PRX - Pieces for Topic: Music

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This time, we profile the March 1932 recording sessions held by Vocalion in New York City, as the nation was in the grips of the Great Depression.

  • Added: Aug 30, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile “Rocket 88,” by Jackie Brenston — widely considered to be one of the archetypal records of rock ‘n’ roll.

  • Added: Aug 28, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile “Baby Scratch My Back” by Slim Harpo — the only number one hit on the Excello label during its 23 year run.

  • Added: Aug 26, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile “Key to the Highway” — one of the enduring classics of the blues, first recorded by pianist Charlie Segar in 1940.

Bought by KLCC


  • Added: Aug 24, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
  • Purchases: 1
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This time, we profile Stick McGhee’s 1949 anthem to good times and cheap booze — a big hit that saved a fledgling Atlantic Records from bankruptcy.

  • Added: Aug 21, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile B.B. King, who hit the number one spot on the Billboard R&B charts with “Three O’Clock Blues,” this week in 1952.

  • Added: Aug 18, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile Guitar Slim, who — much to everyone’s surprise — hit the top of the R&B charts with “The Things That I Used To Do,” in 1954.

  • Added: Jul 26, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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January 1953 was a busy month for recording in Chicago, involving sessions, this week, with “Homesick” James Williamson and Johnny Shines.

  • Added: Jul 21, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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January 1953 was a busy month for recording in Chicago, involving sessions, this week, with Elmore James, Arthur Spires, and Johnny Williams.

  • Added: Jul 17, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time we profile “Open the Door, Richard” — a 1947 novelty record that quickly embedded itself into the American consciousness.

  • Added: May 15, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time we profile Son House and B.B. King, who both made historic live appearances in Chicago the Saturday night before Thanksgiving, 1964.

  • Added: Apr 19, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time we profile James “Beale Street” Clark — barely a footnote in blues history — who recorded an enduring classic, this week in 1945.

  • Added: Apr 12, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile Windy City keyboard legend Little Johnny Jones, who was in the studio with Muddy Waters and Leroy Foster in 1949.

  • Added: Apr 07, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
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This time, we profile Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, who recorded an iconic slice of down home blues, "That's All Right," this week in 1946.

  • Added: Apr 04, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
Caption: Our distinctive logo comes from a rare poster for the 1977 Beale Street Music Festival.
This time, we profile Mississippi guitarist Tommy Johnson, who cut one of the prophetic masterpieces of the blues, this week in 1928.

  • Added: Apr 03, 2018
  • Length: 03:29
Caption: GetPublished! Radio Host Gerald Everett Jones, Credit: La Puerta Productions
Three stories about that elusive quality - musicianship.

  • Added: Mar 06, 2017
  • Length: 03:13
Caption: Gloria Rhoden, Credit: Charles McGuigan
Billed as the world's smallest woman, Gloria Rhoden of St. Mary Jamaica understands the nature of true beauty.

  • Added: Oct 14, 2016
  • Length: 23:02
Caption: The Washingtonians
In the beginning, they went by the name, The Washingtonians. But, it wasn’t long before they became one of the most recognizable bands in the coun...

Bought by KCBX and KCBX


  • Added: Jun 13, 2016
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Bert Ambrose & his Orchestra
Bandleader and violinist Bert Ambrose lead, by far, the most distinguished dance band in England in the latter 1920s and early 1930s.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Mar 23, 2016
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Jane Green
This is a sampling of the women who performed on Broadway and recorded studio sessions in the 1920s.

Bought by WJCT, WXAV 88.3FM Chicago, WNMU-FM, WGTE Public Media, WCPN and more


  • Added: Mar 03, 2016
  • Length: 59:02
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Johnny Dodds
As jazz emerged as the popular music of the 1920s, it was common to have the trumpet as the lead instrument, however, a few pioneering musicians wa...

Bought by KRZA and KCBX


  • Added: Jan 20, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Eddie South
Chicago based violinist Eddie South, The Dark Angel of the Fiddle, actually can be classified as worldwide.

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Jan 06, 2016
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
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In the first decade of jazz, many trumpet players attempted to reach the level of musicianship set by Louis Armstrong. Two, in particular, were sta...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Oct 15, 2015
  • Length: 59:00
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: 1920s Flapper
Several of the songs heard in this program were never sold over the counter. If you knew the artist, you’d have to request it from the clerk, who w...

Bought by KCBX


  • Added: Sep 16, 2015
  • Length: 58:59
  • Purchases: 1