Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – August 19, 2025: The Original Sloth Band at 60

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/595/71585.html

Theme: The Original Sloth Band at 60.

The Original Sloth Band – teenaged brothers Chris Whiteley and Ken Whiteley and their friend Tom Evans – played their first gig in 1965. Their band name for that gig was Tubby Fats Original Allstar Downtown Syncopated Big Rock Jug Band but they soon evolved into the Original Sloth Band. Sadly, Tom Evans passed away from cancer in 2009, but, in June, Chris and Ken with some guest musicians played a concert at Hugh’s Room in Toronto to mark the milestone anniversary.

Original Sloth Band- The New Heartbreak Blues

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Samoa Wilson with The Jim Kweskin Band- (I Just Want to Be) Horizontal

I Just Want to Be Horizontal (Kingswood)

Tony Rice- Temperance Reel

Tony Rice (Rounder)

Jeff Healey- Sheik of Araby

The Best of the Stony Plain Years: Vintage Jazz, Swing and Blues (Stony Plain)

Amos Milburn- Johnson Rag

Rockin’ and Drinkin’: Greatest Hits and More 1946-1959 (Jasmine)

Original Sloth Band- Heaven

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

The Dumptrucks- Stealin’

Selections (Laughing Cactus)

Original Sloth Band- I’m a Vulture (for Horticulture)

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Leon Redbone- Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone

Champagne Charlie (Warner Bros.)

Jenny Whiteley- Things are Coming My Way

The Original Jenny Whiteley (Black Hen Music)

Jay McShann- Sunny Side of the Street

Still Jumpin’ the Blues (Stony Plain)

Mose Scarlett- How Long Blues

The Fundamental Things (Pyramid)

Original Sloth Band- Get a Job 

Whoopee After Midnight (Sloth)

Maria Muldaur- Organ Grinder Blues

One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey (NOLA Blues)

Duke Ellington & Ivie Anderson- Get Yourself a New Broom (and Sweep the Blues Away)

Ellington in Order, Volume 5 (1932-33) (Legacy)

Duke Ellington & The Mills Brothers- Diga Diga Do

Ellington in Order, Volume 5 (1932-33) (Legacy)

Jimmy Bracken's Toe Ticklers- It’s Tight Like That

Jack Teagarden: The Definitive Collection (Master Tape)

Original Sloth Band- Shout Baby Shout

Hustlin’ & Bustlin’ (Woodshed)

The Boswell Sisters- Cheek to Cheek

Cheek to Cheek (Classic)

The Central Park Sheiks- Honeysuckle Rose

Honeysuckle Rose (Flying Fish)

Bessie Smith- Gimme a Pigfoot (and a Bottle of Beer)

Bessie Smith: The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection (Big3)

Carolina Chocolate Drops- Memphis Shakedown

Carolina Chocolate Drops & Joe Thompson (Music Makers Recordings)

Original Sloth Band- Hustlin’ and Bustlin’ for Baby

Hustlin’ & Bustlin’ (Woodshed)

Ken Whiteley- Fast Freight Train

Unseen Hands: 12 Songs 12 Strings (Ken Whiteley)

Chris Whiteley- I’ve Got to Split

It’s the Natural Thing to Do (Electro-Fi)

Next week: Songs for August and Highway 61 Revisited – Revisited.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday January 31, 2023: Songs I’ve Heard Leon Redbone Sing

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

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

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/59153.html

Theme: Songs I’ve Heard Leon Redbone Sing.

Leon Redbone, who died in 2019 at age 69, was a mysterious figure who played meticulous arrangements of old blues, jazz and Tin Pan Alley songs. 

Leon Redbone- Sweet Mama Papa’s Gettin’ Mad

Live_The Olympia Theater, Paris, France (Rounder)

The Hot Sardines- Lulu’s Back in Town

Welcome Home, Bon Voyage (Eleven)

Jeff Healey- Some of These Days

The Best of the Stony Plain Years: Vintage Jazz, Swing and Blues (Stony Plain)

Guy Van Duser & Billy Novick- My Blue Heaven

Exactly Like Us (Rounder)

Dawn Tyler Watson & Paul Deslauriers- Shine On Harvest Moon

En Duo (Justin Time)

Leon Redbone- Champagne Charlie

Champagne Charlie (Warner Bros.)

Ry Cooder- Big Bad Bill is Sweet William Now

Jazz (Warner Bros.)

Leon Redbone- Marie

On the Track (Warner Bros.)

The Whiteley Brothers- Crazy Blues

Bluesology (Pyramid)

Mose Scarlett- Somebody Stole My Gal

Precious Seconds (Borealis)

Hotcha!- My Walkin’ Stick

Dust Bowl Roots: Songs for the New Depression (Hotcha!)

Paul Geremia- Nobody’s Sweetheart Now

Gamblin’ Woman Blues (Red House)

Leon Redbone- Louisiana Fairy Tale

Any Time (Rounder)

Mary Coughlan- Seduced

Tired & Emotional (EastWest)

Martha Seyler & Robert Resnik- Your Cheatin’ Heart

Martha Sings & Robert Plays (Martha Seyler & Robert Resnik)

Sneezy Waters, Ken Whiteley, Jackie Washington & Mike Regenstreif (2008)

Sneezy Waters- Lovesick Blues

Sneezy Waters Sings Hank Williams (Borealis)

Jackie Washington with Mose Scarlett & Ken Whiteley- I Ain’t Got Nobody

Sitting on a Rainbow (Borealis)

Leon Redbone- Ghost of the St. Louis Blues

Sugar (Rounder)

Patti Casey with Paul Asbell- Ain’t Misbehavin’

Just an Old Sweet Song (Long Shot Music)

Dave Van Ronk- Your Feets Too Big

Sweet & Lowdown (Justin Time)

Andy Cohen- Step It Up and Go

Tryin’ to Get Home (Earwig)

Roberta Donnay & The Prohibition Mob Band- When I Take My Sugar to Tea

Bathtub Gin (Motema)

Leon Redbone- Alabama Jubilee

Champagne Charlie (Warner Bros.)

Missy Burgess & Michael Burgess- When You Wish Upon a Star

Pour Me a Song (Patio)

Duke Robillard & Kelley Hunt- Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone

Duke Robillard and his Dames of Rhythm (M.C.)

Leon Redbone- Polly Wolly Doodle

On the Track (Warner Bros.)

Next week: Songs Mississippi John Hurt Sang for the Library of Congress in 1963.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Canadian Spaces with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Saturday June 8, 2019

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

This particular show is now available for on-demand listening. https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/129/43304.html

Canadian Spaces on CKCU in Ottawa is Canada’s longest-running folk music radio program. It is heard Saturday mornings from 10:00 am until noon (Eastern time).

This week’s show was hosted by Mike Regenstreif (subbing for Chris White).

Guests: Mike Biggar, John Allaire, Missy Burgess.

The Afro-Métis Nation (featuring Chris White & George Elliott Clarke)- Hymn to Portia White

Constitution (The Afro-Métis Nation)

Kaia Kater- New Colossus

Grenades (Smithsonian Folkways)

Michael Jerome Browne- Where is the Song

That’s Where It’s At! (Borealis)

J. Reissner- Follow the Sunshine

Fallen Star (J. Reissner)

Po’ Girl- Abilene

Po’ Girl (Jericho Beach)

Old Man Luedecke- Easy Money

Easy Money (True North)

Wade Hemsworth with the Mountain City Four (lead vocal: Kate McGarrigle)- The Log Driver’s Waltz

Wade Hemsworth with the Mountain City Four (Peter Weldon)

David Newland- Poor William Braine

Northbound: The Northwest Passage in Story and Song (David Newland)

Jamie Andersen- Open Water

The Truth Appears (Tsunami)

Ken Tizzard- Boy from Old Perlican

A Good Dog is Lost: A Collection of Ron Hynes Songs (Ken Tizzard)

Irish Mythen- The Bravery

Little Bones (Irish Mythen)

Same Latitude as Rome (with Sean McCann)- Stay the Course

Stay the Course (Same Latitude as Rome)

Mose Scarlett- Lulu’s Back in Town

Precious Seconds (Borealis)

Leon Redbone- Polly Wolly Doodle

On the Track (Warner Bros.)

Dr. John- Didn’t He Ramble

Goin’ Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros.)

Mike Biggar & John Allaire- All the Same

Live in the studio

John Allaire & Mike Biggar- Magnets

Live in the studio

Mike Biggar & John Allaire- What Can I Do

Live in the studio

Missy Burgess- Time

Play Me Sweet (Missy Burgess)

Missy Burgess- Blue Sweater

Lemon Pie (Missy Burgess)

Tom Russell- Play One More

Play One More: The Songs of Ian & Sylvia (True North)

Ian Hanchet- I’ll Fly Away

New Life (Ian Hanchet)

Alana & Leigh Cline- The Black Mill

Alana & Leigh Cline (Scimitar)

My next show on CKCU is June 22 when I’ll be hosting the Saturday Morning program from 7 until 10 am.

Find me on Twitter. @MikeRegenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

This week in Folk Roots/Folk Branches history (October 6-12)

Folk Roots/Folk Branches with Mike Regenstreif was a Thursday tradition on CKUT in Montreal for nearly 14 years from February 3, 1994 until August 30, 2007. Folk Roots/Folk Branches continued as occasional features on CKUT and is now also a blog. Here’s the sixth instalment of “This week in Folk Roots/Folk Branches,” a weekly look back continuing through next August at some of the most notable guests, features and moments in Folk Roots/Folk Branches history.

October 6, 1994: Show theme- A retrospective of 21 years of recordings on the Philo label.
October 12, 1995: Show theme- The Greatest Folk Concert Ever – All Live Recordings.
October 8, 1998: Guests- Oscar Lopez; David Essig.
October 7, 1999: Guest- Lucy Kaplansky.
October11, 2001: Guest- Mark Viator of Rue La-La.
October 7, 2004: Guests- Mose Scarlett; Dave Clarke & Ellen Shizgal of Steel Rail.
October 6, 2005: Guests- Susie Arioli & Jordan Officer.
October 12, 2006: Guest- Artie Traum.
October 11, 2007 (Folk Roots/Folk Branches feature): Songs of Paul Siebel.

Pictured: The late Artie Traum and me after his Folk Roots/Folk Branches visit on October 12, 2006.

--Mike Regenstreif