Singer Tanya Tucker got her start as a very young singer in Nashville. At age 13, she had her first hit with “Delta Dawn.” Since then, she’s seen a lot of the world of Country Music but still kept her landmark sound. We’ll talk about her recent Grammy-winning record and her love of cutting horses in the Desert West. Then the late King of Swamp Pop, Warren Storm brings us back to Louisiana where he took the world by storm with a new recording of classic songs.

Blues: it’s a universal solvent in music. There’s blues in jazz, R & B, roots rock and soul, country, Cajun, Latin, funk, hip-hop, rock and pop… It’s everywhere! We’ll hear from all corners of the musical map including Bessie Smith, Buddy Guy, Freddy Fender and Clifton Chenier and more. Then an hour with Octogenarian electric country blues man Little Freddie King, live from Marigny Studios in New Orleans.

Who was Harry Smith? The short answer about the 20th century polymath and hustler might be divined in his legendary 1952 Anthology of American Folk Music, an LP collection of mostly Southern US folk songs from 78rpm records. “The Anthology“ established a cult of listening and influenced popular and folk revival artists from John Sebastian and the New Lost City Ramblers to rockers like Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and Beck. We’ll talk with Smith biographer John Szwed about Harry’s life as an artist, record collector and 1950’s bohemian. Then, old and new covers of the Anthology and its B-sides from Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan, Gatemouth Brown and Amythyst Kiah.

It’s back to the Golden Age of doo wop and classic songs of the era from Black and White groups. A conversation with Dion DiMucci, the Bronx born and raised singer who made his name first with his neighborhood group the Belmonts. We talk about his Italian American roots and his love of the blues, plus his life in music. Then, we explore the roads to doowop from gospel quartets, R&B and jazz including songs by Sam Cooke, The Mills Brothers and Jimmy Reed.

Come along for a jaunt around New Orleans, as we visit some great nightclubs and tune in to some live local music. Celebrate 25 years of the legendary Tipitina’s, an Uptown institution that showcased homegrown talent like Professor Longhair, James Booker, Dr. John, and the Neville Brothers. Then head over to Donna’s Bar & Grille in the French Quarter, where clarinetist Evan Christopher and piano player Tom McDermott are making waves with their unique blend of New Orleans, Caribbean and classical music. Plus a recipe for classic New Orleans cocktail, the Sazerac, and music for late night parties and hangover mornings.