I’ll always remember that grim afternoon 53 years ago when my eighth grade teacher informed me that Jimi Hendrix had died. Sept. 18 was also the day we lost Earl Van Dyke of Motown’s Funk Brothers and bluesmen Blind Willie Johnson and Jimmy Witherspoon.
So they were represented on Capital Radio today, before a bunch of birthdays, from Frankie Avalon (turning 82) to Joanne Cathrall of Human League (61).
There was also Dee Dee Ramone (born this day in 1951) and Jimmie Rodgers (1933). But what I played a lot of was P.F. Sloan (born 1945) who wrote “Eve of Destruction,” “You Baby” and “A Must to Avoid” in addition to contributing the key guitar figures to “California Dreamin’” and “Secret Agent Man.”
Ended with a wealth of acts who all happened to have played D.C. this week: Squeeze, Psychedelic Furs, Patti Smith, The Jayhawks, Freddy Johnston, James McMurtry, the Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie.
Here’s a link to the whole show; the setlist follows:
Capital Radio Sept. 18, 2023 1-4:20 p.m., cygnusradio.com
- “Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
- “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone [instrumental],” The Funk Brothers
- “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers
- “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be),” The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- “Hey Joe,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience
- “Castles Made of Sand,” Jimi Hendrix Experience
- “God Don’t Ever Change,” Blind Willie Johnson
- “You’re Going to Need Someone on Your Bond,” Blind Willie Johnson
- “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground,” Blind Willie Johnson
- “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” Jimmy Witherspoon
- “53rd & 3rd,” Ramones
- “Chinese Rock,” Ramones
- “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg” Ramones
- “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine,” Jimmie Rodgers
- “Honeycomb,” Jimmie Rodgers
- “Dede Dinah,” Frankie Avalon
- “Venus,” Frankie Avalon,” Frankie Avalon
- “California Dreamin,’” The Mamas & the Papas
- “Secret Agent Man,” Johnny Rivers
- “P.F. Sloan,” The Association
- “The Man Behind the Red Balloon,” P.F. Sloan
- “Eve of Destruction,” P.F. Sloan with Frank Black and Buddy Miller
- “Take Me for What I’m Worth,” The Searchers
- “Let Me Be,” The Turtles
- “You Baby,” The Turtles
- “Summer Means Fun,” Bruce & Terry
- “Someday Soon,” Betty Everett
- “Please Don’t Go,” Yvonne Carroll
- “You Sure Know How to Hurt Someone,” Ann-Margret
- “A Must to Avoid,” Herman’s Hermits
- “Where Were You When I Needed You,” The Grass Roots
- “Live for Today,” The Grass Roots
- “Human,” The Human League
- “(Keep Feeling) Fascination,” The Human League
- “Don’t You Want Me,” The Human League
- “Together in Electric Dreams,” The Human League
- “Up the Junction,” Squeeze
- “Is That Love,” Squeeze
- “Heartbreak Beat,” Psychedelic Furs
- “Pretty in Pink,” Psychedelic Furs
- “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” Patti Smith
- “Free Money,” Patti Smith
- “Till Victory,” Patti Smith Group
- “I’d Run Away,” The Jayhawks
- “Tailspin,” The Jayhawks
- “Blue,” The Jayhawks
- “Bad Reputation,” Freddy Johnston
- “Evie’s Tears,” Freddy Johnston
- “Levelland,” James McMurtry
- “Such Great Heights,” Postal Service
- “Transatlanticism,” Death Cab for Cutie
Capital Radio returns Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. EDT on cygnusradio.com, where recent past shows are archived for listening. You can also listen using the free cygnusradio.com app, available from iTunes or GooglePlay.