Friday 10/15/21 1pm ET: Feature Artist: The Smithereens

The Smithereens are an American rock band from Carteret, New Jersey, United States. The group formed in 1980 with members Pat DiNizio (vocals & guitar), Jim Babjak (guitar & vocals), Mike Mesaros (born December 11, 1957), (bass guitar & vocals), and Dennis Diken (drums & percussion). This original lineup continued until 2006, when Mesaros left the band and Severo Jornacion took over on bass guitar until Mesaros’ return in 2016. After DiNizio died in 2017, the band continued performing live shows as a trio (Babjak, Mesaros and Diken) with various guest vocalists.

The band are perhaps best known for a string of hits in the late 1980s through the mid 1990s, including “Only a Memory”, “A Girl Like You” and “Too Much Passion”. The Smithereens have collaborated with numerous musicians, both in the studio (Belinda Carlisle, Julian Lennon, Lou Reed, Suzanne Vega) and live (Graham Parker and The Kinks). The band’s name comes from a Yosemite Sam catchphrase, “Varmint, I’m a-gonna blow you to smithereens!”

Friday 10/15/21 12pm ET: Feature Artist: John Mayer

John Clayton Mayer (born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook. Together, they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters. After their split, Mayer continued to play local clubs, refining his skills and gaining a following. After his appearance at a 2001 South by Southwest Festival, he was signed to Aware Records, and eventually to Columbia Records, which released his first extended play Inside Wants Out. His following two studio albums—Room for Squares (2001) and Heavier Things (2003)—performed well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his single “Your Body Is a Wonderland”.

By 2005, Mayer had moved away from the acoustic music that characterized his early records, and begun performing the blues and rock music that had originally influenced him as a musician. He collaborated with blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton. Forming the John Mayer Trio, he released a live album, Try!, in 2005 and his third studio album Continuum in 2006. Both albums received positive reviews, and Continuum earned Mayer a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Waiting on the World to Change”. That album was followed by Battle Studies in 2009, a return to pop, with a Battle Studies World Tour.

After having several controversial incidents with the media, Mayer withdrew from public life in 2010 and began work on his fifth studio album, Born and Raised, which drew inspiration from the 1970s pop music of Laurel Canyon. However, the discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012, and forced him to cancel the planned tour. The album received a generally favorable reception, though was less commercially successful than his previous work. Mayer began performing as a singer again in January 2013, and that year released his sixth studio album, Paradise Valley, which incorporates country music influences. By 2014, he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide. His seventh album, The Search for Everything, was released in 2017. Mayer released his latest album Sob Rock in July 2021.

In 2015, three former members of the Grateful Dead joined with Mayer and two other musicians to form the band Dead & Company. It is the latest of several reunions of the band’s surviving members since Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. The band remains active and its tours have been well received.

Friday 10/15/21 2am ET: Feature LP: Zac Brown Band – The Comeback (2021)

“Slow Burn”
“Out in the Middle”
“Wild Palomino”
“Us Against the World”
“Same Boat”
“Stubborn Pride” [feat. Marcus King]
“Fun Having Fun”
“The Comeback”
“Old Love Song”
“Any Day Now”
“Paradise Lost on Me”
“GA Clay”
“Love & Sunsets”
“Closer to Heaven [feat. Gregory Porter]
“Don’t Let Your Heart”

Friday 10/15/21 12:05am ET: Feature LP: Stevie Wonder – Songs In The Key of Life (1976)

Songs in the Key of Life is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter and musician Stevie Wonder. It was released on September 28, 1976, by Tamla Records, a division of Motown. The double album has been regarded by music journalists as the culmination of Wonder’s “classic period” of recording. The album was recorded primarily at Crystal Sound studio in Hollywood, with some sessions recorded at the Record Plant in Hollywood, the Record Plant in Sausalito, and The Hit Factory in New York City; final mixing was conducted at Crystal Sound.

By 1974, Wonder was one of the most successful figures in popular music; Wonder’s previous albums Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale were all back-to-back critical successes. However, by the end of 1975, Wonder seriously considered quitting the music industry and planned to emigrate to Ghana to work with handicapped children. Plans for a farewell concert had begun, but Wonder subsequently changed his mind and signed a new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975. This outlined a seven-year, seven-album, $37 million deal with full artistic control. At the time, it was the biggest recording deal in history.

Songs in the Key of Life was released as a double LP with a four-song bonus EP. It debuted at number one on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart becoming only the third album to achieve that feat and the first by an American artist at the time. Both the lead single “I Wish” and follow-up single “Sir Duke” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Songs in the Key of Life spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the album with the most weeks at number one during the year. It was the second best-selling album of 1977 in the US. In 2005, Songs in the Key of Life was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Songs in the Key of Life won Album of the Year at the 19th Grammy Awards. It is the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Wonder’s career. Widely regarded as Wonder’s magnum opus and one of the greatest albums in the history of recorded music, many musicians have remarked on the quality of the album and its influence on their own work. Additionally, notable musicians have cited it as the greatest album of all time. It was voted number 89 in Colin Larkin’s All Time Top 1000 Albums and ranked number 4 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2002, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2005, Songs in the Key of Life was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which deemed it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

1. “Love’s in Need of Love Today” 7:06
2. “Have a Talk With God” 2:42
3. “Village Ghetto Land” 3:25
4. “Contusion” 3:46
5. “Sir Duke” 3:52
6. “I Wish” 4:12
7. “Knocks Me Off My Feet” 3:36
8. “Pastime Paradise” 3:27
9. “Summer Soft” 4:14
10. “Ordinary Pain” 6:16
11. “Isn’t She Lovely” 6:34
12. “Joy Inside My Tears” 6:30
13. “Black Man” 8:27
14. “Ngiculela – Es Una Historia – I Am Singing” 3:48
15. “If It’s Magic” 3:12
16. “As” 7:08
17. “Another Star” 8:08
18. “Saturn” 4:54
19. “Ebony Eyes” 4:11
20. “All Day Sucker” 5:06
21. “Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call)” 3:55

Stevie Wonder – lead vocals, musician, arrangement, composer, producer
Nathan Watts – bass guitar (4-6, 16, 17, 19, 21), percussion (14), handclaps (16)
Raymond Pounds – drums (4-6)
Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (4, 11, 12, 18)
Michael Sembello – lead guitar (4, 5, 10, 18, 20)
Ben Bridges – rhythm guitar (4, 5, 9, 18, 20)
Eddie “Bongo” Brown – collinga (1)
Shirley Brewer – backing vocals (4, 14), “Ordinary Pain” reply vocals (10), handclaps (11)
Josie James – backing vocals (4, 17)
Michael Gray – backing vocals (4)
Artece May – backing vocals (4), handclaps (11)
Hank Redd – alto saxophone (5, 6, 10, 13, 17)
Trevor Lawrence – tenor saxophone (5, 6, 17)
Raymond Maldonado – trumpet (5, 6, 17), percussion (8)
Steve Madaio – trumpet (5, 6, 13, 17)
Renee Hardaway – backing vocals (6, 14)
Bobbye Hall – percussion (8)
West Angeles Church of God Choir – backing vocals (8)
Hare Krishna – backing vocals (8)
Ronnie Foster – organ (9)
Nastee Latimer – percussion (9)
Minnie Riperton – backing vocals (10)
Mary Lee Whitney – backing vocals (10, 16)
Deniece Williams – backing vocals (10)
Syreeta Wright – backing vocals (10)
Linda Lawrence – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Terry Hendricks – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Sundray Tucker – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Charity McCrary – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Linda McCrary – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Madelaine “Gypsie” Jones – “Ordinary Pain” reply backing vocals (10)
Josette Valentino – handclaps (11, 16), percussion (14)
Dave Henson – handclaps (11, 16)
Brenda Barrett – handclaps (11)
Colleen Carleton – handclaps (11)
Carole Cole – handclaps (11)
Nelson Hayes – handclaps (11)
Edna Orso – handclaps (11)
Tucker – handclaps (11)
Susaye Greene – backing vocals (12)
George Bohanon – trombone (13)
Glenn Ferris – trombone (13)
Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble – verbal replies (13)
Amale Mathews – percussion (14)
Charles Brewer – percussion (14)
John Fischbach – percussion (14)
Marietta Waters – percussion (14)
Nelson Hayes – percussion (14)
Dorothy Ashby – harp (15)
Greg Brown – drums (16)
Herbie Hancock – keyboards (16), handclaps (16)
Dean Parks – guitar (16)
Yolanda Simmons – handclaps (16)
Bobbi Humphrey – flute (17)
George Benson – guitar, backing vocals (17)
Nathan Alford, Jr. – percussion (17)
Carmello Hungria Garcia – timbales (17)
Jim Horn – saxophone (19)
Peter “Sneaky Pete” Kleinow – steel guitar (19)
W. G. Snuffy Walden – lead guitar (20)
Carolyn Dennis – backing vocals (20)

Thursday 10/14/21 11pm ET: Feature LP: Daryl Hall & John Oates – Big Bam Boom (1984)

Big Bam Boom is the twelfth studio album by American duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released by RCA Records on October 12, 1984. It marked the end of one of the most successful album runs by a duo of the 1980s. RCA issued a remastered version in July 2004 with four bonus tracks. The lead single “Out of Touch” was a #1 pop hit, and charted in several other areas (#24 Hot Black Singles, #8 on the Adult Contemporary charts and #1 on the dance charts, #48 in the UK). Another song taken from the album, the Daryl Hall and Janna Allen-penned “Method of Modern Love” reached a high point of #5, and “Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid,” reached #18.

Musical styles on the album include pop, rock, and dance-rock, with R&B/soul influences. The album had even more of an electronic, urban feel to it compared to their previous albums, combining their song structure & vocalization with the latest technical advances in recording and playing. The album employed some of the most sophisticated equipment ever used in the recording industry at the time.

Big Bam Boom peaked at No. 5 in the United States and sold over three million copies worldwide.

1. “Dance on Your Knees” 1:25
2. “Out of Touch” 4:21
3. “Method of Modern Love” 5:32
4. “Bank on Your Love” 4:17
5. “Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid” 5:27
6. “Going Thru the Motions” 5:39
7. “Cold Dark and Yesterday” 4:41
8. “All American Girl” 4:28
9. “Possession Obsession” 4:36
10. “Out of Touch” (12″ version) 7:35
11. “Method of Modern Love” (12″ version) 7:48
12. “Possession Obsession” (12″ version) 6:28
13. “Dance on Your Knees” (12″ version) 6:38

Daryl Hall – lead vocals (1–6, 8), backing vocals, synthesizers, guitars, arrangements
John Oates – lead vocals (7, 9), backing vocals, synthesizers, guitars, synth guitar, arrangements
Robbie Kilgore – keyboards, synthesizer programming
Wells Christy – Synclavier programming
Clive Smith – Fairlight CMI
Tom “T-Bone” Wolk – synthesizers, guitars, bass guitar, arrangements
G.E. Smith – lead guitars
Mickey Curry – drums
Jimmy Bralower – LinnDrum programming
Bashiri Johnson – percussion, timbales
Jay Burnett – additional percussion
Charles DeChant – saxophone
Coati Mundi – Spanish vocals

Thursday 10/14/21 1pm ET: Feature Artist: Sam & Dave

Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988).

Nicknamed “Double Dynamite”, “The Sultans of Sweat”, and “The Dynamic Duo” for their gritty, gospel-infused performances, Sam & Dave are considered one of the greatest live acts of the 1960s. Many subsequent musicians have named them as an influence, including Bruce Springsteen, Al Green, Tom Petty, Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Elvis Costello, The Jam, Teddy Pendergrass, Billy Joel and Steve Winwood. The Blues Brothers, who helped create a resurgence of popularity for soul, R&B, and blues in the 1980s, were influenced by Sam & Dave – their biggest hit was a cover of “Soul Man”, and their act and stage show contained many homages to the duo.

According to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Sam & Dave were the most successful soul duo and brought the sounds of the black gospel church to pop music with their call-and-response records. Recorded primarily at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1965 through 1968, these included “Soul Man”, “Hold On, I’m Comin'”, “You Don’t Know Like I Know”, “I Thank You”, “When Something is Wrong with My Baby”, “Wrap It Up”, and many other Southern Soul classics. Except for Aretha Franklin, no soul act during Sam & Dave’s Stax years (1965–1968) had more consistent R&B chart success, including 10 consecutive top 20 singles and three consecutive top 10 LPs. Their crossover charts appeal (13 straight appearances and two top 10 singles) helped to pave the way for the acceptance of soul music by white pop audiences, and their song “Soul Man” was one of the first songs by a black group to top the pop charts using the word “soul”, helping define the genre. “Soul Man” was a number one Pop Hit (Cashbox: November 11, 1967) and has been recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone magazine, and RIAA Songs of the Century. “Soul Man” was featured as the soundtrack and title for a 1986 film and also a 1997–1998 television series, and Soul Men was a 2008 feature film.

Sam & Dave are inductees in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame. They won a Grammy Award for “Soul Man” and they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Rolling Stone ranked Sam & Dave No. 14 its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.

Thursday 10/14/21 12pm ET: Feature Artist: Moody Blues

The Moody Blues are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge, and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to prominence playing rhythm and blues music. They made some changes in musicians but settled on a line-up of Pinder, Thomas, Edge, guitarist Justin Hayward, and bassist John Lodge, who stayed together for most of the band’s “classic era” into the early 1970s.

Their second album, Days of Future Passed, which was released in 1967, was a fusion of rock with classical music which established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock. It has been described as a “landmark” and “one of the first successful concept albums”. The group toured extensively through the early 1970s, then took an extended hiatus from 1974 until 1977. Founder Mike Pinder left the group a year after they re-formed and was replaced by Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz in 1978. In the following decade they took on a more synth-pop sound and produced The Other Side of Life in 1986, which made them the first act to earn each of its first three top 10 singles in the United States in a different decade. Health troubles led to a diminished role for founder Ray Thomas throughout the 1980s, though his musical contributions rebounded after Moraz departed in 1991. Thomas retired from the band in 2002.

The band’s last album was the Christmas album December (2003), after which they eschewed recording any further albums. However, they continued to tour throughout the first decade of the 2000s and still reunite periodically for events, one-off concerts, short tours and cruises.

The Moody Blues’ most successful singles include “Go Now”, “Nights in White Satin”, “Tuesday Afternoon”, “Question”, “Gemini Dream”, “The Voice” and “Your Wildest Dreams”. The band has sold 70 million albums worldwide, which includes 18 platinum and gold LPs. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

Thursday 10/14/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Elton John – Rock Of The Westies (1975)

Rock of the Westies is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on October 4, 1975. The title is a spoonerism play on the phrase “West of the Rockies”, the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

As with Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, Rock of the Westies debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, the only two albums at that time to have done so. It was also successful (albeit to a lesser extent) in the artist’s home territory of the UK, where it reached No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart.

1. “Medley: Yell Help / Wednesday Night / Ugly” 6:15
2. “Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future)” 3:29
3. “Island Girl” 3:42
4. “Grow Some Funk of Your Own” 4:47
5. “I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)” 5:27
6. “Street Kids” 6:25
7. “Hard Luck Story” 5:16
8. “Feed Me” 4:00
9. “Billy Bones and the White Bird” 4:25
10. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” (featuring Kiki Dee) 4:02
11. “Planes” 4:31
12. “Sugar on the Floor” 4:31

Elton John – lead vocals, acoustic piano (all except 8)
James Newton Howard – harpsichord (1), ELKA Rhapsody string synthesizer (1), ARP synthesizer (1, 3), Hohner clavinet (1, 2), mellotron (3), electric piano (4, 5, 7, 8, 9), synthesizers (4, 5, 9)
Davey Johnstone – electric guitar (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9), backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 6, 8), rhythm guitar (2, 6), voice bag (2), Ovation guitar (3), banjo (3), slide guitar (3, 6), acoustic guitar (4, 5), guitar solo (5)
Caleb Quaye – electric guitar (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9), backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8), acoustic guitar (3, 4, 5), rhythm guitar (6), lead guitar solo (6)
Kenny Passarelli – bass guitar, backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 6, 7)
Roger Pope – drums (1-5, 7–9)
Ray Cooper – tambourine (1, 3, 5, 6, 9), cowbell (1, 9), congas (1, 3, 6, 7, 8), jawbone (1), marimba (3), castanets (4), bell tree (4), vibraphone (4, 5, 8), shaker (8), wind chimes (8), maracas (9), kettle drums (9)
Labelle – backing vocals (1)
Ann Orson – backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9)
Kiki Dee – backing vocals (2, 3, 4, 6–9)
Clive Franks – backing vocals (8)

Thursday 10/14/21 12am ET: Feature LP: Little River Band – Sleep Catcher (1978)

Sleeper Catcher is the fourth studio album by the Little River Band, released in April 1978. It peaked at No. 4 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart and No. 16 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in May 1979. At the Australian 1978 King of Pop Awards the album won Most Popular Australian Album .

The band is shown on the cover of the album playing the Australian game Two-up, and the Sleeper Catcher is a participant who retrieves bets left behind by a tardy gambler in the game. This is the band’s last album to feature George McArdle on bass.

“Shut Down Turn Off” – 3:51
“Reminiscing” – 4:13
“Red-Headed Wild Flower” – 4:35
“Light of Day” – 8:03
“Fall from Paradise” – 3:59
“Lady” – 4:56
“Sanity’s Side” – 4:14
“So Many Paths” – 4:24
“One for the Road” – 4:01

Glenn Shorrock – lead vocals
David Briggs – lead and Roland synthesizer guitars
Beeb Birtles – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals
Graham Goble – electric and acoustic guitars, vocals, vocal arrangements
George McArdle – bass
Derek Pellicci – Sonor and Syndrums drums, percussion
Vernon Hill – flute
Bob Venier – flugelhorn
Pam Raines – harp
Peter Sullivan – electric and acoustic pianos
Peter Jones – electric piano (2)
Mal Logan – Hammond organ
Rick Formosa – conductor, orchestral arrangements

Wednesday 10/13/21 12pm ET: Artist Countdown: Paul Simon / Simon & Garfunkel Top 30 Hits

Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter, known not only for his solo work, but also as a member of the folk-duo Simon & Garfunkel with Art Garfunkel. He has released studio albums, live albums, compilation albums and singles. His music career has spanned over 50 years. He started recording music in the 1950s and his most recent album, In the Blue Light, was released on September 7, 2018.

Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor and producer. Simon’s musical career has spanned over six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music history.

Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, poet, and actor. He is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel.

Wednesday 10/13/21 12am ET: Feature LP: Lynyrd Skynyrd – Last Rebel (1993)

The Last Rebel is the seventh studio album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released February 16, 1993. It is the last album to feature drummer Kurt Custer and the last to feature guitarist Randall Hall.

“Good Lovin’s Hard to Find” – 3:55
“One Thing” – 5.13
“Can’t Take That Away” – 4:19
“Best Things in Life”– 3:54
“The Last Rebel” – 6:47
“Outta Hell in My Dodge” – 3:47
“Kiss Your Freedom Goodbye” – 4:46
“South of Heaven” – 5:15
“Love Don’t Always Come Easy” – 4:34
“Born to Run” – 7:25

Gary Rossington – guitar
Ed King – guitar
Johnny Van Zant – lead vocals
Leon Wilkeson – bass
Billy Powell – piano, Hammond organ, synthesizer
Randall Hall – guitar
Kurt Custer – drums, percussion
Dale Krantz Rossington – background vocals
Tim Lindsey – additional bass

Tuesday 10/12/21 1pm ET: Feature Artist: Paulette Carlson & Highway 101

Paulette Tenae Carlson (born October 11, 1952) is an American country singer-songwriter, who rose to fame in the 1980s as the founder and lead vocalist for the country band Highway 101. With Highway 101, she charted four No. 1 hit singles, seven Top 10 hits and won two Country Music Association Awards. As a solo artist, she has charted five times on Hot Country Songs and recorded three studio albums. Her most successful solo single is “I’ll Start with You”, which peaked at number 21 in 1991. Carlson continues to tour and record new music as a solo artist.

Highway 101 was an American country music band founded in 1986 by Paulette Carlson (lead vocals), Jack Daniels (guitar), Curtis Stone (bass guitar, mandolin), and Scott “Cactus” Moser (drums). With Carlson as lead vocalist, the band recorded three albums for Warner Bros. Records Nashville and charted ten consecutive Top Ten hits on the Hot Country Songs chart, four of which went to Number One. After Carlson left in 1990 to pursue a solo career, the band recorded a fourth album for Warner with Nikki Nelson on lead vocals before exiting the label. One album each followed on Liberty, Intersound, and Free Falls Records under various lineups.

Tuesday 10/12/21 12pm ET: Feature Artist: The Chicks

The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band composed of Natalie Maines, along with Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire, who are sisters. Their discography comprises eight studio albums, two live albums and 27 singles.

Founded in 1989 as a more bluegrass-oriented band with Maguire and Robison—then going by their birth surnames of Erwin—along with Laura Lynch and Robin Lynn Macy, the band did not achieve mainstream success until Lynch and Macy left and were replaced by lead singer Natalie Maines. Shortly after her joining, the band signed to Monument Records, releasing their breakthrough album Wide Open Spaces in 1998. Both it and its followup, 1999’s Fly, earned the group several Grammy Awards and chart singles. Two more albums, Home and Taking the Long Way, followed in 2002 and 2006, respectively, on Columbia Records. These latter four albums have been certified double platinum or higher by the RIAA, with the highest-certified being Wide Open Spaces at 13× Platinum for US shipments of 13 million copies.

Of the Dixie Chicks’ 25 singles, six have reached Number One on the Billboard country singles chart: “There’s Your Trouble”, “Wide Open Spaces”, “You Were Mine”, “Cowboy Take Me Away”, “Without You”, and “Travelin’ Soldier”. A seventh, a version of the Fleetwood Mac song “Landslide”, was also a Number One hit on the Adult Contemporary chart. Several of their singles have crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, with their highest-peaking there being the number 4, “Not Ready to Make Nice”.

Tuesday 10/12/21 1am ET: Feature LP: Queen – Jazz (1978)

Jazz is the seventh studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on November 10, 1978 by EMI Records in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States. Produced by Roy Thomas Baker, the album artwork was suggested by Roger Taylor, who previously saw a similar design painted on the Berlin Wall. The album’s varying musical styles were alternately praised and criticized. It reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and number six on the US Billboard 200.

1. “Mustapha” 3:03
2. “Fat Bottomed Girls” 4:14
3. “Jealousy” 3:14
4. “Bicycle Race” 3:04
5. “If You Can’t Beat Them” 4:15
6. “Let Me Entertain You” 3:01
7. “Dead on Time” 3:23
8. “In Only Seven Days” 2:30
9. “Dreamer’s Ball” 3:30
10. “Fun It” 3:29
11. “Leaving Home Ain’t Easy” 3:15
12. “Don’t Stop Me Now” 3:29
13. “More of That Jazz” 4:12
14. “Fat Bottomed Girls” (1991 remix) 4:22
15. “Bicycle Race” (1991 remix) 4:59
16. “Fat Bottomed Girls” (Single Version) 3:23
17. “Bicycle Race” (Instrumental) 3:09
18. “Don’t Stop Me Now” (With long-lost guitars) 3:34
19. “Let Me Entertain You” (live at the Montreal Forum, November 1981) 2:48
20. “Dreamer’s Ball” (Early acoustic take, August 1978) 3:40

Freddie Mercury – vocals, acoustic piano
Brian May – guitars, vocals
Roger Taylor – drums, vocals, percussion, electric guitar, bass
John Deacon – bass, guitars

Tuesday 10/12/21 12am ET: Feature LP: Bob Dylan – Slow Train Coming (1979)

Slow Train Coming is the 19th studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979, by Columbia Records. Slow Train is the title song of the album. It was Dylan’s first album following his conversion to Christianity, and the songs either express personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan’s existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.

The album was generally well-reviewed by music critics, and the single “Gotta Serve Somebody” became his first hit in three years, winning Dylan the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance in 1980. The album peaked at No. 2 on the charts in the UK and went platinum in the US, where it reached No. 3.

A high-definition 5.1 surround sound edition of the album was released on SACD by Columbia in 2003.

1. “Gotta Serve Somebody” 5:22
2. “Precious Angel” 6:27
3. “I Believe in You” 5:02
4. “Slow Train” 5:55
5. “Gonna Change My Way of Thinking” 5:25
6. “Do Right to Me Baby (Do Unto Others)” 3:50
7. “When You Gonna Wake Up” 5:25
8. “Man Gave Names to All the Animals” 4:23
9. “When He Returns” 4:30

Bob Dylan – guitar, vocals
Barry Beckett – keyboards, percussion
Mickey Buckins – percussion
Carolyn Dennis – background vocals
Tim Drummond – bass guitar
Regina Havis – background vocals
Mark Knopfler – lead guitar
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio – French horn
Helena Springs – background vocals
Pick Withers – drums