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. 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.
