Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Song of the Week: "Melissa" by the Allman Brothers Band

"Melissa" by the Allman Brothers Band, released in 1972 is one of my favorite songs.

Gregg Allman, who wrote the song in the late 60s, died on May 27, 2017. He was 69 years old.


New episodes of the Vinyl Voyage Song of the Week can be heard every Wednesday, at 10 am and 10 pm (Central time/ -5 GMT) and at various other times during the week.

Take a listen to the song on vinyl below.





Monday, May 29, 2017

The Original Fidget Spinner!

Fidget Spinners are all the rage at the moment.

What little do people know is that we had our own version of the Fidget Spinner in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

And our fidget spinner came with music.


Get this new design on a t-shirt. Two styles, many options. The basic T-Shirt is only $15.49!



Check out our other designs as well. Father's Day is coming up!



Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Song of the Week #2: Maps, by Postmodern Jukebox

So Morgan James is one of my favorite singers right now. And boy, can she sing.

I first became acquainted with the singer through Postmodern Jukebox, a very cool and eclectic group that produces modern songs in different historical styles. Many different singers have been featured and Postmodern Jukebox has accumulated an impressive number of views for their videos.

Recently, they released an album in 2016 entitled The Essentials.

Morgan James is on this album singing a 70s soul-like version of Maroon 5's 2014 hit, "Maps."

This version is the Song of the Week.



Morgan James is an amazing singer.  Give her Youtube page a listen.

You can catch new episodes of Song of the Week every Wednesday on Vinyl Voyage Radio, played  at 10 AM and 10 PM Central time.




Monday, May 22, 2017

The Year So Far....

The passing of Chris Cornell last week has set 2017 to be very similar to last year, when we lost such greats as David Bowie, Prince, Carrie Fisher and many others.

Here is a rundown of those we lost so far in 2017 in the music world.

Chris Cornell (May 17, 2017)

The frontman to Soundgarden and Audioslave was the voice of the grunge movement. A distinctive voice, to be sure; a powerful voice that was close to four full-octaves

Singer-songwriter Tom Flannery has a great take on Chris Cornell. Read it here.

Here is Chris Cornell singing his version of Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."



Jonathan Demme (April 26, 2017)

Although not a musician, Jonathan Demme greatly contributed to the world of music through his music documentaries.  Stop Making Sense chronicled the landmark Talking Heads tour. He also created documentaries about Robyn Hitchcock and Neil Young.

Of course, he made other films as well, most notably Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia and Something Wild (to name just a few).

He died on April 26 at the age of 73 due to complications from esophageal cancer.



Cuba Gooding, Sr.  (April 20, 2017)

Cuba Gooding, Sr., father of actor Cuba Gooding, was the lead singer of the  R&B group Main Ingredient. He died on April 20 at the age of 72.

Here he is singing lead in the band's biggest hit from 1972, "Everybody Plays the Fool."



Allan Holdsworth (April 16, 2017)

Allan Holdsworth was a guitar virtuoso. In fact, he inspired so many others. You may not know him by name, but he was a big part of the Progressive Rock movement of the 70s.

He died on April 16 at the age of 70.



J. Geils (April 11, 2017)

The guitarist John Warren Geils formed the J Geils Band in 1968. The band found fame in the MTV era of the 80s with such songs as "Love Stinks," "Freeze Frame" and "Centerfold."

He was 71 years old.

Here he is discussing guitars.



Sib Hashian (March 22, 2017)

Sib Hashian was the drummer for the band Boston. He had, perhaps, the best hair of the 70s.

He collapsed and died on stage at the age of 67 playing a set of Boston's greatest hits.



Chuck Berry (March 18, 2017)

There is no one more influential in the development of rock and roll than Chuck Berry.  His distinctive guitar playing and lyrics helped define the rock and roll sound.

He died at the age of 90 on March 18.



Joni Sledge (March 11, 2017)

Joni Sledge was a founding member, along with her three other sisters, of the funk/disco inspired band, Sister Sledge.

She died of natural causes on March 11 at the age of 60.




Tommy Page (March 3, 2017)

Tommy Page was best known for his 1990 single "I'll Be Your Everything."  He set the standard for boy-band pop of the 1990s.

He died at the age of 46, a victim of suicide.



Al Jarreau (February 12, 2017)

A jazz singer by heart, Al Jarreau broke out into the pop world in the 1980s with the album Breakin' Away.  He even sung the theme for the TV show, Moonlighting.

He died on February 12 at the age of 76.



Maggie Roche (January 21, 2017)

Maggie Roche was the eldest of the three sisters forming the folk and A cappella vocal group The Roches.  They had a very unique sound and provided the soundtrack to the delightful 1988 film, Crossing Delancey.

Maggie Roche died on January 21 at the age of 65 from cancer.



Sylvester Potts (January 6, 2017)

Sylvester Potts was a longtime member of the Contours, a R&B band famous in the 60s for their number one smash "Do You Love Me."

He died on January 6 at the age of 78.






Sunday, May 21, 2017

Antique Audio, Episode 1: "Black and Blue"

Yesterday, my stylus broke and I was unable to play vinyl.

However, I did have an extra 78 rpm stylus and a bunch of 78 rmp records. These records are not vinyl, but for the first half of the 20th century, music was delivered on shellac.

This is a recording of "(What did I Have to Do to Be So) Black and Blue" by Louis Armstrong, from August, 1929.

Check back frequently for new episodes of Antique Audio, spinning some of the oldest and historic recordings.




Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Song of the Week #1: Nobody Number One

Welcome to the very first edition of the Vinyl Voyage Song of the Week.

On this first episode, we are featuring "Nobody Number One" by Over the Rhine.

Karin Berquist and Linford Detweiler form the core of Over the Rhine. Ohio, their seventh studio album was released in 2003. To be honest, there is not a bad song on this album and I had a hard time picking a song for this very first edition of the Vinyl Voyage Song of the Week.

I was excited to finally get this album on vinyl, which they re-released a few months ago.

This is "Nobody Number One."

More information can be about the band can be found at Overtherhine.com. Listen to it on vinyl below.




I have been listening to Over the Rhine since I stumbled on their 2nd album, Patience, in 1992. In fact, their song "Flanders Fields" inspired a novel I am writing. That novel is entitled, Lilac Wine.

Vinyl Voyage Radio Song or the Week is a new feature. New episodes premiere on the 10s central, every Wednesday. And then throughout the week.

Only on Vinyl Voyage Radio





Sunday, May 14, 2017

New Additions for May (So Far)

As always, we are constantly adding new music to Vinyl Voyage Radio.  Here are some new additions to our library for May, 2017.  Most of the albums are from the 80s--just in time for Manic Monday!




Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Rio, 35 Years Later


Join me as I play my original 1982 copy of Rio, by Duran Duran on this, the 35th anniversary of its release. 8 pm, Central.


Sunday, May 7, 2017

Shhhhh. We're cheating on K-Tel

I feel a little bad right now. This station began in 2011 as a means to highlight my many K-Tel record compilations. Indeed, the very first thing we played on the station was K-Tel's "Music Power" from 1974.

This month, all of that changes with the new episode of Adventures in Vinyl.

On this episode, we are featuring a different compilation album.

From K-Tel's primary competitor: Ronco.

This month, listen to Ronco's 1973 compilation, "Good Vibrations." This album features hit songs from Mac Davis, Melanie, Albert Hammond and many more.

This episode can be heard all month at

Saturday 12:30 pm (Central/GMT -5))
Sunday 4 pm (Central/GMT -5)
Wednesday 2 am (Central/GMT -5)

Or, listen to it on-demand via Mixcloud.