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Special Guests Charles Brown was born in Texas in 1922. His grandma prodded him to start classical piano lessons at the age of 10. And she made sure he got an education: Brown graduated with a B.A. in chemistry, and then worked as a chemist during the early years of World War II, before moving to California to pursue his music. He was soon making a name for himself in fashionable Hollywood lounges with his laid-back singing and spare piano playing. Brown's musical style led to a new genre of music known as West Coast blues or California blues, a style that influenced peers such as Ray Charles and Nat King Cole. In 1944, guitarist Johnny Moore asked Brown to join the Three Blazers. During the '40s and '50s, the Three Blazers were a frequent presence on the R&B charts with Brown-composed hits such as "Driftin' Blues" and "Merry Christmas Baby." As rock'n'roll overshadowed R&B, Brown continued to record, but had all but retired from public performances until several years ago, when Bonnie Raitt asked him to tour with her. He's now touring again, and is enjoying a well-deserved resurgence. He's won years of Grammy nominations, handfuls of W.C. Handy Awards, and-last year-was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Blues Hall of Fame. His latest recording is So Goes Love (Verve). Appearing with Charles Brown tonight is his longtime band, who have been playing with him for a decade: Clifford Soloman (tenor saxophone), Danny Caron (guitar), Ruth Davies (bass), Deszon Claiborne (drums).
Troka formed in the spring of 1993 in Kaustinen, Finland. They soon won first prize in a Master Competition. Later that year, they were an audience favorite at the folk festival in Kaustinen, a success that led to a record deal for the group. All five band members are either music students or music teachers, several of them at the Sibelius Academy in Kaustinen: Matti Mäkela (fiddle) started playing in bands in the mid-'80s and now attends the Kokkola Conservatory in Stockholm. Ville Ojanen (fiddle, viola, mandolin) composed the music for a dance theater work, Henrik, and studies music at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Minna Luoma (accordions) won the Finnish two-row accordion competition. She studies at the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department in Kaustinen. Timo Alakotila (harmonium), a veteran of the Finnish traditional music scene, currently composes and arranges for many Finnish artists and is a teacher in the Sibelius Academy Folk Music Department and at the Oulunkylä Pop and Jazz Conservatory. Timo Myllykangas (double bass) was in a half-dozen bands before Troka. He is also a student at the Sibelius Academy. Troka's self-titled recording (on the NorthSide label) received an enthusiastic writeup in the April edition of The Atlantic Monthly. The review, entitled "Finland's Finest," says that nearly everyone who listens to this recording "will find themselves cranking up the volume and dancing a jig around the living room."
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Singer and songwriter Andra Suchy talks about singing duets with Garrison, and her latest album, Little Heart.
Old Sweet Songs: A Prairie Home Companion 1974-1976
Lovingly selected from the earliest archives of A Prairie Home Companion, this heirloom collection represents the music from earliest years of the now legendary show: 1974–1976. With songs and tunes from jazz pianist Butch Thompson, mandolin maestro Peter Ostroushko, Dakota Dave Hull and the first house band, The Powdermilk Biscuit Band (Adam Granger, Bob Douglas and Mary DuShane).
