We're in 1967, the summer of love! And with this particular episode, the young narrator needs a quick airplane ride to find his lover. Sorry, aeroplane.

When I finished last week's episode by saying we'd discuss an R&B legend... this is who I had in mind! Sam Cooke is as good as it gets for late 50s/early 60s R&B. In this episode we cover his soul-stirring gospel beginning, to his secular transformation. 

This week's episode is on one of my favorite groups of the late 50s... The Paragons! Produced by a cranky man, their raw vocal harmony shined on the 1959 album "The Paragons Meet The Jesters". Here's 20 minutes about their story. 

Got this dance that's more than real! We're skipping straight into the 1980s with our latest episode. It features a spotlight on a trio of , goofy New Yorkers turned hip hop stars.

We have an 18-minute long episode for Episode 18! This one is all about The Shirelles run of hits in the early 60s, with a particular emphasis on one legendary slow jam.

We begin our era of randomness with this 1961 uptempo song! The Quotations are pure, street corner harmony.

The legend of Hank returns one more time before we start the random format of our podcast! And what better way to wrap up 1951 than with a great uptempo song of his?

Don't be a fool like The Giants' coaching over the last decade plus! Enjoy The Clovers' lovely 1951 doo slow jam, one of the finest of the proto doo era.

When last we discussed Nat King Cole, we went over his beautiful song "Mona Lisa". Well, he outdid himself with this all-time classic. It even got a glowup in the 1990s!

We're continuing our wrap-up of 1951 with this doo classic from the Five Keys! They turned a mid pop song into an early R&B beauty.

Charles Brown sang the blues and sympathized with the "brothers in Korea" in this 1951 R&B hit. Learn all about it in this episode!

We started this podcast off with Hank Williams, and for episode 10 we return to his tragic tale. And one of his most gut-wrenching songs just happens to be this one, where marital bliss turns into marital heartbreak. Note: Apologies for any minor audio glitches, I’m working through some issues with my mic right now)

How does a gospel group flip their image and become an R&B act? And how does a man who caught a horrible break early in life go on to become an underrated singing legend? All of that is discussed in this week's episode on The Larks.

The group known as Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats are often credited as making the first "rock 'n roll" song. In this episode, I explore just how true that claim is! I discuss both "Rocket 88", and other songs in early rock history.

While it was recorded in December of 1950, no R&B song defined 1951 quite like this smash from Billy Ward and his Dominoes. Its salacious lyrics and vocal harmonies meant that the early brewings of both rock 'n roll and doo music were entering the mainstream. Here's the story of how the Dominoes were formed and made this song!

How do you go from a #1 hit for 13 straight weeks to being completely blacklisted within a couple years? Well, just ask The Weavers about that. They had some controversial political beliefs, yet were very musically knowledgable folkies. And they drew inspiration from a lot of places!

The original wild child of rock 'n roll is one Wynonie Harris. He started the rock revolution in 1948 with his tune "Good Rocking Tonight", which happens to be my intro song! But he was cooking up something even more spicy just a couple years later.

As they say in "A Boy Named Sue", Lefty Frizzell grew up quick and he grew up mean! He was performing in honky tonks around the South, drinking and partying, and even getting into trouble for being a creep. But his redemption arc came when as a 23-year old budding star, he had this #1 country hit.

While the start of my podcast is in the year 1950, The Ravens owe a lot to their vocal group forefathers. These include The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, and even the Orioles. With their powerful bass singer Jimmy Ricks leading the way, they had a great start to their career in the late 40s. But it's this pop song made into an early doo masterpiece that gets the spotlight in today's episode. 

Is she warm, is she real, or is she just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art? The "she" in question is the Mona Lisa. And the singer trying to figure that out is the legendary Nat King Cole. This episode tells the story of that song, as well as the early career of Cole throughout the 1940s.