Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – March 31, 2026: A Tribute to Buddy Holly

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/74747.html

Theme: A Tribute to Buddy Holly (1936-1959).

Buddy Holly, who grew up in Lubbock, Texas, was one of the great artists of early rock ‘n’ roll. Tragically, he lost his life at the tender age of 22 on February 3, 1959 in a small plane crash that also claimed Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, an event that Don McLean referred to as “the day the music died,” in his song, American Pie.

Buddy Holly- Peggy Sue

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Serena Ryder- It Doesn’t Matter Anymore

If Your Memory Serves You Well (EMI)

The Beatles- Words of Love

Beatles for Sale (Parlophone)

Buddy Holly- Fool’s Paradise

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Natalie Merchant- Learning the Game

Rarities 1998-2017 (Nonesuch)

The Rolling Stones- Not Fade Away

GRRR! (ABKCO)

Buddy Holly- Rock Around with Ollie Vee

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Linda Ronstadt- It’s So Easy

Simple Dreams: 40th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino)

David Olney with Daniel Seymour- Everyday

Nevermore: The Final Live in Holland Sessions II (Strictly Country)

Buddy Holly- Look at Me

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Nanci Griffith & The Crickets- Well… All Right

Not Fade Away (remembering Buddy Holly) (MCA)

Nanci Griffith & The Crickets- Heartbeat

The Crickets & Their Buddies (Sovereign Artists)

Buddy Holly- Rock Me My Baby

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Elvis Presley- (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care

Elvis Presley Sings Leiber & Stoller (RCA/Legacy)

Jenny Whiteley- Raining in My Heart

Forgive or Forget (Black Hen Music)

Buddy Holly- Modern Don Juan

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

The Crickets- The Real Buddy Holly Story

The Crickets & Their Buddies (Sovereign Artists)

Jim Wurster- Rave On

Transcendental Inclinations (Y&T Music)

Buddy Holly- I’m Lookin’ for Someone to Love

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

John Prine & The Crickets- Oh Boy

The Crickets & Their Buddies (Sovereign Artists)

Carolyn Hester- Lonesome Tears

From These Hills (Road Goes On Forever)

Buddy Holly- Listen to Me

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Linda Ronstadt- That’ll Be the Day

Hasten Down the Wind (Elektra)

Nanci Griffith with The London Symphony Orchestra- Tell Me How

The Dust Bowl Symphony (Elektra)

Buddy Holly & The Hollies- Peggy Sue Got Married

Not Fade Away (remembering Buddy Holly) (MCA)

Mary Chapin Carpenter & Kevin Montgomery- Wishing

Not Fade Away (remembering Buddy Holly) (MCA)

Los Lobos- Midnight Shift

Not Fade Away (remembering Buddy Holly) (MCA)

Buddy Holly- I’m Gonna Love You Too

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Chuck WIllis- It’s Too Late

Stroll On: The Chuck Willis Collection (Razor & Tie)

Madeleine Peyroux- Changing All Those Changes

The Blue Room (Decca)

Buddy Holly- Reminiscing 

The Buddy Holly Collection (MCA)

Next week: Songs of Phil Ochs.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – March 10, 2026: Songs of The Beatles

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/74430.html

Theme: Songs of The Beatles.

Although The Beatles’ years as a band were relatively short and ended about 55 years ago, most of their albums, and so many of their songs, are classics that still sound fresh today.

The Beatles- A Day in the Life

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Parlophone)

Christine Lavin- All My Lovin’

FolkZinger (Appleseed)

The Charles River Valley Boys- Ticket to Ride

Beatle Country (Rounder)

Mary McCaslin- Help

Goodnight Everybody (Barnaby)

Lucy Kaplansky- I’ve Just Seen a Face

The Tide (Red House)

The Beatles- A Hard Day’s Night

A Hard Day’s Night (Parlophone)

David Clayton-Thomas- Can’t Buy Me Love

David Clayton-Thomas (RCA)

Eva Cassidy- Yesterday

American Tune (Blix Street)

Judy Collins- In My Life

In My Life (Elektra)

Deborah Holland- Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown) 

Vancouver (Rage On)

The Beatles- Dear Prudence

The Beatles (aka The White Album) (Apple)

Anne Hills & Michael Smith- I Will

Paradise Lost & Found (Redwing)

Durham County Poets- With a Little Help from My Friends 

Hand Me Down Blues (Durham County Poets)

Joan Baez- Eleanor Rigby

Joan (Vanguard)

Reggie Harris- All You Need is Love

On Solid Ground (Reggie Harris Music)

The Beatles- Here, There and Everywhere

Revolver (Parlophone)

Lucinda Williams- Let It Be

Lucinda Williams Sings The Beatles from Abbey Road (Highway 20)

Esther Kaiser- Revolution

Songs of Courage (GLM Music)

Richie Havens- Here Comes the Sun

Alarm Clock (Stormy Forest)

The Bobs- Strawberry Fields Forever 

Cover the Songs of… (Rounder)

The Beatles- Penny Lane

Magical Mystery Tour (Capitol)

Jane Lewis- Come Together

Stay with Me (Jane Lewis)

Bettye LaVette- Blackbird

Blackbirds (Verve)

k.d. lang- Golden Slumbers/The End 

Recollection (Nonesuch)

Next week: St. Patrick’s Day.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – June 24, 2025: 1965

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/70807.html

Theme: 1965.

All the recordings on this show were first released 60 years ago in 1965.

The Byrds- Mr. Tambourine Man

Mr. Tambourine Man (Columbia)

The Beatles- In My Life

Rubber Soul (Parlophone)

Donovan- Sunny Goodge Street

Fairy Tale (Elite)

Martin Carthy- The Queen of Hearts

Martin Carthy (Topic)

Bert Jansch- Rambling’s Gonna Be the Death of Me

Bert Jansch (Castle)

Tom Jones- It’s Not Unusual

Along Came Jones (Decca)

Petula Claek- I Know a Place

The EP Collection (See for Miles)

The Zombies- She’s Not There

The Zombies (Parrot)

The Rolling Stones- (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction

Out of Our Heads (London)

The Lovin’ Spoonful- Do You Believe in Magic

Do You Believe in Magic (Sony/Legacy)

The Beach Boys- California Girls

Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) (Capitol)

Mike Regenstreif & Bruce Murdoch (2014)

Bruce Murdoch- Rompin’ Rovin’ Days

Singer-Songwriter Project (Elektra)

Carolyn Hester- Outward Bound

At Town Hall (Bear Family)

Mike Regenstreif & Tom Paxton (2001) photo: Janice Hanson

Tom Paxton- Hold On to Me Babe

Ain’t That News (Elektra)

Noel Paul Stookey & Mike Regenstreif on Zoom (2023)

Peter, Paul & Mary- Early Morning Rain

See What Tomorrow Brings (Warner Bros.)

Sylvia Tyson & Mike Regenstreif (1997)

Ian & Sylvia- Red Velvet

Early Morning Rain (Vanguard)

Phil Ochs Dodger Rag

I Ain’t Marching Anymore (Elektra)

Judy Collins & Mike Regenstreif (2014)

Judy Collins- Carry It On

Fifth Album (Elektra)

Mimi & Richard Fariña- Pack Up Your Sorrows

Celebrations for a Grey Day (Vanguard)

Mike Regenstreif & Joan Baez (2003)

Joan Baez- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue

Farewell, Angelina (Vanguard)

Barry McGuire- Eve of Destruction

Eve of Destruction (Dunhill)

David Wiffen- Times are Getting Hard

At the Bunkhouse Coffeehouse, Vancouver BC (Universal International)

Tom Rush- Solid Gone

Tom Rush (Elektra)

Fred Neil- Blues on the Ceiling

Bleecker & MacDougal (Elektra)

Jackson C. Frank- Blues Run the Game

Blues Run the Game (Mooncrest)

Aretha Franklin- Muddy Water

Yeah!!! (Columbia)

B.B. King- Every Day I Have the Blues

Live at The Regal (ABC)

Nina Simone- Trouble in Mind

Pastel Blues (Philips)

Oscar Peterson- Blues of the Prairies

Canadiana Suite (Verve)

Next week: Songs for Canada Day.

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday May 16, 2020

Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU in Ottawa heard live on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and then available for on-demand streaming. I am one of the four rotating hosts of Saturday Morning and base my programming on the Folk Roots/Folk Branches format I developed at CKUT in Montreal.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and http://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

I was subbing for Alan Surmachynski on this episode of Saturday Morning. It was prerecorded at home and can be streamed on-demand at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/47778.html

Corin Raymond- Hamilton

Dirty Mansions (Local Rascal Records)

Archie Fisher & Garnet Rogers- The Outside Track

The Best Times After All: Live (Snow Goose Songs)

Priscilla Herdman- The Drover’s Sweetheart

The Water Lily (Philo)

Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones- Tulse Hill Days

Old Tin (Dittyville Music)

John Doyle- The Path of Stones

The Path of Stones (Compass)

Stephen Mendel- Ready for the Storm

Sing Me a Story (Stephen Mendel)

Valerie Smith featuring Claire Lynch & Irene Kelley- From a Distance

From a Distance – single (Bell Buckle)

Ken Whiteley- Let Me Rest Awhile

Calm in the Eye of the Storm (Borealis)

Sandy Cash- I Don’t Get Memories

More Than Meets the Eye (Sandy Cash)

David Mallett- Hope for One and All

…In the Falling Dark (Vanguard)

Eliza Gilkyson- One More Day

2020 (Red House)

Tom Mitchell- No Time for Me

When the Moon is Right (Truesongs)

Missy Burgess with The Blue Train- Don’t Go to Cincinnati

Live (Missy Burgess)

Andy Cohen & Jack Radcliffe- Cincinnati Flow Rag

Four Hands No Waiting (Wepecket Island)

Claudia Schmidt- Dear Friends

Slow Steady Heart (Pragmavsion Publishing)

Tom Russell & Iris DeMent- Love Abides

The Man from God Knows Where (HighTone) or The Tom Russell Anthology 2: Gunpowder Sunsets (Frontera)

Extended feature: “Songs of The Beatles.” The next 16 songs were originally recorded by The Beatles in the 1960s. These versions were recorded by other artists over the 50 years since John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr broke up.

Mary McCaslin- Things We Said Today

Old Friends (Philo)

Christine Lavin- All My Lovin’

FolkZinger (Appleseed)

Deborah Holland- Norwegian Wood (This Bird has Flown)

Vancouver (Rage On Records)

David Grisman, John Hartford & Mike Seeger- When I’m Sixty-Four

Retrograss (Acoustic Disc)

The Friends of Fiddler's Green- In My Life

Old Inventions (Friends of Fiddler’s Green)

Judy Collins- Yesterday

Judy Collins Sings Lennon & McCartney (Wildflower)

Sarah McLauchlan- Blackbird

I Am Sam (V2)

The Persuasions- Rocky Raccoon

The Persuasions Sing The Beatles (Chesky)

Lucy Kaplansky- I’ve Just Seen a Face

The Tide (Red House)

Caroline Doctorow- Across the Universe

Dreaming in Vinyl (Narrow Lane)

Anne Hills & Michael Smith- I Will

Paradise Lost & Found (Redwing)

The Bobs- Strawberry Fields Forever

Cover the Songs of… (Rounder)

Durham County Poets- With a Little Help from My Friends

Hand Me Down Blues (Durham County Poets)

Jane Lewis- Come Together

Stay with Me (Jane Lewis)

Richie Havens- Here Comes the Sun

Résumé: The Best of Richie Havens (Rhino)

k.d. lang- Golden Slumbers/The End

Recollection (Nonesuch)

Gretchen Peters- The Sailor

The Night You Wrote That Song: The Songs of Mickey Newbury (Scarlet Letter) 
Steve Forbert- Suzanne

Early Morning Rain (Blue Rose Music)

Rachelle Garniez- Anthem

Gone to Glory (StorySound)

Leonard Cohen- Thanks for the Dance

Thanks for the Dance (Columbia/Legacy)

Beth Anne Cole- Song for Leonard

Perhaps the Gods of Love (Beth Anne Cole)

Bruce Murdoch- The Rookie

Sometimes I Wonder Why the World (Bruce Murdoch)

Shelley Posen- Night Nurse

Ontario Moon (Well Done Music)

Jonathan Byrd- I’ve Been Everywhere

I’ve Been Everywhere – single (Jonathan Byrd)

Jackie Washington- Wham, Re-Bop-Boom-Bam

The World of Jackie Washington (Borealis)

Lew London- Swingtime in Springtime

Swingtime in Springtime (Philo)

Susie Arioli Swing Band featuring Jordan Officer- Honeysuckle Rose

Pennies from Heaven (Justin Time)

Steve Howell, Dan Sumner & Jason Weinheimer- Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen

Long Ago (Out of the Past)

Paul Geremia- Dr. Jazz

Love My Stuff (Red House)

Rory Block- He May Be Your Man

Prove It on Me (Stony Plain)

Nell & Jim Band- Isaac in Kolomej

Western Sun (Whippoorwill Arts)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on May 23.

Find me on Twitter. @MikeRegenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Caroline Doctorow – Dreaming in Vinyl

CAROLINE DOCTOROW

Dreaming in Vinyl

Narrow Lane Records

carolinedoctorow.com 

Music, for a lot of baby boomers like me, was big deal when we were young (and remains a big deal for some of us). Acquiring a new LP from a favorite band or solo artist was often a major event. The songs meant something to us and so many have stayed with us over the decades.

Caroline Doctorow’s new CD, Dreaming in Vinyl, is a reminder of those days. Eight of the 10 songs are seemingly timeless interpretations of songs that first came out between 1965 and 1970 while the other two – Caroline’s originals – evoke that period.

Almost all of the covered songs on Dreaming in Vinyl were instantly familiar to me as they were drawn from LPs I owned back in the day (and most of those I now have on CD reissues). And the only song I didn’t really know, “Hard, Hard Year,” was because it wasn’t on one of the Hollies’ LPs I did have back then.

Caroline’s versions of these songs remain quite faithful to the original versions. Her always-lovely voice is well served by her own guitar playing and overdubbed harmonies, by violinist Chris Tedesco, and by the layered accompaniment of producer Pete Kennedy on all other instruments. Among my favorites are Bob Dylan’s “Time Passes Slowly,” Paul Simon (Simon and Garfunkel)’s “Dangling Conversation,” which chronicles a couple’s growing alienation from each other, and Richard Holler’s poignant topical song “Abraham, Martin and John,” an iconic hit by Dion after the assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy.

The versions of the Lou Reed and John Cale (Velvet Underground & Nico)’s “Sunday Morning,” Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today,” Donovan’s “Turquoise,” and John Lennon and Paul McCartney (Beatles)’s “Across the Universe” are all also noteworthy.

As mentioned, Caroline’s two original songs evoke that period when we were buying vinyl LPs. “To Be Here” is a beautiful love song and travelogue. “That’s How I’ll Remember You,” is a lovely farewell written for Caroline’s father, the acclaimed novelist E.L. Doctorow, who died last year.

Find me on Twitter. twitter.com/@mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif