Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – June 3, 2025: Busking

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/595/70492.html

Theme: Busking

All the songs have something or other to do with busking – playing music on the street or in places like bus or train stations for whatever passersby might want to throw in the hat or basket or instrument case.

Joni Mitchell- For Free

Ladies of the Canyon (Reprise)

Daniel Kahn with Vanya Zhuk- Busking Vagabond

Bulat Blues (Oriente Musik)

Ron Hynes- Boy from Old Perlican

Ron Hynes (Borealis)

Sue & Dwight- For a Moment (Subway Busker Song)

For a Moment (Sue & Dwight)

Connie Kaldor- Singer of the Sacred Heart

Out of the Blue (Coyote Entertainment)

Jerry Jeff Walker- Gypsy Songman

Mr. Bojangles (Rhino)

Michael ‘Earnie’ Taylor- I Just Fiddle All Day (The Busking Song)

Folk ‘n’ Western (Laughing Cactus)

Ray Bonneville- Street Singer

Rough Luck (Prime CD)

Eric Andersen- Singin’ Man

Dance of Love and Death (EARecords)

Kate Wolf- The Old Street Singer

Looking Back at You (Rhino)

Guy Clark- A Nickel for the Fiddler

Old No. 1 (Sugar Hill)

Steve Forbert- Grand Central Station, March 18, 1977

Alive on Arrival (Nemperor)

Sylvia Tyson- No Crowd, No Show

At the End of the Day (Stony Plain)

Ronny Cox- Cortelia Clark

How I Love Them Old Songs: Ronny Cox Sings Mickey Newbury (Bay Sound)

Andrew Calhoun- Buskers

Grapevine (Waterbug)

Marc Nerenberg- On the Street Again, Revisited

Lies, Butterflies, and Tyrants (Marc Nerenberg)

Bodie Wagner- Wooly Bum Man

Vintage (Bodie Wagner)

Tom Lewis- The Busker

Tinker Tailor Soldier Singer (Self Propelled Music)

Orit Shimoni- Playing Chelsea Hotel

Soft Like Snow (MW Music)

The Irish Rovers- Whiskey on a Sunday

Years May Come, Years May Go (MCA)

Bill Staines- The Streets of Old Quebec

Tracks and Trails (Philo)

Creedence Clearwater Revival- Down on the Corner

Willy and the Poor Boys (Fantasy)

The Bill Hilly Band (The Bills)- The Berlin Busker’s Polka

All Day Every Day (Borealis)

Next week: Dreams.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday September 12, 2023: Part 1 – Conversation and Songs with author David Eisenstadt; Part 2 – Songs of Dave Carter

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/595/61910.html

Themes: Part 1 – Conversation and Songs with author David Eisenstadt; Part 2 – Songs of Dave Carter.

Part 1: Conversation and Songs with David Eisenstadt. My conversation with David was recorded on August 14 via Zoom. The songs heard before and during the interview are by artists featured in David’s new book, Musicians Under the Radar: 36 Notable Canadian Jewish Performers. Visit https://undertheradarbook.com/ for more information about David and his books. 

Theresa Tova- Der Saksofon Shpiler (The Saxophone Player)

You Ask Me Why: Tova Sings Beyle (Tova Entertainment)

Colin Linden- Angel Next to Me

bLOW (Highway 20)

Nikki Yanofsky- Comes Love

Nikki By Starlight (MNRK Music Group)

David Buchbinder- Freylekhs Tumbao

Odessa/Havana (Tzadik)

Socalled (Josh Dolgin) with The Kaiser Quartett- Roumanishe Kretchme

Di Frosh and other Yiddish Songs (Membran)

Part 2 – Songs of Dave Carter (1952-2002)

Dave Carter was a very fine singer and songwriter who died suddenly of a massive heart attack on July 19, 2002, less than a month before he would have turned 50. Dave was in his mid-40s when he teamed up with fiddler and singer Tracy Grammer to form a duo that took the folk music world by storm.

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Annie’s Lover

When I Go (Dave Carter)

Ronny Cox- When I Go

Ronny Cox Live (Ronny Cox)

Priscilla Herdman- Gentle Arms of Eden

The Road Home (Redwing Music)

Tracy Grammer- Mother, I Climbed

Flower of Avalon (Signature Sounds)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Tanglewood Tree

Tanglewood Tree (Signature Sounds)

Lucy Kaplansky- Cowboy Singer

The Red Thread (Red House)

Diane Zeigler- Gentle Soldier of My Soul

Paintbrush (Diane Zeigler)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- I Go Like the Raven

Drum Hat Buddha (Signature Sounds)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Seven is the Number

Seven is the Number (Tracy Grammer Music)

Full Frontal Folk- Cat-Eye Willie Claims His Lover

Sweet Mystery of Life (Full Frontal Folk)

The Kennedys- Gypsy Rose

Songs of the OPEN ROAD (Appleseed)

Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer- Farewell to Saint Delores

Tanglewood Tree (Signature Sounds)

Next week: September Songs – That’s How the Summer Slips Away.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday June 13, 2023: Train Songs, Volume II

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/595/60788.html

Theme: Train Songs, Volume II.

Bill Garrett & Mike Regenstreif (2014)

Bill Garrett- Railroad Line

Bill Garrett (Borealis)

Mason Daring & Jeanie Stahl- Chattanooga Choo Choo

Forty (Daring)

Jackie Washington- Sleepy Town Train

Keeping Out of Mischief (Pyramid)

Rory Block- Midnight Train to Georgia

Ain’t Nobody Worried: Celebrating Great Women of Song (Stony Plain)

The Whiteley Brothers- When the Train Comes Along 

Bluesology (Pyramid)

Doc & Merle Watson- Freight Train Boogie

Elementary Doctor Watson (Tomato)

Ball & Chain & The Wreckers- Golden Rails

Satisfied (Ball & Chain)

Paul Mills- Last Steam Engine Train

The Other Side of the Glass (Borealis)

Stan Rogers- Guysborough Train

From Coffee House to Concert Hall (Fogarty’s Cove)

Anne Hills- Maria Took the Train to Town

Tracks (Hand & Heart Music)

Steel Rail- (Just) Waiting for a Train

Coming Home (Crossties)

David Mallett- Dulcimer

Inches & Miles 1977-1980 (Flying Fish)

Doug McArthur- Tears Like Rain

Tears Like Rain (Doug McArthur)

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee- Southern Train

London, 1958 (Jasmine)

Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones- Southern Special

Old Tin (Dittyville Music)

Larry & Joe- Nuevo South Train

Nuevo South Train (Larry & Joe)

Bill Staines- Railroad Blues

Third Time Around (Catfish)

Eric Bibb- 500 Miles

Ridin’ (Stony Plain)

Tom Russell- The Santa Fe at Midnight

Borderland (HighTone)

Caitlin Hanford- That Lonesome Whistle Sound

Bluer Skies (Denon)

Priscilla Herdman & Utah Phillips- I Remember Loving You

Darkness into Light (Flying Fish)

Mike Regenstreif & Ronny Cox (2013)

Ronny Cox- Cortelia Clark

How I Love Them Old Songs: Ronny Cox Sings Mickey Newbury (Bay Sound)

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy- Whistle Stop

Louie Louie Louie (Savoy Jazz)

NRBQ- Next Stop Brattleboro

High Noon – A 50-Year Retrospective (Omnivore)

Next week: The Philosophy of Modern Song, Part 2.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday November 29, 2022: Remembering Jack Hardy

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/595/58468.html

Theme: Remembering Jack Hardy (1947-2011)

I first met Jack Hardy sometime around 1978. Jack was a brilliant guy, a dedicated songwriter, and, perhaps, the world’s greatest champion of the art of songwriting. He was already on his lifelong mission to help anyone dedicated to the art of song-craft find and develop their voice. He was the guiding light, the guru, of the new song movement in New York City.

Jack Hardy- The Sparrow

The Nameless One (Great Divide)

Suzanne Vega- Saint Clare

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

David Massengill- Tree of Rhyme

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Diana Jones & Mike Regenstreif on Zoom (2021)

Diana Jones- Go Tell the Savior

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jack Hardy- Dover to Dunkirk

The Nameless One (Great Divide)

Dave Van Ronk- The Drinking Song

To All My Friends in Far-Flung Places (Gazell)

Jack Hardy- Song for Dave

Coin of the Realm (Great Divide)

With the exception of “Jack’s Crows,” the songs on this program were written by Jack Hardy. Jack hosted a weekly songwriters’ exchange in his New York City apartment for more than 30 years and John Gorka was one of the many songwriters who passed through Jack’s apartment. John wrote “Jack’s Crows” as an allegorical song inspired by those songwriters’ exchanges. In the liner notes to the album, Jack’s Crows, John wrote, “Some days I look up and find I am one of Jack’s crows.”

John Gorka, Mike Regenstreif & Lucy Kaplansky (2012)

John Gorka- Jack’s Crows

Jack’s Crows (High Street)

John Gorka- Down Where the Rabbits Run

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Lucy Kaplansky- Forget-Me-Not

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jack Hardy- Orphan from Madrid/Guernica

Landmark (Great Divide)

Mike Regenstreif & Ronny Cox (2013)

Ronny Cox- I Ought to Know

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Terre Roche- The Tailor

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Mike Regenstreif & Erik Frandsen (1976) photo: Felicity Fanjoy

Erik Frandsen- Potter’s Field

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jack Hardy- In Memory of Federico Garcia Lorca

Noir (Great Divide)

Rod MacDonald & Mike Regenstreif (2005)

Rod MacDonald- Resolution

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Christine Lavin- Murder

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jack Hardy- If I Ever Pass This Way Again

The Passing (Prime CD)

Jonathan Byrd- Autumn

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Nanci Griffith- Fare Thee Well

Fast Folk Musical Magazine: A Tribute to Jack Hardy (Smithsonian Folkways)

Jack Hardy- Singer’s Lament

Bandolier (Great Divide)

Next week: Songs of Eric Andersen.

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday June 1, 2021

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoons 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 prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/52165.html

Theme: The Third Stranger Songs Fantasy Concert, a whole show of music recorded live in concert. We will have a “Stranger Songs Fantasy Concert” on our first show of every month until it’s safe for us to return to live music in person.

Josh White, Jr..- Say a Prayer for a Stranger
Live at the Raven Gallery (Silverwolf)

Ronny Cox- Hot Water Cornbread
Live at the Kitchen Sink (Ronny Cox)
Kate & Edith- Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor
Live at Kelso Hall (Kate & Edith)
Corin Raymond & The Sundowners- Postcard from Winnipeg
Paper Nickels (Local Rascals)

Rosalie Sorrels & Mike Regenstreif (1993)

Diana Jones- Better Times Will Come
Live in Concert (Proper)
Judy Collins- Four Strong Winds
Living (Elektra)
Rosalie Sorrels- Then Came the Children
Then Came the Children (Green Linnet)

Perla Batalla- Bird On a Wire
Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (Verve Forecast)
Leonard Cohen- Suzanne
Live in London (Columbia)

Noel Paul Stookey- Not That Kind of Music
Just Causes (Neworld)
Pete Seeger- L’Internationale
Singalong, Sanders Theatre, 1980 (Smithsonian Folkways)
Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band- When the Saints Go Marching In
Live in Dublin (Columbia)
Hans Theessink & Blue Groove- I Shall Not Be Moved
Live (Minor Music)

Guy Clark- Dublin Blues
Songs and Stories (Dualtone)
Bonnie Dobson- Bonnie’s Blues
At Folk City (Prestige)
Missy Burgess- Time
Missy Burgess with The Blue Train Live (Missy Burgess)

The Band- The Weight
Stage Fright: 50th Anniversary Edition [Live at the Royal Albert Hall, June 1971] (Capitol)
Wynton Marsalis Septut featuring The Blind Boys of Alabama- The Last Time
United We Swing: Best of the Lincoln Center Galas (Blue Engine)

Stephane Grappelli & David Grisman- Swing 42
Live (Warner Bros.)

Next week – Thinking About Elvis

Find me on Twitter. www.twitter.com/mikeregenstreif

And on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Sing Out! Magazine – Autumn ‘09/Winter ‘10

My copy of the latest issue of Sing Out! Magazine arrived in today’s mail. The cover story is on Richie Havens, a member of the Folk Roots/Folk Branches guest list.

As usual, this issue of Sing Out! has a bunch of my CD reviews including:

Albert & Gage- Dakota Lullaby: The Songs of Tom Peterson
Dave Alvin- Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women
David Baxter- Day & Age
Jim Byrnes- My Walking Stick
Leonard Cohen- Live in London
Ronny Cox- Songs... With Repercussions
Nanci Griffith- The Loving Kind
James Hill & Ann Davison- True Love Don’t Weep
Tish Hinojosa- Our Little Planet
Hotcha!- Dust Bowl Roots: Songs for the New Depression
Willie Nelson- Naked Willie
Corin Raymond- There will Always be a Small Time
Red Stick Ramblers- My Suitcase is Always Packed
Robert Resnik & Marty Morrissey- Old & New Songs of Lake Champlain
Sunny and Her Joy Boys- Introducing Sunny and Her Joy Boys
Twist of the Wrist- Twist of the Wrist
Various- Appalachia: Music from Home
Various- Man of Somebody’s Dreams: A Tribute to Chris Gaffney
Susan Werner- Classics

--Mike Regenstreif