Rodd Bland Part I

 Rodd Bland pays tribute to his late father, Bobby "Blue" Bland in this episode. This is part one of two parts where Rodd talks about his upbringing with his father and how his passing affected the family. Along the way, you'll hear some great stories about Bobby, some of his music and how Rodd has taken to paying the right tribute with his new album and The Members Only Band. 

Also, it's getting hotter this summer. Plus, how the vaccinated are paying the price for those who refuse to get the shot.

NEXT WEEK: Rodd Bland Part 2

What, Too Soon?

For some sadistic reason, Memphis reversed its course with Covid-19 and decided to phase in a reopening plan. This has done nothing more than split the city right down the middle. About half the restaurants and businesses here want to go ahead and reopen.

The other half, not so much. As it has been said, the more prudent of those business owners have said something along the lines of, "The safety of my staff and customers is worth more than the sale of a sandwich." In this episode, Ric takes another look at what a post-pandemic world holds for all of us. He'll also layout the trail for you to follow which seems to lead straight back to simple greed.

Also in this episode, Ric elaborates on that pic he shared on his instagram page.




NEXT WEEK: Giant hornets, heavy hurricanes AND a continuing pandemic.

Dr. Feelgood Potts & Sheba Potts-Wright

This particular show has been a couple of years in the making. Trying to get everyone's schedule together and the right time for everyone to sit down and have a conversation. Finally, it happened. This is a great story of two legendary entertainers as father and daughter on the stage together and separately.

You'll also hear some of their music and the stories behind those recordings.



NEXT WEEK: Mick Kolassa & The Taylor Made Blues Band

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Broadcasting in Memphis with Bill Bannister

There is a name you know. Especially if you have spent any time in Memphis and happened to have turned on an FM radio. Bill has been on the air in this city for 30 years. He stopped by the Radio Memphis studios for a little talk.

Bill has a really cool thing in the works involving his love of Memphis and all the cool things in this city you may not have heard of.  We also got to talking about how corporate driven radio did the things they did.

Plus music from Mojo Medicine Machine.

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NEXT WEEK: Sitting in the front row of the madness show. Plus music from Butch Mudbone.

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Tough Room

It's a common complaint among musicians. Where are the crowds? Why are they bitching about a five dollar cover? Why is Memphis so difficult?

Not that I have the answers, but in this case I can shed a bit of light on the subject. Maybe.

Fact of the matter is that makes for a tough room just about every place you go to see a show.

Plus music from Jupiter Stone.



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NEXT WEEK: The irrelevance of the FCC plus music from The Candy Company.

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Blow Me Down

The Memorial Day weekend was an interesting experience for Memphians this year. A major storm came through and put a lot of people in the dark. As of the publishing of this episode, there are still those who are dealing with the aftermath of The Week The Lights Went Out in Memphis. But, kudos to the city for staying on top of the job at hand.

Trees came down, power lines were snapped, people lost the food in their refrigerators and there was a few moments of chaos. The biggest problem? People trying to find ice and a place to charge their phones.

Plus, music from Donnell London.



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NEXT WEEK: Pitchforks and torches to the funny people. A special episode From Radioland.

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O Mother, Where Art Thou?

You read that right and it all become crystal clear very soon. There was a convention here in Memphis a couple of weeks ago. It was kind of disturbing. But wait, put down your pitchforks and torches. I get it, there are conventions for every thing in the world you might have an interest in. Remember, if there is something in the collective of enough people, there is a magazine and a convention about that thing.

No, I did not attend this thing. Nor would I have ANY inclination to attend such a thing.

Plus music from Heather Bond.



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NEXT WEEK: There is a large company in the midst of its death throes and very few are talking about what is happening. But I will. Plus music from Her Majesty's Buzz.

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Stop The Presses

Seriously, go ahead and turn them off. Here in Memphis, the local newspaper went through an evolutionary process that seems all too familiar. Cutting their way into prosperity. At least, that is one way to look at what happened. But it points to the big elephant in the room.

That being the internet.

Plus music from Dory Drive.



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NEXT WEEK: The battle on the air no one is paying attention to. also music from Davis Coen.

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The Overton Park(ing Lot)

Overton Park, here in Memphis has had it's share of controversies over the years. Now the battle lines have been drawn between the conservancy and the Memphis Zoo. The Memphis City Council along with the Mayor of Memphis have decided the zoo should take control over a large amount of acreage for use as a parking lot.

This, by no means is the end of the fight. But, it doesn't look good for fans of the park.

I'm not offering any solutions here. Just pointing out the obvious, as I like to do. The point of this episode is to shine a light on how things are done here in this city. It could (and has probably already have) happened in your city.

Think of this as a cautionary tale.

Plus, music from The Thomas Jackson Orchestra.

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Music & The City of Memphis

I have lived in this city long enough to make me almost a native. This is a great city and I have no real reason to leave. Don't plan on doing so, either. Like any other city, it has its problems. Some of them are quite responsible.

Take for example, how the city of Memphis treats its only real tourism draw, music. Everyone knows about the history of Memphis music. God only knows the city won't let you forget that.

Having said all of that, there are times where this city will do boneheaded things like flat out ignore certain aspects of the scene.

Take a listen to this episode and you'll understand exactly what I am talking about here.



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NEXT WEEK: God says you need to give me all your money.

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This is Memphis

Memphis is not without its problems. But here is the thing, it is my home. Running away from my home to some other place is something I used to do when the going got tough. It never really worked for me, at least. This episode, I speak of just this very thing along with a bunch of other topics in a free flowing rant about terrorism, gun control and some good things in life.

If you think your surroundings are scary, there is one thing you can do about it. Don't worry about how scary something might appear. It's scary everywhere. Learn to live with it and learn to make the changes you can to affect your own world.

There are a couple of topics in this episode that can be considered a little controversial. So what? That's what makes stuff like this fun. Feel free to make your comments below if you feel so compelled.

Enjoy!



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NEXT WEEK: Another one of my favorite phrases comes to light and I'll teach you how to use it correctly.

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Thomas D. Byrd

There is a fascinating story I have come upon. At least, it is fascinating to me. For me to properly tell this story, I have taken the recorder to a really cool and wonderful place. This place is so special that tours are available to all those who are interested in historic Memphis.

Not only is this the end of the road, so to speak, it is quite literally AT the end of the road.

Now here's the thing, this story involves a man who is buried here. He was not necessarily any remarkable man aside from any other man nor did he necessarily live a remarkable life. The thing about Mr. Byrd's story is what has happened since his unremarkable death.

Thomas D. Byrd 1854 - 1926

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By the way, there was no EVP evidence in this episode. Unless you hear something I didn't. If you would like to know more about this wonderful place, you can visit their website here.

Just for the point of having a bit of fun, I found this.

More like, gone.

Next week, Jeff is back in the studio and some very funny stories about cats, rats and porn. Thanks again for tuning is and please share this with all of those who might be entertained and as always...

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The Beale Street Blues

Jeff and I went down to Beale Street a couple of weeks ago and got into some real blues from Eric Hughes and John D'Amato. Along the way we encountered some real drunks. Yep, I recorded that, too. This is the first of our remote produced shows. This was so much fun. At one point in the night I thought I was recording a conversation with Eric Hughes... not so much. I blame Wet Willie's for that. Nevertheless, we had a blast and I did manage to record Eric playing a Robert Johnson song and there is a tune from John D'Amato and his band.



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I know... Willie Hall... I know...

A note about next week: There is reference in here about the Blues Music Awards. We went there and took the recorder and had a great conversation with some other artists. You won't want to miss that one.

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Horn Lake Lights

Eddie Middleton emailed this into the show this morning and we never got to it on the air. Eddie is part of the UFO investigation team for the mid-south and a colleague of his captured this video. According to the email that was sent to us, last Thursday (21 May) around 10:30PM, some lights were seen over Horn Lake. Helicopters then flew into the area. Apparently, three more lights appear under the helicopters. There is some language on this video, so if you are reading this at work, be aware.