Michigan Music History Podcast -- MMHP989

The Michigan Music History Podcast Special Edition 2024 Hell's Half Mile Music Line-up and Film Rundown:    Hell's Half Mile music organizer Don Hessell returns for the third-annual MMHP HHM Special, along with his new assistant Spencer Biery. Also this year, past music organizer and HHM alum Jay Glysz, offers past stories and details from the origins of the 18 year Fest. (Festival ALL-STAR person...

On Episode 1 of this season, we headed over to the Juke Joint and got Robert Barclay's back story on the past 39 years of the show. Robert gave his background, college history, photography interest, and ultimately the keys to the club as we got to go backstage with the Duke of Juke. For Episode 2, Robert goes into his passion for Tom Waits, venues like The Ark, Slim Harpo, Johnny Bassett, Hasting...

WOW! Five seasons into the MMHP in the 989 and we couldn't be more thankful for our listeners! As our show grows, the grass roots word of mouth continues to ramp and bring us better numbers and more guests. We couldn't get there without you!    On Episode 1 of this season, we head over to the Juke Joint and get Robert Barclay's back story on the past 39 years of the show. Robert gives his backgrou...

Michiganders Keith Hlavacs and Marlin Wilson belong in their own music collection time zone. Hlavacs not only collects artifacts of early music from 78s/cylinders/diamond discs and phonographs, but he touches upon some of the most sought after music from the earliest days of recordings--with some rare Michigan Music thrown in for good measure. Wilson was the first-call for Dr. J to help assemble s...

Mad Dog--a 1970's independent touring machine, known for crossing the state and region, fuzzed out and throttling headliners like Bob Seger, has gone on to have their much-sought-after debut album '617' amongst the finest crate dig finds in many vinyl collectors realms. Straight out of Bay City, Mad Dog's '617' continues to be a highlight in the murky power/stoner rock realm through 2024.    Broth...

Mad Dog--a 1970's independent touring machine, known for crossing the state and region, fuzzed out and throttling headliners like Bob Seger, has gone on to have their much-sought-after debut album '617' amongst the finest in vinyl collectors realms. Straight out of Bay City, Mad Dog's '617' continues to be a highlight in the murky power-rock/stoner rock realm through 2024.    Brother's Bob (guitar...

Sadly, the Musical Mitten Podcast recently closed its podcast doors. It started up as a radio show at WOCR of the University of Olivet, hosts Maggie Brener of Bay City (now Detroit) and Breanne Wilder of Vicksburg ( now Charlotte) had put together a bevy of Michigan Musical discussion and guests that leveled up the playing field of current artists and musicians, along with classic Michigan music c...

"In 2016 it was the biggest rock and roll story in some time," noted MMHP and Michigan Rock Legend Hall Of Fame CEO Gary 'Dr. J' Johnson, on the Fake Zombies story ran in Rolling Stone Magazine ripped straight out of M15 in Bay City and the historic chronicles of the late '60s.     Digging for gold, Podcaster/Bartender Daniel Ralston --in Los Angeles--uncovered The True Story Of The Fake Zombies,...

Mark Sanders has been there and done that. From the '60 to his current output, Sanders has never given up on songs, creation, and finding the right tones to formulate excellent songs. Some of his first big stage tastes were opening for Ramblin Jack Elliot and The Blues Magoos after winning Battle of the bands at Daniels Den in Saginaw while in The Next Exit Blues Band. That band was coming out of...

The Flint Music Scene was once his stomping grounds. Then came the rest of Michigan, from Saginaw to Detroit, to Canada and into the entire mid-west. Nothing could stop Lafayette Yarbrough as he briefly dominated AM Radio and was the talk of the town during his Lafayette and the LaSabres era. Weeks and sometimes months, playing up to seven nights around for a local stint, Yarbrough brought the roc...

If you haven't had a chance to listen to our Season 1 Episode 8 with Mike, covering record stores, free jazz, his radio show Destination Out, or his long time ensemble, Northwoods Improvisers, please start there. Then head right back here. After all, that was the first episode of the MMHP that catapulted us around the world with our Michigan Music History outlook and exposure. Mike alone was the f...

Somewhere in Ann Arbor, across to Detroit, the folklore of the '60s planted seeds in south Michigan. One of the front-runners to this soapbox congregation was Andy Cohen. Spending years crafting and honoring tradition, Cohen happened upon Andrew Rogers in Ann Arbor and the 'rest is history' as has been repeated. Here is a reunion, alive with song, discussion, Cohen's mystical perspective and tales...

Musician Michelle Coltrane, daughter of Alice, step-daughter of John, offers backstory on Alice's time growing up in Detroit through Michelle's own growing up time between California, New York, and visits to Detroit. Michelle has proclaimed, 'The Year of Alice Coltrane' here in 2024 (with a centennial celebration of John coming soon as well!). This Alice Coltrane year was bench-marked by a recent...

Heads up Michigan Music Fans: It's been a year since I did my last Mid-Mitten '15' From Harvest Canteen as a bonus episode for the MMHP—and while you patiently await Part 2 this Thursday for Zydeco Ziggy, I am prepping a one-on-one phone conversation with the one and only Mary Lee Kortes . 100% Portland, Michigan, by way of Brooklyn, New York (since a move in the early '80s) Mary Lee was on fire w...

Mid Mitten 15 From Harvest Canteen: Special One-On-One Discussions with Michigan Music Artists. MM15HC listeners: Tuesday Ep:2 debuts with Hemlock Americana musician Billy Shane Young! Our interview will put you in the driver seat of one of the most unique writers Michigan has to offer. 20 plus years of solo shows and albums (such as his band Burden in the late '90s and early '00s), a solo album p...

More bang for the earbuds—On top of our bi-weekly podcasts (Available on all our podcast outlets pinned top post here), the Dr. J & Sir Fred Weekend Michigan Music Selections (Facebook Fans Exclusive), Mr. Mike's periodic Michigan Comes Live Friday Video Blog (Facebook Fans Exclusive), Scott is adding a periodic show for Tuesday's (Also Facebook Subscriber Exclusive) The Mid-Mitten '15' From Harve...

Somewhere in Ann Arbor, across to Detroit, the folklore of the '60s planted seeds in south Michigan. One of the front-runners to this soapbox congregation was Andy Cohen. Spending years crafting and honoring tradition, Cohen happened upon Andrew Rogers in Ann Arbor and the 'rest is history' as has been repeated. Here is their reunion, alive with song, discussion, Cohen's mystical perspective and t...

Loren Kranz (Ragbirds, Barbarossa Bros, Solo, +) and Sean Drysdale (Banana Convention, CDF Band, Solo) are new lighthouses on the edge of the Michigan Rock and Roll Peninsula. Both hail from the Mid-Michigan area, both uber-creative types that make every band or project they involve themselves in 200% better, just because of what they bring to the table.    Kranz is currently the drummer in The Ra...

From his beginnings following his family's roots to Michigan, Steve Lyman found his way to befriending the Quackenbush family, helping found The Fugitives. That result would catapult him into early Michigan rock and roll history within the band Scot Richard Case, later to be familiarized as SRC. The band became one of the first major label players on Capitol Records. Lyman's voice and guitar were...

From his beginnings following his family's roots to Michigan, Steve Lyman found his way to befriending the Quackenbush family, helping found The Fugitives. That result would catapult him into early Michigan rock and roll history within the band Scot Richard Case, later to be familiarized as SRC. The band became one of the first major label players on Capitol Records. Lyman's voice and guitar were...

Known to roll the Cajun off his tongue so fluently, you would think he was from Louisiana. Don 'Ziggy' Zeitler strolls around the country brandishing a multi-instrumentalist pedigree with a bluesman's heart. Zig has been a mainstay from the Saginaw area. Growing up in Hemlock, Zig caught the bug early on. Now doing just exactly what he wants to do musically, you can find him popping up on Facebook...

Known to roll the Cajun off his tongue so fluently, you would think he was from Louisiana, Don 'Ziggy' Zeitler strolls around the country brandishing a multi-instrumentalist pedigree with a bluesman's heart. Zig has been a mainstay from the Saginaw area. Growing up in Hemlock, Zig caught the bug early on. Now doing just exactly what he wants to do musically, you can find him popping up on Facebook...

While Review was kicked off in 1979, under three different names, Bob Martin has manned the helm since its inception. Blending Mid-Michigan's music scene (stretching all north, over to Mt. Pleasant, down to Lansing and Flint, and into the thumb), Martin has blended political content with the arts longer than any current journalist in the area. Best of all, Review is FREE and remains to this day, f...

Born the son of a 3-year-old drum prodigy, Marty Kempf was no slouch himself as a drummer and all around musician. Taking over the family business of Whitehead Music, which opened in 1919, Big Bands were the name of the game and Vaudeville-style touring was part of the job. Kempf takes us through the era's of music, unions, played and print-notation, and from wire-recordings, to reels, up to digit...

Mary Gilbert was there singing with her Uncle's Big Band when she was a child. Part of the Jessup genes have been past on to Mary, who along with husband Brent Gilbert have managed to secure a place in Mid-Michigan's jazz scene, with the likes of Easy Street & Co., Second Time Around, and their own duo, He Said She Said. Between Brent's lush guitar tones, rush Mary's unique vocal delivery, a stand...