Knock Other People and Players Places Record Labels Books, Stories, Movies, and Other Entertainment Poems Other Songs Guests Types of locks “Sometimes we tell you who wrote the song, what kind of music it is, who else recorded it, but you know sometimes we don’t get it right. I mean it’s important to remember this isn’t a classroom here; it’s music of the field, the pool hall, the back alley crap game, the barroom and the bedroom. We don’t want to make it dusty and academic. It’s full of sweat and blood, it’s like life itself. If every once in a while we get a name wrong, or we tell you it’s on the wrong label, it’s not gonna kill anybody…just listen to the music.” It’s night time in the big city “We’ll be talking about love letters, pen pals, going postal, ransom notes, letters to dear John, and Dear Abbey, Miss Lonelyhearts…we’ll be returning things to sender, and we’ll be telling you that your check’s in the mail.” The Singers and The Songs John Worthan – I Wrote You A Letter (background) The Marvellettes – Please Mr. Postman “You know, when we come up with these themes, we try to stay away from the obvious choices. But occasionally there are some that you just have to play, like this one.” Jimmy Ricks & The Ravens– Write Me a Letter “You got to wonder, why don’t piano players play like that any more?!” Alex Chilton & The Box Tops – The Letter “the 2nd shortest single to reach #1” Tiny Bradshaw & His Orchestra – Mailman’s Sack R. B. Greaves – Take a Letter, Maria Earl Robinson – Mail Myself to You Vernon Green & The Medallions – The Letter Memphis Slim – A Letter Home “Our next artist joined the high tone label, where he first recorded this song; but we’re gonna play the version of 1949 that he recorded for king. I’ve always been partial to the band he had around that time…I’m sure all you jazz fans recognized that after Slim sings ‘Things ain’t like they used to be’ the saxophone players play the riff from the Duke Ellington song of the same name.” Jean Shepard & Ferlin Husky – A Dear John Letter Eddy Arnold – That’s All She Wrote (clip) Fats Waller – I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter “He took up the piano at age six and also played the Hammond organ and the pipe organ, which he called the God Box. He was a great singer as well as a piano player.” Gene Terry & The Downbeats – No Mail Today “He grew up listening to his father and grandfather performing Cajun songs, but when he formed his first band, the Cool Cats, in the mid 50’s he was doing straight ahead country and western songs. But the rock and roll bug bit him and he started playing louder and faster.” Jo-El Sonnier – Tear Stained Letter Jim & Jesse McReynolds & The Virginia Boys – Air Mail Special On The Fly “The longest active professional brother duet in country music history…55 years.” The Velvetones – The Glory of Love Sister Wynonna Carr – A Letter to Heaven Other People and Players Places Record Labels Other Songs Movies and TV Books Guests Other Songs and Albums It’s night time in the Big City “You know what happens every president’s day, stores have big sales. They gotta clear their shelves and we’re gonna do the same thing. We’re gonna go through the TTRH supply closet and pull up some of the old stock and songs we didn’t have time for in our other shows while we celebrate all of the years presidents.” The Singers and The Songs Johnny Taylor - Hello Sundown Ruth Brown - Hello Little Boy “singing with a whole lot of enthusiasm. Nowadays you hear all these singers that are too cool for school. No such problem with Miss Rhythm. She was a fellow disc jockey hosting Public Radio’s “Harlem Hit Parade”. I always enjoy playing a fellow Disc Jockey. ” They Might Be Giants - James K Polk Tony Joe White - Polk Salad Annie “Doesn’t have anything to do really with James K Polk, but it was a good excuse to play it.” Kelly Harrell - Charles Giteau Percy Mayfield - I Don't Want to Be President Wynonie Harris - I Feel That Old Age Coming On Pete Seeger - Lincoln and Liberty “A song about our tallest president” JB Lenoir - Livin' In The White House Nina Simone - Don't Smoke In Bed Attila - Roosevelt In Trinidad “He wasn’t just a calypsonian, he was a politician!” The Soul Stirrers - Why I Like Roosevelt Tommy Edwards - It's All In The Game “The only hit I know written by a vice president, though I hear Dick Cheney is working on a Folk Rock record.” “It’s president’s day here at TTRH as you know, that’s when we pass the savings along to you, the listener.” Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers - Walkin' Jackie DeShannon - When You Walk In The Room Frank Sinatra - High Hopes “Frank always liked powerful men…He performed at fundraisers. Is that the kind you shave with? That’s a fun razor. This was a fundraiser, you have to pronounce the “d“. Anyway Sinatra went back and forth between day-time democrat supporting Kennedy and a nighttime full of rat pack, booze, broads and crime.” Clover - Mr Moon “We’re emptying out our closets in honor of President’s day.” Country Joe & The Fish - Super bird “Here’s a group that took their name from Mao Tse Tung and Stalin. No wonder they never had a hit.” James Brown - Funky President Billie Holiday - Gloomy Sunday “the Suicide song” Phil Ochs - That Was The President Buddy & Ella Johnson - Go Upside Your Head “I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of that fist.” “While we’re talking about presidents, let talk presidents everybody loves. Those’d be dead presidents. The ones that jingle in your pocket or you carry folded up in your wallet.” Little Walter - Dead Presidents Roy C & The Honeydrippers - Impeach The President Hank Penny - Politics Rod & The MSR Singers - Richard Nixon Gene Marshall - Jimmy Carter Says Yes Randy Newman - Have Pity On The Working Man Other People Other singers, albums, music folks and songs Presidents Places Guests Record Labels Requirements to be President Entertainment “I wanna remind you, while we’re talking about all things presidential, that this is election year. Get out and vote. Go make a difference before they change the rules and just appoint the president for us. It’s getting pretty close". It’s night in the big city “We’re gonna play doctor, we’re gonna doctor the books. We’re gonna talk about Dr. Strangelove, Dr. Who, Dr. Doom, Dr. Phil, Dr. Zhivago , Dr. Death, and Dr. Nick .” The Singers and The Songs The Rolling Stones – Dear Doctor “I love Mick’s hillbilly accent.” Snooks Eaglin – Saint James Infirmary Horner Clemons and His Texas Swingbillies – Operation Blues Doc Pomus – Send For The Doctor “Just like Jimmy Nelson, he had his mind blown by hearing Big Joe Turner when he was 15…Nobody loved music like Doc; you could always see him at clubs in New York, right up front.” Jackson Browne – Doctor My Eyes Dinah Washington – Long John Blues Lord Lebby – Dr. Kinsey Report “..recorded in the style that was known as rural mento. It was kinda the pre ska which was kinda the pre reggae. The mento band would usually feature banjo, acoustic guitar, percussion and something called the rumba box. Like calypso, this music was often taken from the newspaper and usually quite risqué. Here’s a song that meets both those criteria.” Bill Nettles & His Dixie Blue Boys – Hadacol Boogie B.B. King – Walking Dr. Bill “Ya know sometimes you see a record and the title just doesn’t make sense to ya. The first time I saw this 45 I thought the name was Walking Dr. Bill; I didn’t know who Dr. Bill was. But I listened to it and I realized that B.B. King is saying that he’s a walking Dr. bill, cause he’s messed up ever since his lady left him. Well now it makes perfect sense.” Harmonica Frank Floyd – The Great Medical Menagerist Huey Piano Smith & The Clowns – Would You Believe It, I Have a Cold The White Stripes – Girl You Have No Faith In Medicine “That’s for all the folks who wonder what it might have sounded like if Robert Plant sang The Monster Mash – and I mean that in the best possible way, Jack!” The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi – You Done What the Doctor Couldn’t Do Other People and Players Types of doctors Famous Doctors That Aren’t Doctors Other Songs and Albums Places Record Labels Books TV and Movies Songs and Albums “You know we’ve gotten a bunch of emails, people saying they don’t like gospel music. Mostly they say they don’t like don’t like it cause of the subject matter; they don’t want to hear religious music. Let me just point out, you can just listen to it as music. The beautiful part of it is that the people singing believe it so much. Any time people sing about what they believe, it elevates it. You don’t have to be a junkie to enjoy the Velvet Underground song, ‘Heroin.’ You don’t have to have horns and a pitchfork to enjoy ‘Sympathy for the Devil,’ but it does help. The thing is it’s all music, and when the people believe what they’re singing, it’s just better.”
Famous patented medicines “Theme Time Radio Hour, where music meets medicine.” It’s night time in the big city “I don’t mean to be an alarmist but today’s show is dedicated to telling you to be careful. We’re gonna sound the klaxon, put up the yellow perimeter tape, don our hazmat suites, and ride like Paul Revere as we shout ‘Danger’s afoot!’ So grab your gas masks, keep your eye on the speedometer, take your Cipro, and stay at a heightened state of awareness.” The Singers and the Songs The Sunshine Boys – Danger Zone Esther Phillips – Better Beware “Here’s a track which is a great snapshot. It’s from 1951. R & B was just beginning to turn into rock and roll, the bee bop players were still playing in the clubs, and this record has all of it.” Michigan & Smiley – Eyes of Danger Bob Dorough – You’re the Dangerous Type John Brim – Be Careful What You Say and Do Doye O’Dell – Diesel Smoke (Dangerous Curves) Dave Edmunds – Crawling From the Wreckage Eddie Constantine – Hey Mr. Caution Irving Caesar – Ice Skating is Nice Skating (partial) Arctic Monkeys – D is for Dangerous First Choice – Armed and Extremely Dangerous Cousin Keith Loyd – Dangerous Crossing Mercy Dee Walton – Danger Zone Charles Oldfather – Shake Hands With Danger Other People and Players Places Other Songs and Albums Movies, Plays, other Entertainment Record Labels Guest “Look up in the sky, it’s a bird. Most likely it’s a bird…you might want to gather up some twigs, some little bits of yarn, almost any kind of material that you might find, build yourself a little nest, settle in for the next hour…We’ll talk about bird brains, eagle eyes, the bluebird of happiness, we’ll play a little chicken, we’ll find something to crow about, and maybe even flip you the bird.” The Singers and the Songs Fats Domino – The Rooster Song Merrill Moore – Cooing To The Wrong Pigeon “It’s good to hear him step up to the microphone and poundin’ those 88’s” Buffalo Springfield – Bluebird Mississippi John Hurt – Chicken Clarence Ashley – The Coo Coo Bird Leonard Cohen – Bird On A Wire Al Jolson – When The Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob Bobbin’ Along Rudy Green And His Orchestra – Buzzard Pie Mel Blanc – Daffy Duck’s Rhapsody Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band – Ice Cream for Crow “Here’s a song that goes as straight as the crow flies” Roy Acuff & His Crazy Tennesseans – Great Speckled Bird “…Four songs, one melody. What’s all the noise about – I’ll let you listen. Maybe you’ll write some new words to it and it’ll climb to the top of the charts. It worked before, maybe it’ll work again.” Tony Allen & The Champs – Night Owl The Blues Busters – Wings of a Dove The Five Du-Tones – Shake A Tail Feather Other people and players Places Other Songs and Albums Books, Art, Movies, TV, and Other Entertainment Record Labels Guests
More Birds
The Singers and The Songs Jimi Hendrix Experience - Little Wing “We’re flying high and we know no borders. We travel the world, slave to no boundaries.” Miles Davis - Bye Bye Blackbird Charlie & His Orchestra - Bye Bye Blackbird Anita O'Day - Skylark Johnny Taylor - Little Bluebird The Light Crust Doughboys - Listen To The Mockingbird Inez & Charlie Foxx - Mockingbird Ersel Hickey - Bluebirds Over The Mountain Bobby Pauneto - Why Is Woody Sad? Big Joe Turner - The Chicken And The Hawk The Rivingtons - The Bird's The Word The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird Eddie Floyd - Big Bird Charlie Parker - Bird Gets The Worm (Johnny Cash Reading Clip)-2217 end of tack The Stanley Brothers - White Dove Prince - When Doves Cry Other Singers, musicians and Songs Other people Entertainment/Lit Record Labels Birds Guests “I’m tempted to do a third show about birds” Why Do Birds Sing? by Robert William Service Let poets piece prismatic words,
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