Big River of Sound: Music on the Mississippi

The musical and cultural meanderings of the Mississippi River, from exploration and trade to romance. Jazz, ragtime, and levee work-songs along with blues, rockabilly, gospel, and country. Guests include the late Memphis soul man Rufus Thomas and ethnomusicologist David Evans, speaking about influential Delta guitarist Charley Patton. Also, we visit a river barge pilot rolls on the river.

HOUR ONE

Open Bed: Ol' Man River Jimmy Smith
Ultimate, Verve

Big River Johnny Cash
The Essential Johnny Cash, Columbia/Legacy

Mississippi River Smokey Babe
Shake ‘Em on Down: The Real Country Blues, Ace

Lazy Lazy River Mississippi Sheiks
Folks, He Sure Do Pull Some Bow, Old Hat

Up a Lazy River Sidney Bechet
Up a Lazy River, Fantasy

The Julia Belle Swain John Hartford
Mark Twang, Flying Fish

New Madrid Uncle Tupelo
Anodyne, Sire

Instrumental: Ouachita Run Alvin Youngblood Hart
Territory, Hannibal

River's Invitation Aretha Franklin
Soul '69, Atlantic

River's Invitation Stanley Turrentine
Masters of Jazz Vol. 4: Big Bands of the ‘50s & ‘60s, Rhino

Funky Mississippi Rufus Thomas
The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, Vol.2 1968-1971, Stax

INTERVIEW: Rufus Thomas

Instrumental: Boozer John Scofield
A Go Go, Verve

Sun Flower Slow Drag Scott Kirby
The Complete Rags of Scott Joplin Played by Scott Kirby, Viridiana

Deep River Marian Anderson
Spirituals, Sony

Proud Mary Ike & Tina Turner
Proud Mary: Best of, EMI

HOUR TWO

Postcard: River Barge

Singin' the Blues Frankie Trumbauer & his Orchestra
Masters of Jazz Vol.1: Traditional Jazz Classics, Rhino

Miss the Mississippi and You Jimmie Rodgers
The Singing Brakeman, Bear Family

J'Etais a la Riviere (I Went to the River) Camay Doucet
Camay Doucet - Jimmy Thibodeaux et Musique, Swallow

Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man Loretta Lynn with Conway Twitty
The Best of Loretta Lynn: 20th Century Masters, MCA

Instrumental: Nashville Skyline Rag Bob Dylan
Nashville Skyline, Columbia

Get Down River Bottle Rockets
Leftovers, Mercury

High Water (for Charley Patton) Bob Dylan
Love and Theft, Sony

SEGMENT: David Evans

Lord Have Mercy John Fahey and his Orchestra
Of Rivers and Religion, Warner

Down by the Riverside Snooks Eaglin
Country Boy In New Orleans, Arhoolie

Instrumental: Ol' Man River Gene Ammons
Jug, Prestige

Old Man River The Ravens
Old Man River, Savoy

Old Man River The Techniques
Run Come Celebrate: Their Greatest Reggae Hits, Rounder

To The River Smiley Lewis
Shame, Shame, Shame, Bear Family

St. Louis Blues Erroll Garner
Closeup in Swing & A New Kind of Love, Telarc

Louisiana 1927 Randy Newman
Guilty: 30 Years of Randy Newman, Rhino

Change is Gonna Come Sam Cooke
The Man & His Music, RCA

End Bed: Down by the Riverside The Louis Cottrell Trio
New Orleans: The Living Legends, Riverside

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