Showing posts with label CKCU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CKCU. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – July 7, 2026: Remembering Jane Voss and Remembering David Clayton-Thomas


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/595/76134.html

Themes: Part 1 – Remembering Jane Voss; Part 2 – Remembering David Clayton-Thomas.

Remembering Jane Voss (1948-2026)

Jane Voss

Jane Voss
was a fine singer of her own original material as well as songs drawn from traditional sources and other contemporary songwriters. Most of her albums were collaborations with Hoyle Osborne, her partner in life and music for 50 years.

I first met Jane in the early 1970s when she came to do a gig at the Yellow Door Coffee House in Montreal. Our paths would cross from time to time over the decades, particularly on the folk festival circuit, and I always enjoyed the times I spent with her and Hoyle.

Jane Voss- Free at Last (Let Me Find My Wings) 
Farther Down the Road (Ripple)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- Gateway Blues (Blues for Bessie)
Get to the Heart (Ripple)
Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- Having a Drink with Jane
Sparkle and Shine (Front Hall)
Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- Things About Coming My Way
Beyond the Boundaries (Ripple)

Jane Voss & Hoyle Osborne- I Am There
Beyond the Boundaries (Ripple)

Dave Van Ronk- To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places
To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places (Gazell)
Jane Voss- Farther Down the Road
Farther Down the Road (Ripple)

Remembering David Clayton-Thomas (1941-2026)

Mike Regenstreif & David Clayton-Thomas (2006)

David Clayton-Thomas
began his music career singing with R&B bands on Yonge Street in Toronto in 1962. In 1966, David went to New York and began singing in basket houses and clubs. Judy Collins heard him one night and told her friend, the drummer Bobby Colomby, about him. Bobby’s band, Blood, Sweat & Tears had pretty much fallen apart after their first album came out and Bobby reformed the group with David as its lead singer. The new Blood, Sweat & Tears with David became a major recording and touring ensemble. David stayed with Blood, Sweat & Tears until 1972 when he relaunched his solo career, returning to Blood, Sweat & Tears sporadically over the years until 2004.

The first time I met David was at a party in Toronto in 1975 after a Rolling Thunder Revue concert. On that trip to Toronto, I was staying with Tex König, a veteran of the Greenwich Village folk scene of the early-‘60s who later moved to Montreal, where we became friends, before he moved to Toronto. David and Tex knew each other from the Greenwich Village basket houses and David gave Tex and me a ride back to Tex’s place in Cabbagetown.

David and I got reacquainted in 2006, when David came to Montreal for a concert at the Montreal Jazz Festival and was my studio guest on Folk Roots/Folk Branches, my program on CKUT in Montreal. In subsequent years, we occasionally kept in touch via email and Facebook.

Blood, Sweat & Tears- Spinning Wheel
Definitive Collection (Columbia)
Blood, Sweat & Tears- Lucretia Mac Evil
Definitive Collection (Columbia)
Blood, Sweat & Tears- Go Down Gamblin’
Definitive Collection (Columbia)

David Clayton-Thomas- Summertime
Combo (Antionette)
David Clayton-Thomas- (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay
Soul Ballads (Antoinette)
David Clayton-Thomas- Sonny’s Dream
Canadiana (Antoinette/ILS)
David Clayton-Thomas- Suzanne
Canadiana (Antoinette/ILS)

David Clayton-Thomas- Holy Moses
A Blues for the New World (Antoinette) 
David Clayton-Thomas- This Town 
Say Somethin’ (Linus)
David Clayton-Thomas- The Circus
Say Somethin’ (Linus)

David Clayton-Thomas- And When I Die
In Concert: A Musical Biography (Justin Time)

Next week: ‘Round Midnight.

--Mike Regenstreif

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday July 13, 2024


Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and available for on-demand streaming anytime. I am one of the four rotating hosts of the Saturday Morning show. 

This episode of Saturday Morning was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/65969.html

Geoff Bartley- July
Interstates (Magic Crow)

Lui Collins- The Wildflower Song
The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)
Robin Batteau- How Can You Love Me
The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)
Tina Ross- Summers Like These
The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)
Cosy Sheridan- Here Comes the Rain
The Seasons Project: Summer (Christine Lavin)

Kami Thompson- The Solitary Traveller
Linda Thompson: Proxy Music (StorySound)
Lynne Hanson- Just a Little Bit
Just a Poet (Lynne Hanson)
Terre Roche- The Man Who Can’t
Inner Adult (Terre Roche)
Michael Jerling- I Talk to Dead People
Halfway Home (Fool’s Hill Music)
Teresina Huxtable- First and Only Tango
Wallflowers (Philo)

Sonya Cohen & Penny Seeger Cohen- Oh, Blue
You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)
Sonya Cohen & Peggy Seeger- A Squirrel is a Pretty Thing
You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)
Sonya Cohen & Pete Seeger- When I was Most Beautiful
You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)
Last Forever- Hide and Seek
You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)
Sonya Cohen  Cramer & Elizabeth Mitchell- You’ve Been a Friend to Me
You’ve Been a Friend to Me (Smithsonian Folkways)

Tim Isberg- Better Times Ahead
Prairie Fire (Tim Isberg Music)

Lynn Miles- Night Owl
tumbleWeedyWorld (True North)
David Francey- Daughter
The Breath Between (Laker Music) 
Kathleen Edwards- Options Open
Dogs and Alcohol (Dualtone)
Ian Tamblyn- That Boxcar in Algoma
Scenes Through a Mirror (North Track)
Keith Glass Band- Can’t Blame Me
Different World (Stump)

Ruth Moody- Wanderer
Wanderer (Blue Muse/True North)
Adam Karch- My Birmingham
Some Awkward Country Ahead (Adam Karch)
Martha Wainwright- Or Nothing at All
Linda Thompson: Proxy Music (StorySound)
Ken Tizzard & Music for Goats- Barstools and Broken Hearts
The DAGG Sessions (Ken Tizzard)
Miranda Hardy- The Price of Happiness
The Price of Happiness (Great Divide)

Ian Robb & James Stephens- Charming Molly
Declining …with thanks (Fallen Angle Music)
Finest Kind- Blue Mountain
Lost in a Song (Fallen Angle Music)
Shelley Posen- The Old Songs Home
The Old Songs Home (Well Done Music)

Jubal Lee Young- Jig
Wild Birds Warble (7Bridges Entertainment)

The Roches- Hammond Song
Where Do I Come From: Selected Songs (StorySound)
Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III & Chaim Tannenbaum- Schooldays
The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)
Waterson:Carthy- Rackabello
Common Tongue (Topic)
The Copper Family- Come Write Me Down, Ye Powers Above
The Ultimate Guide to English Folk (Arc)
Richard & Linda Thompson- For Shame of Doing Wrong
Dreams Fly Away: A History of Linda Thompson (Hannibal)
Teddy Thompson- Those Damn Roches
Linda Thompson: Proxy Music (StorySound)

Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- Pack Up Your Sorrows
Recordings Celebrating 50 Years of a Musical Partnership (Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl) 
Rory Block- Like a Rolling Stone
Positively 4th Street: A Tribute to Bob Dylan (Stony Plain)

Erin Ash Sullivan- Goat on a Stone Wall
Signposts and Marks (Erin Ash Sullivan)
Enzo Garcia- I Wanna Hold You
Calicoustic (Recaredo)
Deb Seymour- Sometimes You Gotta Wear Boots
Sometimes You Gotta Wear Boots (Herkimer Productions)
Ish Theilheimer & Friends- The Wilno Chicken
The Wilno Chicken and Other Songs for My Community (Ish Theilheimer)

Leonard Cohen- Story of Isaac
Songs from a Room (Columbia/Legacy)
Art of Time Ensemble featuring Sarah Harmer- Dance Me to the End of Love
Songs of Leonard Cohen Live (Art of Time Recordings)

Two of a Kind- We Give Thanks in Hard Times
Let the Light In (Magillicutty Music)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on August 10. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – July 9, 2024: Remembering Kinky Friedman


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/595/65896.html

Theme: Remembering Kinky Friedman (1944-2024).

Richard Samet Friedman – or “Kinky” as he became known as a university student – was a noted singer, songwriter, novelist, essayist, occasional politician, animal rescue activist, and a larger-than-life character who died on June 27 at age 79.

Kinky Friedman at the Texas Book Fair in Austin (2013). Photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

Kinky Friedman- Me & My Guitar
Circus of Life (Echo Hill)

Willie Nelson- Ride ‘Em Jewboy
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Delbert McClinton- Autograph
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Lee Roy Parnell- Nashville Casualty & Life
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Kinky Friedman- Somethin’s Wrong with the Beaver
Kinky Friedman (ABC)
Asleep at the Wheel- Before All Hell Breaks Loose
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)

Kinky Friedman- Song About You
Circus of Life (Echo Hill)

Kinky Friedman- The Ballad of Charles Whitman
Sold American (Vanguard)
The Geezinslaws- Twirl
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Dwight Yoakam- Rapid City, South Dakota
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Guy Clark- Wild Man from Borneo
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Kinky Friedman- Top Ten Commandments
Sold American (Vanguard)

Kinky Friedman- A Dog Named Freedom
Circus of Life (Echo Hill)
Marty Stuart- Lady Yesterday
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Chuck E. Weiss- Ol’ Ben Lucas
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Billy Swan- When the Lord Closes the Door (He Opens a Little Window)
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Kinky Friedman- Jesus in Pajamas
Circus of Life (Echo Hill)

Kinky Friedman- Circus of Life
Circus of Life (Echo Hill)
Lyle Lovett- Sold American
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Tom Waits- Highway Café
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman (Kinkajou)
Kinky Friedman- Resurrection
Resurrection (Echo Hill)

Kinky Friedman- Ride ‘Em Jewboy
Sold American (Vanguard)

Next week: A Salute to Nora Guthrie.

--Mike Regenstreif

Thursday, June 27, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – July 2, 2024: 1964


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/595/65805.html

Theme: 1964.

All the recordings on this show were first released 60 years ago in 1964.

Ian & Sylvia- Someday Soon
Northern Journey (Vanguard)

Bob Dylan- Boots of Spanish Leather
The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Columbia/Legacy)
Odetta- Paths of Victory
Odetta Sings of Many Things (RCA)
Phil Ochs- The Bells
All the News That’s Fit to Sing (Elektra)
Mike Regenstreif & Joan Baez (2003)

Joan Baez- There But for Fortune
Joan Baez/5 (Vanguard)
Mike Regenstreif & Tom Paxton (1994)

Tom Paxton- I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound
Ramblin’ Boy (Elektra)
Judy Colins- The Last Thing on My Mind
3 & 4: The Judy Colins Concert (Wildflower)

Stan Getz & Joäo Gilberto with Astrid Gilberto- The Girl from Ipanema
Getz/Gilberto (Verve)

Mike Regenstreif & Ramblin' Jack Elliott (2010)

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott- Will the Circle Be Unbroken
Jack Elliott (Vanguard)
Doc Watson- Deep River Blues
Doc Watson (Vanguard)
The Greenbriar Boys- Ragged But Right
Ragged But Right (Vanguard)
Johnny Cash- Big River
I Walk the Line (Columbia)
Roy Orbison- Oh, Pretty Woman
The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison (Monument)

Tom Rush- Duncan and Brady
Got a Mind to Ramble (Prestige/Folklore)
Nina Simone- Silver City Bound
Folksy Nina (Colpix)
Dave Van Ronk and The Ragtime Jug Stompers- K.C. Moan
Dave Van Ronk and The Ragtime Jug Stompers (Oldays)
The Animals- House of the Rising Sun
The Animals (ABCKO)
The Rolling Stones- Route 66
The Rolling Stones (Decca)

The Beatles- A Hard Day’s Night
A Hard Day’s Night (Parlophone)
The Hollies- Mr. Moonlight
Stay with The Hollies (Parlophone)
Gerry & The Pacemakers- Ferry Cross the Mersey
The EP Collection (See for Miles)
Peter & Gordon- A World Without Love
The EP Collection (See for Miles)

Otis Redding- Pain in My Heart
Pain in My Heart (Atco)
Vince Martin & Fred Neil- Morning Dew
Tear Down the Walls (Elektra/East West Japan)
Judy Henske- High Flying Bird
The Elektra Albums: High Flying Bird (Ace)

Simon & Garfunkel- The Sound of Silence
Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. (Columbia)

Next week: Remembering Kinky Friedman (1944-2024).

--Mike Regenstreif

Friday, June 21, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – June 25, 2024: 50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part 3/Songs and Conversation with Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower


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/595/65724.html

Themes: 50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part 3/Songs and Conversation with Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower

50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part 3

Mike Regenstreif at The Golem (1987) (Montreal Gazette photo)

It was just over 50 years ago, on May 24, 1974, that I took over running The Golem, Montreal folk club. 

The Golem had been established in 1973 in the McGill Hillel building at 3460 Stanley Street by Saul Markowicz. I had done my basic training in folk club management with Chuck Baker at the Yellow Door, and had been producing concerts in Montreal at Dawson College and McGill University for about two years when Saul approached me in the spring of 1974 and asked if I’d be interested in taking over The Golem.

I actually ran The Golem twice – from 1974 until 1976 and from 1981 until 1987. The Golem was also run for about a year after my first tenure by Marc Nerenberg (who, by the way, is responsible for keeping the Yellow Door going still). The Golem was closed between 1977 and when I returned and re-opened it in 1981. And, after my second tenure, a committee including Helen Fortin and Dave Clarke of Steel Rail fame kept the Golem going until 1991.

All of the songs on this part of the show were played back in the day by artists who performed during my two tenures running the Golem.

Connie Kaldor- Wood River
Wood River (Coyote Entertainment)

The Friends of Fiddler's Green- The Golden Vanity
This Side of the Ocean (FOFG Productions)
Margaret Christl- Rattlin Roarin Willie
The Picture in My Mind (Waterbug)
Willie P. Bennett- Me and Molly
Tryin’ to Start Out Clean (Bnatural Music)
Mike Regenstreif & Steve Gillette (1994)

Steve Gillette- Darcy Farrow
Steve Gillette (Vanguard)
Jack Hardy- Potter’s Field
The Nameless One (Great Divide)
Stephen Barry Band- Poor Boy
Live (Fix it in the Mix Music)

Saul Broudy & Mike Regenstreif (1993)

Saul Broudy- Bei Mir Bist Du Sheyn
Travels with Broudy (Saul Broudy)

“50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part 1” was heard on the May 28 edition of Stranger Songs and can be streamed at this link. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/65341.html

“50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part w” was heard on the June 18 edition of Stranger Songs and can be streamed at this link. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/65644.html

Songs and Conversation with Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower


My conversation with Michael Jerome Browne and Mary Flower was recorded earlier this month on Zoom. I was in Ottawa, Michael was in Montreal and Mary was in Portland, Oregon. 

Michael Jerome Browne with John Sebastian, Happy Traum & John McColgan- Living with the Blues
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)
Mary Flower- Livin’ with the Blues Again
Livin’ with the Blues Again (Little Village Foundation)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower- I’ve Got the Big River Blues
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower with John Sebastian- Coffee Blues
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower- Black Dog Blues
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower- Married Man Blues
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower- Wisecrack
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Mary Flower- See See Rider
Livin’ with the Blues Again (Little Village Foundation)
Stephen Barry Band featuring Michael Jerome Browne- Sugar Baby
Happy Man (Bros)

MARY FLOWER- Brother, Can You Spare a Dime
Bywater Dance (Yellow Dog)

Michael and Mary will be here in Ottawa at Red Bird Live on Saturday June 29. They’re also doing a guitar workshop in Ottawa that afternoon. They’ll also be at Hugh’s Room Live in Toronto on Wednesday June 26, at Emmanuel United Church in Waterloo on Thursday June 27, and at a house concert in Morin Heights, Quebec on Monday July 1. More information and links to buy tickets at this link. https://www.michaeljeromebrowne.com/shows

Next week: 1964.

--Mike Regenstreif

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday June 15, 2024


Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and available for on-demand streaming anytime. I am one of the four rotating hosts of the Saturday Morning show. 

This episode of Saturday Morning was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/65590.html

Kyle Carey- June Day
North Star (Americelta)

Terre Roche- Fish Out of Water
Inner Adult (Terre Roche)
Bill Hearne- Bluebird
Always Trust Your Cape (Howlin’ Dog) 
Laurie Lewis- Just a Little Ways Down the Road
Trees (Spruce & Maple Music)
Adam Karch- Some Awkward Country Ahead
Some Awkward Country Ahead (Adam Karch)
Lynne Hanson- Just a Poet
Just a Poet (Lynne Hanson)

John Gorka- She’s That Kind of Mystery
Bright Side of Down (Red House)
John Gorka, Mike Regenstreif & Lucy Kaplansky (2012)

Lucy Kaplansky- Texas Blues
The Tide (Red House)
Mike Regenstreif & Bill Morrissey (2005)

Bill Morrissey- Barstow
Bill Morrissey (Philo)
Laurie Lewis- Long Gone
Trees (Spruce & Maple Music)
Jon Shain- Old Bill (for Bill Morrissey)
Restless Soul Syndrome (Flyin’)

Rory Block- Everything is Broken
Positively 4th Street: A Tribute to Bob Dylan (Stony Plain)
Christian Parker- Chimes of Freedom
Change is Now: A Tribute to The Byrds (Subcat)
Cat Power- It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert (Domino)
Bob Dylan- Forever Young
Shadow Kingdom (Columbia/Legacy)
Rory Block- Ring Them Bells
Positively 4th Street: A Tribute to Bob Dylan (Stony Plain)

The Dumptrucks- Blackstrap Breakdown
Selections (Laughing Cactus).

Michael Jerome Browne- Sliding Delta
Sliding Delta (Borealis)
Mary Flower- Monday Morning Blues
Ragtime Gal (Bluesette) 
Michael Jerome Browne & Mary Flower with John Sebastian- Coffee Blues
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)
Mississippi John Hurt- I’m Satisfied
Mr. Hurt Goes to Washington (Sunset Blvd.)

Ana Egge- Sharing in the Spirit
Sharing in the Spirit (StorySound)
Alex Martin & Jess Eliot Myhre- Into the Desert
Appalachian Fall: The Song Poems of Michael Martin (Pajarito Verde)
Sue Foley- Lonesome Homesick Blues
One Guitar Woman: A Tribute to the Female Pioneers of Guitar (Stony Plain) 
Mike Regenstreif & Missy Burgess (2014)

Missy Burgess- Make Me a Pallet On Your Floor
Lemon Pie (Missy Burgess)
Kate McGarrigle- Blues in D
Tell My Sister: Kate & Anna McGarrigle (Nonesuch)

Anna McGarrigle, Sylvan Lanken & Lily Lanken- On My Way to Town
Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle (Nonesuch)
Chaim Tannenbaum- Time On My Hands
The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)
Kate & Anna McGarrigle & Emmylou Harris- Skip Rope Song
The McGarrigle Hour (Hannibal)
Mike Regenstreif & Rick Fines (2011)

Rick Fines- That’s What Makes You Strong
Solar Powered Too (Rick Fines)
Jesse Winchester- I Can’t Stand Up Alone
Learn to Love It (Stony Plain)

Jim Kweskin & Fiona Kweskin- What Does the Deep Sea Say
Never Too Late: Duets with My Friends (StorySound)
Eric Bibb- Mole in the Ground
Live at the Scala Theatre (Stony Plain)

Shtreiml- Uncle Tibor’s Spicy Paprikash
Spicy Paprikash (I.J. Rosenblatt)

Miranda Hardy- Strawberry Moon
The Price of Happiness (Great Divide)
Ynana Rose- Strawberry Moon
Under a Cathedral Sky (Ynana Rose Music)
Tom Russell- Strawberry Moon
The Rose of the San Joaquin (HighTone)
The Whiteley Brothers- Full Moon in June
Taking Our Time (Borealis)

Dave Van Ronk- Old Hannah
Somebody Else, Not Me (Philo)
Cris Jacobs- Work Song (I Can Still Sing)
One of These Days (Soundly Music)
Benny Bleu- Death of John Henry
Banjo Jubilations (Benny Bleu Haravitch)

Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- The Mermaid
Recordings Celebrating 50 Years of a Musical Partnership (Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl) 
Finest Kind- Squid Jiggin’ Ground
Heart’s Delight (Fallen Angle) 
Mike Regenstreif, Bill Garrett & Sue Lothrop (2014)

Bill Garrett & Sue Lothrop- No More Fish
Red Shoes (Borealis)
Muriel Anderson & Suzy Bogguss- Sailing Dream
Sailing Dreams (Muriel Anderson)

Nastasia Y- Stolen Green
Kyiv Soul (Lulaworld)
Eliza Gilkyson- Sunflowers
Home (Realiza)

Lisa Gutkin- Gonna Get Through This World
From Here On In (Lisa Gutkin)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on July 13. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – June 11, 2024: Songs for Fathers


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/595/65476.html

Theme: Songs for Fathers

Al Regenstreif 1926-2016 (father) & Mike Regenstreif (son)

Judy Collins- My Father
Forever: An Anthology (Elektra)

Amy Speace- Father’s Day
There Used to Be Horses Here (Windbone)
Michael ‘Earnie’ Taylor- What My Father Taught Me
Folk ‘n’ Western (Laughing Cactus Music)
Ben Sures- Father’s Shoes
The Story That Lived Here (Ben Sures)
Boreal- Warm Hands
Recorded for a future album release
Michael Smith- I Brought My Father With Me
Songs of a Catholic Childhood (J. O’Reilly Productions)

Nanci Griffith- Daddy Said
Once In a Very Blue Moon (Philo)

Steve Howell, Dan Sumner & Jason Weinheimer- Song for My Father
Long Ago (Out of the Past)
Guy Clark- Randall Knife
Craftsman (Philo)
The Smith Sisters- My Father was a Quiet Man
A Canary’s Song (Flying Fish)
Tom Russell- Throwing Horseshoes at the Moon
Old Songs Yet to Sing (Frontera)

Chaim Tannenbaum- My Old Man
Joy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl (Compass)
Rosanne Cash- My Old Man
Rhythm & Romance (Columbia)
Ron Hynes- My Old Man
Get Back Change (Borealis)
Steve Goodman- My Old Man
No Big Surprise: The Steve Goodman Anthology (Red Pajamas)

Jamie Anderson- My Dad Loves to Sing
Better Than Chocolate (Tsunami)
Heather Anne Lomax- Bits and Pieces
The Doman Tracks (Blackbird)
Brian Lemco- For EL
Seasons (Brian Lemco Music)
Loudon Wainwright III- Older Than My Old Man Now
Older Than My Old Man Now (StorySound)

Ruby Lovett- A Father’s Love
It’s a Hard Life (Puff Bunny)
Tim Grimm- Reverend Mr. Black
Names (Wind River).

James Talley- The Dreamer (A Song for My Father)
Bandits, Ballads and Blues (Cimarron)

Next week: 50 years ago, I took over The Golem, part 2.

--Mike Regenstreif

Monday, May 27, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – June 4, 2024: Remembering Spider John Koerner; The Enduring Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis


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/595/65407.html

Themes: Part 1: Remembering Spider John Koerner (1938-2024) / Part 2: The Enduring Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972)

Part 1: Remembering Spider John Koerner


Spider John Koerner was an influential folk and blues legend who died of cancer on May 18 at age 85.

Spider John Koerner was already one of the leading performers on the Minneapolis folk scene when Robert Zimmerman, still a teenager, moved there to attend the University of Minnesota. Spider John was highly influential in the musical direction that Zimmerman took that year – including beginning to call himself Bob Dylan. In his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan wrote: “Koerner was tall and thin with a look of perpetual amusement on his face. We hit it off right away … when he spoke he was soft-spoken but when he sang he became a field holler shouter. Koerner was an exciting singer and we began playing a lot together.”

I first discovered Spider John Koerner while I was a teenager. It was probably 1969 or ’70 when I bought an LP called Blues, Rags & Hollers by the trio of Koerner, Ray & Glover – Spider John Koerner, Dave "Snaker" Ray and Tony "Little Sun: Glover. The album, from 1963, was mostly solo cuts by one or another of the three, along with a few duo cuts by two of the three.

Koerner, Ray & Glover- Linin’ Track
Blues, Rags & Hollers (Red House)
Ray Wylie Hubbard- Spider, Snaker and Little Sun
Tell the Devil I’m Coming As Fast As I Can (Bordello)
Spider John Koerner & Dave "Snaker" Ray- Black Dog
(Lots More) Blues, Rags & Hollers (Red House)
Koerner, Ray & Glover- What’s the Matter with the Mill
(Lots More) Blues, Rags & Hollers (Red House)

Spider John Koerner- Froggie Went a-Courtin’
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Been (Red House)
Spider John Koerner- The Roving Gambler
Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Been (Red House)
Spider John Koerner- The Days of Forty-Nine
StarGeezer (Red House)

Spider John Koerner- Taking My Time
StarGeezer (Red House)

Part 2: The Enduring Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis


Reverend Gary Davis
, who died in 1972 at age 76, was a street preacher and a highly influential legend of blues, gospel and folk music. His guitar playing influenced many of the artists who came into the folk scene in the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and continuing to the present.

Reverend Gary Davis- You Got to Move
A Little More Faith (Prestige/Bluesville)
Mountain City Four- Motherless Children
Mountain City Four (Omnivore)
Mr. Rick- I’ll Fly Away
Mr. Rick Sings About God + Booze (Mr. Rick)
Mary Flower- Sit Down on the Banks
Gary Davis Style: The Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis (Riverlark)
Michael Jerome Browne- Reverend Strut
Gettin’ Together (Borealis/Stony Plain)

Reverend Gary Davis- I’m Glad I’m in That Number
A Little More Faith (Prestige/Bluesville)
Marie Knight- When I Die
Let Us Get Together: A Tribute to Reverend Gary Davis (M.C.)
Andy Cohen- Pure Religion
Oh Glory, How Happy I Am: The Sacred Songs of Rev. Gary Davis (Riverlark)
William Lee Ellis- I Heard the Angels Singing
Gary Davis Style: The Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis (Riverlark)
Roy Book Binder- The Preacher Picked the Guitar
Singer-Songwriter Bluesman (PEGleg)

Dave Van Ronk- Cocaine
Live at Sir George Williams University (Just a Memory)
Reverend Gary Davis- Buck Dance
Live & Kickin’ (Just a Memory)
Guy Davis- Candy Man
Stomp Down Rider (Red House)
Penny Lang & Friends- God Knows How Much We Can Bear
Gary Davis Style: The Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis (Riverlark)
Mitch Greenhill & Mayne Smith- Samson & Delilah
Gary Davis Style: The Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis (Riverlark)
Bruce Cockburn- Twelve Gates to the City
Bone on Bone (True North)

Reverend Gary Davis- I Will Do My Last Singing in This Land Somewhere
Live at Newport (Vanguard)

Next week: Songs for Fathers

--Mike Regenstreif

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – May 28, 2024: 50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part 1


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/595/65341.html

Theme: 50 years ago, I took over The Golem, Part 1.

Mike Regenstreif at The Golem (1975)

It was 50 years ago, on May 24, 1974, that I took over running The Golem, Montreal folk club. 

The Golem had been established in 1973 in the McGill Hillel building at 3460 Stanley Street by Saul Markowicz. I had done my basic training in folk club management with Chuck Baker at the Yellow Door, and had been producing concerts in Montreal at Dawson College and McGill University for about two years when Saul approached me in the spring of 1974 and asked if I’d be interested in taking over The Golem.

I actually ran The Golem twice – from 1974 until 1976 and from 1981 until 1987. The Golem was also run for about a year after my first tenure by Marc Nerenberg (who, by the way, is responsible for keeping the Yellow Door going still). The Golem was closed between 1977 and when I returned and re-opened it in 1981. And, after my second tenure, a committee including Helen Fortin and Dave Clarke of Steel Rail fame kept the Golem going until 1991.

All of the songs on this show were played back in the day by artists who performed during my two tenures running the Golem. As I was preparing this show, I found there was no way I could play all of the artists I’d like to include, so I’ll be doing a part 2 to this theme on the June 18 edition of Stranger Songs.

Bruce Murdoch- Fool Like Me
Bruce Murdoch (Radio Canada International)

Mike Regenstreif, Bruce Murdoch & Sneezy Waters (2014)

Sneezy Waters- (You’ve Got) Sawdust on the Floor of Your Heart
Live in the CKCU studio during Stranger Songs – July 4, 2023
Jim Ringer- Going Away
Waitin’ for the Hard Times to Go (Folk-Legacy)
Tom Mitchell, Mike Regenstreif & Mary McCaslin (199)

Mary McCaslin
- Down the Road
Way Out West (Philo)
Chris Rawlings & Mike Regenstreif (2007)

Chris Rawlings
- Pearl River Turnaround
Pearl Soupe (Cooking Fat Music)

Mike Regenstreif & Jesse Winchester (2006)

Jesse Winchester- Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt
Learn to Love It (Stony Plain)
Kate & Anna McGarrigle & Mike Regenstreif (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Kate & Anna McGarrigle & Roma Baran- Willie Moore
Tell My Sister (Nonesuch)

Ronney Abramson & Mike Regenstreif (2016)

Ronney Abramson- Three O’Clock Ride
Three O’Clock Ride – single (Ronney Abramson)

Artie Traum & Mike Regenstreif (2006)

Artie Traum- Montreal
The Test of Time (Roaring Stream)
Ferron- Ain’t Life a Brook
Not a Still Life (Cherrywood Station)
Mike Regenstreif & Bill Staines (1993)

Bill Staines- Tulsa
Miles (Mineral River)
Mike Regenstreif & Priscilla Herdman (1978) photo: Ron Petronko

Priscilla Herdman- Andy’s Gone with Cattle
The Water Lily (Philo)
Eric Bogle- Now I’m Easy
Scraps of Paper (Flying Fish)

Utah Phillips & Mike Regenstreif (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Utah Phillips- Larimer Street
The Telling Takes Me Home (Philo)
Rosalie Sorrels & Mike Regenstreif (1993)

Rosalie Sorrels- Postcard from India
Travelin’ Lady (Sire)
Tom Mitchell- Eastern Beer
1976 live recording – used with permission
Mimi Fariña- Defying Gravity
Live in Germany: To Benefit Bread & Roses (Dogfish Music)

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

Tom Paxton- Outward Bound
The Compleat Tom Paxton (Even Compleater) (Rhino Handmade)
Odetta- Hold On
Odetta at Carnegie Hall (Vanguard)
Dave Van Ronk- Green, Green Rocky Road
…and the tin pan bended, and the story ended… (Smithsonian Folkways)

John Hartford- Steamboat Whistle Blues
Aereo-Plain (Rounder)
Skyline with Tony Trischka- Ticket Back
Ticket Back: A Retrospective (Flying Fish)
Nanci Griffith- There’s a Light Beyond These Woods
There’s a Light Beyond These Woods (Philo)

Stan Rogers- The Mary Ellen Carter
Between the Breaks…Live! (Fogarty’s Cove/Borealis)

Next week: Part 1: Remembering Spider John Koerner / Part 2: The Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis

--Mike Regenstreif

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – May 21, 2024: Even More Songs of Bob Dylan


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/595/65281.html

Theme: Even More Songs of Bob Dylan.


Bob Dylan – who turns 83 this week on May 24 – is, arguably, but certainly in my opinion, the most important and influential songwriter ever. All of the songs on this show have never been heard on any previous edition of Stranger Songs.

Bob Dylan- Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
Blonde On Blonde (Columbia)

The Clancy Brothers with Louis Killen- Girl from the North Country
Save the Land! (Audio Fidelity)
Joan Baez- Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Any Day Now (Vanguard)
Pete Seeger- Who Killed Davey Moore?
We Shall Overcome: The Complete Carnegie Hall Concert, June 8, 1963 (Columbia)
Happy Traum with Bob Dylan- Let Me Die in My Footsteps
The Best of Broadside 1962-1988 (Smithsonian Folkways)
Bob Dylan- Ballad of Hollis Brown
The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Columbia)

J.D. Crowe & The New South- Nashville Skyline Rag
Flashback (Rounder)

Odetta- Walkin’ Down the Line
Odetta Sings Dylan (RCA)
The Brothers & Sisters- Just Like a Woman
Dylan’s Gospel (Columbia)
Julie Felix- It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
Starry Eyed and Laughing… Songs by Bob Dylan (Remarkable)
Bob Dylan- Blind Willie McTell
The Bootleg Series, Volume 3 (Columbia)

Tom Russell- John Wesley Harding
Tonight We Ride EP (HighTone)
Ian & Sylvia- Tears of Rage
Long Long Time (Vanguard)
Peter, Paul & Mary- Too Much of Nothing
Late Again (Warner Bros.)
Bob Dylan- If Dogs Run Free
New Morning (Columbia)

Jimmy LaFave- You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Peace Town (Music Road)
Ian Hanchet- If Not for You
Dealin’ from the Bottom (of My Heart) (Ian Hanchet)
Caroline Doctorow- Time Passes Slowly
Dreaming in Vinyl (Narrow Lane)

Bob Dylan- Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands
Blonde On Blonde (Columbia)[MR1]

Next week: 50 years ago I took over The Golem.

--Mike Regenstreif

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Saturday Morning with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday May 18, 2024


Saturday Morning is an eclectic roots-oriented program on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Saturday mornings from 7 until 10 am (Eastern time) and available for on-demand streaming anytime. I am one of the four rotating hosts of the Saturday Morning show. 

This episode of Saturday Morning was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/128/65234.html

Tex König- One Morning in May
Königsblende (Music Cellar)

Wendy Grossman- My Sweet Wyoming Home
The Last Trip Home (Riverlark)
The Spain Brothers- Roseville Fair
Bright and Better Morning (The Spain Brothers)
Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- River
Recordings Celebrating 50 Years of a Musical Partnership (Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl)

Bill Staines- Rompin’ Rovin’ Days
Journey Home (Red House)
Penny Lang- Come Across to You
Gather Honey (Borealis)
Bruce Murdoch- First Robin of Springtime
Matters of the Heart (Bruce Murdoch)

Jaspar Lepak- Dandelion
The Seasons Project: Spring (Christine Lavin)
Hilary Field- Esperanza (Hope)
The Seasons Project: Spring (Christine Lavin)
Kat Goldman- Weight of the World
The Seasons Project: Spring (Christine Lavin)
Declan O’Rourke- The Harbour
The Seasons Project: Spring (Christine Lavin)
Christine Lavin- Another New York Afternoon
The Seasons Project: Spring (Christine Lavin)

Bill Hearne- Sixteen Miles
Always Trust Your Cape (Howlin’ Dog)
Brittany Jean- Early Morning Rain
Colors & Covers (Brittany Jean)
Gordon Lightfoot- Long River
The Original Lightfoot (EMI)

Stephen Mendel- Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Sing Me a Story (Stephen Mendel)

Evenchick & Hucul- Under Your Wing
This is My Story (Melissa Hucul & Mark Evenchick)
Gentle Sparrow- Shining a Light Over You
River (Heart Alchemy Music)

Boreal- Warm Hands
Recorded for a future album release
Kate Weekes- Tea in Reykjavik
Taken By Surprise (Artiste Extrordinaire Originals)

Tom Lewis- Chicken on a Raft
Sea-Dog, See Dog! (Flying Fish)
Maddy Prior & June Tabor- The Grey Funnel Line
Silly Sisters (Shanachie)
Garnet Rogers- Sammy’s Bar
Summer Lightning: Live (Snow Goose Songs)

Bruce Cockburn- O Sun By Day O Moon By Night
O Sun O Moon (True North)
Lynne Hanson- Hemingway’s Songbird
Just Words (Lynne Hanson)
Ana Egge- Door Won’t Close
Sharing in the Spirit (StorySound)
Paula Cole- Follow the Moon
Lo (675)

Eric Bibb- 500 Miles
Live at the Scala Theatre (Stony Plain)
Steve Howell & The Mighty Men- God’s Gonna Cut You Down
99½ Won’t Do (Out of the Past Music)

Jay Linden- Another Day
Ordinary Sunrise (Americana North)

Tom Mitchell- My Newest Friend
When the Moon is Right (Truesongs)
Heather Little- Saint Christopher
By Now (Heather Little)
James Talley- My Little Corner of the World
Bandits, Ballads and Blues (Cimarron)
Robin Holcomb- Be Still
One Way or Another, Vol. 2 (Robin Holcomb)

Gretchen Peters with Tom Russell- Guadalupe
One to the Heart, One to the Head (Scarlet Letter/Frontera)
Steve Young- Angel of Lyon
Switchblades of Love (Watermelon)
Tom Russell & Mike Regenstreif (2005)

Tom Russell & The Norwegian Wind Ensemble- Goodnight Juarez
Aztec Jazz (Frontera)

Magpie- I Just Roll Along
Endless River (Long Tail)
Rosalie Sorrels- Elegant Hobo
What Ever Happened to the Girl That Was (Paramount)
Paul Geremia- I’ll Be Goin’
Just Enough (Folkways)
Judy Roderick- Born in the Country
Woman Blue (Vanguard)
Chris Smither- All About the Bones
All About the Bones (Signature Sounds)

Mike Regenstreif & David Amram (2004)

David Amram- Waltz from After the Fall
No More Walls (Flying Fish)

I’ll be hosting Saturday Morning next on June 15. I also host Stranger Songs on CKCU every Tuesday from 3:30-5 pm.

--Mike Regenstreif

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – May 14, 2024: Songs of Jacques Brel


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/595/65137.html

Theme: Songs of Jacques Brel (1929-1978).

Jacques Brel – who died in 1978 at age 49 from a pulmonary embolism while suffering from terminal lung cancer – was a Belgian singer, songwriter and actor whose theatrical songs are still widely performed, both in French and in English translation.


Jacques Brel
- Les Flamandes
The Very Best of Jacques Brel (Select)

Judy Collins- Marieke
Whales & Nightingales (Elektra)
Amanda McBroom- Girl in an Armchair
Chanson: Amanda McBroom Sings Jacques Brel (Gecko)
Fred Holstein- Amsterdam
Fred Holstein: A Collection (Fred Holstein)
Barb Jungr- Jacky
Bob, Brel and Me (Kristalyn)
Jacques Brel- Au Printemps
The Very Best of Jacques Brel (Select)

Mary Coughlan- Hearts
Sentimental Killer (Eastwest)

Judy Collins- Sons of
Whales & Nightingales (Elektra)
Amanda McBroom- My Death
Chanson: Amanda McBroom Sings Jacques Brel (Gecko)
Barb Jungr- The Tender Hearts
Bob, Brel and Me (Kristalyn)
Jacques Brel- Les Bourgeois
The Very Best of Jacques Brel (Select)

Joan Baez- La Colombe – The Dove
Joan (Vanguard)
The Kingston Trio- Seasons in the Sun
Collectors Series (Capitol)
Jennifer Warnes- Old Folks – Les vieux
Just Jennifer (Deram)
Melody Gardot- La Chanson des vieux amants
Sayanora Meu Amor (Decca)
Jacques Brel- Les Singes
The Very Best of Jacques Brel (Select)

Stacey Kent- If You Go Away
Summer Me, Winter Me (Token Productions)
Judy Collins- The Desperate Ones
Bohemian (Wildflower)
Jacques Brel- Le Colonel
The Very Best of Jacques Brel (Select)
Barb Jungr- To See a Friend Break Down and Cry
Bob, Brel and Me (Kristalyn)
Amanda McBroom- You Don’t Forget the Past
Chanson: Amanda McBroom Sings Jacques Brel (Gecko)

Jacques Brel- Le Moribond
The Very Best of Jacques Brel (Select)

Next week: Still More Songs of Bob Dylan.

--Mike Regenstreif