I previously mentioned at the end of the Waterboys post that I would include some of my FM recordings, celebrating some of the greatest disc jockeys that the UK has produced. I've posted a Rodigan show, albeit one with a special guest and will return to his Reggae & Dancehall show in a future post. John Peel & Andy Kershaw will also feature but for now I would like to concentrate on one of the greatest DJ & TV hosts that I first listened to as a youth.
Bob Harris has been around since the early 70's and his career began in parallel with my growing interest in music. As a pre-teen that interest grew into a passion through early glam rock bands and artists like, David Bowie, Marc Bolan & T-Rex, Roxy Music, Slade and Mott The Hoople etc. whose singles were played daily on BBC Radio 1. The only two music TV shows at the time were 'Top Of The Pops' - and as the name implies, it played the chart hits of the time.
Much more interesting was the alternative 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' presented by 'Whispering' Bob Harris. On his show I discovered many of the classic artists (as they are now known) that a big brother or sister would pass down (via their albums) to their younger siblings. Bob became a de-facto substitute big brother, as I had no one older to shape my musical outlook.
British radio was a bit provincial in those days (apart from John Peel) and Bob Harris spread the word about many of the exciting new bands that existed far across the Atlantic ocean.
On the OGWT I discovered the likes of Little Feat, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Dukes, The Steve Miller Band as well as Britain's very own Queen and a band that would become renowned throughout the world, from Jamaica - The Wailers.
When a new radio show was proposed for broadcast on BBC Radio 2 FM, to play Country, roots and Americana, including archive classics and modern recordings, Bob Harris was the perfect choice to begin presenting the new show on Thursday 5 January, 2006. The show continues to this day, now at a later time of 9pm. This posted show was broadcast on Thursday 3 June, 2021. Lineage details are included below and it's likely that the show is being made available world-wide for the first time in FM Stereo.
Much of the new music played echoes that of the past and Bob reels off a list of influences that Blackberry Smoke & The Steel Woods for example, invoke.
Some radio shows have a flow and feel to them that just work perfectly. This is one such programme. Turn it up loud and revel in the glory of American roots music. It's a wonderful show and though the internet has enabled new ways of finding music, never forget your radio has some of the most knowledgeable influencers in music. Bob Harris has an unerring ability to select a track from an album that inevitably turns out to be the best or one of the very best on that particular release.
The Country Show with Bob Harris
BBC Radio 2 FM Stereo
Thursday 3 June, 2021 / 9-10pm (complete show + bonus tracks)
Brand new exclusive live music from Blackberry Smoke, new songs, old songs and a whole lot more!
With a new album in the Top 10 in the UK and a tour just announced for 2022, Georgian country rockers Blackberry Smoke contribute three exclusive live songs to this week's show, alongside great new tracks from the Steel Woods, Brothers Osborne and Lukas Nelson! Plus classics from Little Big Town and Florida Georgia Line, the reissue of the week is from Hank Williams.
01. Florida Georgia Line - Round Here | Here's To The Good Times (Republic Nashville) 2012
02. Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe | Greatest Hits (Classic Cuts) 1990
03. Blackberry Smoke - Ain't The Same (Country Show exclusive)
04. Little Big Town - Girl Crush | Pain Killer (Capital Records Nashville) 2014
05. Lori McKenna - The Way Back Home | The Tree (CN /Thirty Tigers) 2018
06. The Steel Woods - All Of Your Stones | All Of Your Stones (Thirty Tigers) 2021
07. Hank Williams - Tennessee Border | Pictures From Life's Other Side, Volume 2 (BMG) 2021
08. Blackberry Smoke - Hey Delilah (Country Show exclusive)
09. Gabby Barrett - The Good Ones | Goldmine (Warner Music Nashville) 2020
10. Brothers Osborne - Younger Me | Digital Single (EMI Nashville) 2021
11. Blackberry Smoke - You Hear Georgia (Country Show exclusive)
12. Lukas Nelson - Leave 'Em Behind | A Few Stars Apart (Fantasy) 2021
bonus tracks: 10 June (t13-14) & 17 June (t15-17)
13. Gretchen Peters - The Secret of Life | The Secret of Life 1996
14. Valerie June - Colors | The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers 2021
15. Kezia Gill - Country Song | The Mess I Made EP 2021
16. Son Volt - Reverie | Electro Melodier 2021
17. Jakob Dylan - Nothing But The Whole Wide World | Women + Country 2010
Lineage: BBC Radio 2 FM Stereo broadcast > Denon Tuner TU-260L > Audacity 2.1.3 > WAV > FLAC 8
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