This Independence Day, WKMS presents three special shows honoring New Orleans music-legend Dr. John and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
All Hail The Night Tripper: An Appreciation of Dr. John
Thursday, July 4th at 11 a.m.
Music historian Paul Ingles takes listeners through a heart-felt retrospective of New Orleans music-legend Mac Rebennack - best known as Dr. John. Rebennack died Thursday, June 6th, 2019 from a heart attack at the age of 77. The LA Times heralded him as a "chief architect of the New Orleans sound."
Classic tracks by Dr. John featured in the program include: In a Sentimental Mood (excerpt); Right Place, Wrong Time; Such a Night; Let the Good Times Roll; Don't Leave Me This Way; Everything I Do Gon' Be Funky; Mac's Boogie (excerpt); The Bare Necessities; Accentuate the Positive; Makin' Whoopee; Time for a Change; Must Be a Better Place Somewhere; Peace Brother Peace; Tipitina (Live); Wild Honey (Live); and My Buddy (Live).
Witness History: The Race to the Moon
Thursday, July 4th at 12 noon
July 20th, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Celebrate this historic milestone with an inspiring new special from the BBC World Service, featuring highlights from its Witness History programs and various presenters.
Audiences will hear stories and recollections from people close to the key moments in humanity's mission to the Moon. The hour-long special features diverse voices -- all of whom recollect the Moon landing with fondness and pride: Viktor Yazdovsky, whose father helped prepare dogs for space orbit in the USSR; Joe Guion, who pulled the first space-traveling monkeys out of their capsule; Colonel Frank Borman, commander of NASA's Apollo 8 mission; Fred Hayes of the stricken Apollo 13 mission; and Harrison Schmitt, one of the last astronauts to walk on the lunar surface.
American Routes: Remembering Dr. John: The Night Tripper
Friday, July 5th at 11 a.m.
New Orleans' soulful hoodoo rock and roller and carnivalesque hero Mac Rebennack, better known as Dr. John, passed away on June 6th, 2019. Within a day, the city's streets filled with mourners honoring his legacy of high funknology in the verbal, musical, and spiritual arts. In our archival interview, Dr. John recalls his early days as a studio guitarist and later the West Coast birth of his mysterious public persona. We also revisit a live performance in 2013 where Mac reminisces about learning to play piano at home from an auntie and hearing his heroes out on the music scene. American Routes is "the right place" to share these conversations and celebrate the beloved music of our friend, the late legendary Dr. John.
Among the archival interview and Dr. John tracks, this program will include songs featuring Donald Harrison, Mavis Staples, Allen Toussaint, James Booker, Fats Domino, and Professor Longhair.
