Thursday, November 12, 2026

Musical Happenings

 

When Dolly Parton died, I had the high-pressure position of hosting the Salt Creek Show.  Thankfully, the record library at WVBR had plenty of albums to choose from, and there were lots of albums and downloadable stuff from the internet to play too.  Reaction from listeners indicated I did a fine job, but when I listened to another local tribute show on the following Monday, they kept playing songs I wished I'd gotten to.  You can only cover so much material in four hours.

There was also the passing of Frank Beard, the drummer of one of my favorite bands, ZZ Top. Here's the playlist in case you missed it:

PLAYLIST Salt Creek Show, WVBR-FM, Ithaca NY, 30 August 2026. Honoring the legacy of Dolly Parton with a nod to Frank Beard of ZZ Top, Joe McMahon, deejay:
6 am
Jolene/ Dolly Parton/ Best Of
Heaven/ Mama’s Broke/ Reunion (new)
I Still Miss Someone/ Dolly Parton/ The Grass Is Blue
Hot Blue and Righteous/ ZZ Top/ Tres Hombres
The 33rd of August/ David Allen Coe/ The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy
8th of January/ The Sweet’s Mill Mountain Boys with Kenny Hall/ The Village out West: the lost tapes of Alan Oakes
If/ Dolly Parton/ Halos and Horns
Hobo’s Meditation/ Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris/ Trio
Unwed Fathers/ Carrie Rodriguez/ We Still Love Country
When I Sing for Him. Dolly Parton/ Dolly Sings My Favorite Songwriter- Porter Wagoner
Which Side are You On/ Natalie Merchant/ House Carpenter’s Daughter
A Short Walk in the Snow/ Eugene Tyler Band/ Ride the Bike
Hello In There/ John Prine/ John Prine
Talking Union/ Gene Bluestein/ The Village Out West: the lost tapes of Alan Oakes
7am
Album feature- New from Mama’s Broke- Reunion
Build It Up/ Mama’s Broke/ Reunion
All Alone/ Mama’s Broke/ Reunion
The Forsaken Lover/ Mama’s Broke/ Reunion
Old Fashioned Love Song/ Mama’s Broke/ Reunion
Maritime/ Pretty Archie/ Pretty Archie
Don’t Think Twice/ Dolly Parton/ Blue Smoke
She’s a Heartbreaker/ ZZ Top/ Tejas
My Love Affair With Trains/ Merle Haggard and the Strangers/ My Love Affair With Trains
Always Wanting You/ Merle Haggard/ Merle Haggard: 20 Greatest Hits
Billboard Song/ Doc Watson/ The Village Out West: the lost tapes of Alan Oakes
Creepin’ In/ Nora Jones featuring Dolly Parton/ Feels Like Home
To Daddy/ Emmy Lou Harris/ Just Because I’m a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton
I’m Fed Up with You/ Dolly Parton/ My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy
Swallow/ The Wailin’ Jennys/ Firecracker
8 am
Big Hair/ Fred Eaglesmith and the Flying Squirrels/ Fred’s Last Show
Dumb Blond/ Dolly Parton/ Dolly Parton Box Set
Coat of Many Colors/ Shania Twain with Alison Krauss/ Just Because I’m a Woman: songs of Dolly Parton
Standard Lie #1/ Stella Parton/ Country Sweet
I Will Always Love You/ Stella Parton/ Mountain Songbird
Little Sparrow/ Kasey Chambers/ Just Because I’m a Woman: Songs of Dolly Parton
It Wasn’t God that Made Honkytonk Angels/ Kitty Wells/ Classic Country (Born Aug 30, 1919)
After the Goldrush/ Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris/ Trio 2
Bluegrass
I’m Gonna Sleep With One Eye Open/ Dolly Parton/ Sugar Hill Records: a retrospective
I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby/ Dolly Parton/ HMG Bluegrass Vol. 5
Williams Branch is Hard to Find/ Carla Gover and Friends/ Williams Branch is Hard to Find (new)
I Feel the Blues Movin’ In/ Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris/ Trio 2
Rifle/ Carla Gover and Friends/ Williams Branch is Hard to Find (new)
Those Memories of You/ Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris/ Trio
9 am
There Goes My Heart/ The Mavericks/ The Mavericks
What a Cryin’ Shame/ The Mavericks/ The Mavericks
Stand by the River/ Dottie Rambo and Dolly Parton/ HMG Bluegrass Vol. 6
9 to 5/ Alison Krauss/ Just Because I’m a Woman: the songs of Dolly Parton
Shine/ Dolly Parton/ Little Sparrow
Have You Heard?/ ZZ Top/ Tres Hombres
Gettin’ Happy/ Dolly Parton/ Love is Like a Butterfly (released August 31, 1974)
Lost Highway/ Hank Williams/ Hank Williams
I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry/ Hank Williams/ Hank Williams (Recorded Aug 30, 1949)
Travelin’ Prayer/ Dolly Parton/ The Grass Is Blue
I Am Ready/ Dolly Parton/ The Grass Is Blue
Jolene/ Dolly Parton/ Best of

  The high school magazine produced by students paid their respects by putting Dolly at the top of the Coolness Spectrum for the September issue.

 

   The week after Frank Beard died, ZZ Top decided the show must go on and I made the trip to the NY State Fair to see them.  They had a Billy Gibbons look-a-like contest, and there were even jet ski demonstration on the pond next to the stage before the show.  I passed on paying the dollar to see the baby porcupines, but did sit in the Adirondack style lean-to for a few minutes.

 

 

  Even with only Billy Gibbons as the only remaining original member, and he being in his late 70s, they did a great show.  You can judge for yourself by watching the whole thing.


   Too bad I didn't know about the look-a-like contest.  I would have walked away with first prize.


   Another excellent show I got to was Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble.  I didn't really know much about Don Was, except he played in and produced lots of great stuff going way back (Bonnie Raitt and the B52s in the 80's, as well as Dylan and the Stones and, and, and).  He even did one of Todd Snider's best albums, The Excitement Plan.  Turns out, he was in one iteration of the Grateful Dead, so they played their most technical and jazzy album, Blues for Allah,  in it's entirety.  I loved it anyway.


   Back on the radio for a special show to commemorate the 80th anniversary of John Prine's birth, and the 60th of Todd Snider's.  They were born on Oct. 10 and 11, respectively, and Cornell was on Fall Break so the studio was open for me to get dressed up in two of my favorite shirts and play an evening of their music.  Another set list in case you missed it:

Illegal Smile 1971                                                      

My Generation (Part 2) 1994

I Remember Everything- Brandi Carlile

Vinyl Records- Todd

Angel from Montgomery- Bonnie Raitt

America’s Favorite Pastime- Todd

Paradise-John + Steve Goodman                  

Mexican Home- Josh Ritter

Sideshow Blues-Todd

Sabu Visits the Twin Cities-John

Talking Reality TV Blues- Tom Jones

Quit Hollerin at Me-John

6 O’Clock News- John

In Spite of Ourselves- John (for John and Melissa)

Incarcerated-Todd

Onomatapeia- John

Let’s Talk Dirty In Hawaiian- John

Speed the Sound of Loneliness- Nancy Griffith (Talked dirty at poker game)

You Got Away With It-Todd

Christmas in Pison-John

Some Humans Ain’t Human- John Shit at 4:52/53

The Frying Pan- John Written at 14

DB Cooper- Todd

Sour Grapes-John  Written at 14

Hello In There- Kathleen Edwards 

Unwed Fathers- Tammy Wynette

Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues 3:50 remaining

Reading- I Never Met a Story I Didn’t Like

This Land is Our Land- Todd

Play a Train Song (Elizabeth Cook and Aaron Lee Tasjan): 

Don’t Tempt Me- Todd

I Almost Stole Some Weed from Todd Snider- John Craigie  

John Prine- Kasey Musgraves

Crooked Piece of Time- Todd

Big Old Goofy World- John

Souvenirs- John and Steve Goodman

Conservative, Christian, Rightwing Republican American Males- Emma Ogier

Alright Guy- Jerry Jeff Walker

Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven- John

Bring Em Home- Todd

Sam Stone- John

Todd describing meeting John:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaV4hfxPpck 

Aimless Love- John 

Everything is Cool- John  

All the Best- John 

Aaron Allen Story-Todd 

Good Fortune- Todd 

Stomp and Holler- Hard Working Americans 

Age Like Wine- Hayes Carll 

Cape Henry- Will Kimbrough 

Handsome John- Todd 

When I Get to Heaven- John 

In Spite of Ourselves- John & Todd 

  Here's a turntable even WVBR doesn't force deejays to use.  A neighbor has a functioning Edison gramophone that plays shellac records.  The volume control is managed by opening and closing the cylindrical speaker inside. 

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