Jury duty left an impression last week, so there were more than two dozen songs about judges, juries, pleas and sentences. Some used the nomenclature of the courtroom as romantic metaphors, but others had gavel sound effects. All were preceded by “Here Comes the Judge,” a catch phrase so potent they named a GTO after it. There were six counts of guilty and one “Not Guilty” (from the Beatles no less).
We also marked the birthdays of Jackie Wilson, Skip James, Johnny Ace, Les Paul and, uh, Johnny Depp (he was featured on Jeff Beck’s last album). But there were 10 songs from the great songbook of Cole Porter, born this day in 1891 from everybody from Ella Fitzgerald and Fred Astaire to Tom Waits and Mike Nesmith — all sounding even better compared to the songs hailed at the Tonys last night.
Here’s the setlist:
Capital Radio. June 9. 2025. 1 – 4:32 p.m. www.cygnusradio.com
“Capital Radio Two,” The Clash
“Whispers (Gettin’ Louder),” Jackie Wilson
“You Got Me Walking,” Jackie Wilson
“Higher and Higher,” Jackie Wilson
“I’m so Glad,” Skip James
“Devil Got My Woman,” Skip James
“Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues,” Skip James
“Trouble No More [live],” Muddy Waters
“Pledging my Love,” Johnny Ace
“Never Let Me Go [live],” Bob Dylan & Joan Baez
“The Late Great Johnny Ace,” Paul Simon
“Hip-Billy Boogie,” Les Paul
“How High the Moon,” Les Paul & Mary Ford
“What’s Going On,” Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp
“Isolation,” Jeff Beck & Johnny Depp
“I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
“Anything Goes,” Ella Fitzgerald
“In the Still of the Night,” Neville Brothers
“True Love,” Elvis Presley
“It’s All Right with Me,” Tom Waits
“Begin the Beguine,” Michael Nesmith
“You’re the Top,” Ginny Simms and Cary Grant
“Miss Otis Regrets/ Just One of Those Things ,” Kirsty MacColl and The Pogues
“Night and Day,” Fred Astaire
“Here Comes the Judge,” Shorty Long
“The Funky Judge,” Bull & the Matadors
“Good Morning Judge,” 10cc
“Old Judge Jones,” Les Dudek
“The Judge’s Daughter,” The Originals
“Tell it to the Judge on Sunday,” The Long Ryders
“Judge GTO Breakaway,” Paul Revere & The Raiders
“Poor Judge,” Aimee Mann
“The Jury,” Del Shannon
“The Jury,” Morphine
“We Find Him Guilty,” Chuck Jackson & Maxine Brown
“Guilty,” Alejandro Escovedo
“Guilty,” Randy Newman
“Guilty,” Al Bowlly
“Waiting’ Guilty,” The Black Crowes
“Guilty,” The Kinks
“Not Guilty,” The Beatles
“The Judgement,” Solomon Burke
“There’ll Be No Next Time,” Louis Prima
“You’re My Drug,” The Dukes of Stratosphere
“Murder in My Heart for the Judge,” Moby Grape
“A Singer Must Die,” Leonard Cohen
“Seven Curses,” Bob Dylan
“The Hangman’s Knee,” Jeff Beck Group
“Gallows Pole,” Led Zeppelin
“Hangman’s Token,” Barrence Whitfield and the Savages
“Hangman,” Steeophonics
Capital Radio returns June 16 at 1 p.m. EDT 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.
