The chill in D.C. — in both the climate and in politics, both temporary — drove us to Mexico this week, so there was a prerecorded show celebrating the big holiday today in Washington — Martin Luther King Day, that is, with 33 songs about inspired by and that inspired that great leader. Tried to keep the keep spirits up on what is frankly a dark day in the U.S.
It was also Lead Belly’s birthday, so we started with a handful of his greatest songs.
Here’s a link to the whole show; the setlist follows.
Capital Radio January 20, 2024 1 – 4:20 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
- “Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
- “Black Girl (Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” Lead Belly
- “The Midnight Special,” Lead Belly
- “Rock Island Line,” Lead Belly
- “Western Plain (When I was a Cowboy),” Lead Belly
- “The Bourgeois Blues,” Lead Belly
- “Wake Up Everybody,” Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
- “American Dream,” Bobby Womack
- “Up to the Mountain (MLK Song) [live],” Patty Griffin
- “March! For Martin Luther King,” John Fahey “The Ballad of Martin Luther King,” Mike Millus
- “Shed a Little Light,” James Taylor
- “So Beautiful Or So What,” Paul Simon
- “They Killed Him,” Bob Dylan
- “Why? (The King of Love is Dead) [live],” Nina Simone
- “Abraham, Martin & John,” Marvin Gaye
- “The Spice Must Flow,” From Monument to Masses
- “I’ll Never Turn Back No Mo,’’” Irving Barnes & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- “I Wish I Knew (How it Would Feel to be Free),” Solomon Burke
- “Now’s the Time [Live],” Charlie Parker
- “I Don’t Know What This World is Coming To,” The Soul Children
- “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” Donny Hathaway
- “None of Us are Free,” Solomon Burke with The Blind Boys of Alabama
- “Conclusions That Don’t Conclude,” From Monuments to Masses
- “By the Time I Get to Arizona,” Public Enemy
- “Happy Birthday,” Stevie Wonder
- “Let ‘Em In,” Billy Paul
- “The King,” Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five
- “Be Afraid,” Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
- “Freedom Highway,” The Staple Singers
- “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around,” The Specials
- “We March,” Prince
- “Fight the Power,” The Isley Brothers
- “Power to the People,” John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band
- “People Have the Power,” Patti Smith
- “Move on Up,” Curtis Mayfield
- “Keep on Pushing,” The Impressions
- “Change Gonna Come,” Otis Redding
- “This Land is Your Land,” Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
- “We Will Never Give Up,” Kristin Lems
Capital Radio returns Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. ET on www.cygnusradio.com, where this and other recent shows are posted. The show can also be heard via the cygnusradio.com app, available free at iTunes or GooglePlay. Older shows are available at Substack.com/@rogercatlin.