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October 10, 2025      —–     Chart #319 Hello Music Friends, Downtown blues, teenage longing, and that unmistakable Midwestern glow—“Mainstreet” has that rare power to catch you in the heart before the first chorus hits. If you didn’t grow up in the Rust Belt, Seger makes you feel like you did. And if you already did, this one gives your soul a familiar tap on the shoulder. This smoky, soul-struck whisper of a song was written by… Read more: MAINSTREET

October 3, 2025      —–     Chart #318 Every so often a song sneaks into everybody’s soul—even if you grew up in New York City or on a sailboat—and you just know it. That’s what “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” does. The moment those opening chords hit, you’re transported to a dusty dance hall where “country music” becomes less of a genre and more of a laid-back state of mind. Released on April 11,… Read more: LUCKENBACH, TEXAS (BACK TO THE BASICS OF LOVE)

September 26, 2025      —–     Chart #317 Howdy, folks! This week we’re stepping a little outside our usual time capsule and visiting a tune from a slightly younger crowd’s playlist. Now, you all know me: I usually hang my hat somewhere between the ’50s and ’70s, where the chords are familiar and the songs are the soundtrack of my youth. But every once in a while, a newer gem sneaks in that’s just too good to… Read more: 3AM

September 19, 2025      —–     Chart #316 Howdy, music-loving friends! This week we’re boarding a flight of pure nostalgia with a song that’s taken off more times than a well-loved 747. “Leaving on a Jet Plane” is one of those tunes that just about everyone can hum along to, whether you first heard it around a campfire or on the radio as you packed your bags. Let’s start with the man behind the melody: John Denver… Read more: LEAVING ON A JET PLANE

Howdy, friends! This week we’re setting sail on a timeless tune that’s crossed more waters than a well-traveled sailor. “The Water Is Wide” is a song with roots so deep, they practically touch the bedrock of folk music. And while Karla Bonoff might be our featured artist, she’s just one of many who’ve taken this beautiful traditional song and given it a new life. First things first, a little fact-checking on the origins: “The Water… Read more: THE WATER IS WIDE

September 5, 2025      —–     Chart #314 Howdy folks! This week we’re taking a little stroll down the wistful side of memory lane with a song that’s as tender as a country breeze and as bittersweet as a secret crush. “You Don’t Know Me” is one of those classics that’ll have you nodding along and maybe shedding a nostalgic tear or two. Originally co-written by country legend Eddy Arnold and the talented Cindy Walker in 1955,… Read more: YOU DON’T KNOW ME

August 29, 2025      —–     Chart #313 Howdy, friends! It’s time for another musical ride down memory lane, and this week we’re hitching a ride with Glen Campbell on that long and winding road to Phoenix. Now, before we even dive into the song, let me just tip my hat to a fellow Arkansan. I grew up in Little Rock, and Glen Campbell hails from a little town called Delight, Arkansas. It’s always a treat to… Read more: BY THE TIME I GET TO PHOENIX

August 22, 2025      —–     Chart #312 Hello Music Friends, Howdy, folks! We’re taking another stroll through Creedence Clearwater Revival territory this month because, let’s face it, you can never have too much CCR. We just dipped our toes into “Who’ll Stop the Rain” a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re heading straight into the swampy goodness of “Born on the Bayou.” Now, here’s the kicker: “Born on the Bayou” is basically a masterclass in… Read more: BORN ON THE BAYOU

August 15, 2025      —–     Chart #311 Hello Music Friends, Hey folks, welcome to another edition of Chart of the Week. Some folks dream of sandy beaches and turquoise seas. Me? I’ll take a road that’s straight as a rifle barrel, stretching clear to the horizon, with the faint smell of barbecue drifting in from somewhere you can’t see yet. That’s the spirit behind Miles and Miles of Texas—a song that’ll make you want to trade… Read more: MILES & MILES OF TEXAS

August 8, 2025      —–     Chart #310 Dear Rainsoaked Ramblers, This week’s tune is a three-minute meditation on soggy parades, broken promises, and the kind of rain that isn’t just water but a metaphor with muddy boots and something to say. The song? “Who’ll Stop the Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival—a band that made Southern swamp rock in the Bay Area while dressed like they just came in from chopping wood and fighting a bear. John… Read more: WHO’LL STOP THE RAIN

August 1, 2025      —–     Chart #309 Dear Blues Travelers, Today’s tune is as thick and sultry as a Mississippi afternoon, the kind of song you play when the sky’s darkening, the bottle’s half-empty, and somebody just told you they’re leaving—again. We’re talking about “Feels Like Rain,” performed by the great Buddy Guy, a man who could wring heartbreak out of a Telecaster like it owed him money. Now, Buddy didn’t write this one—that credit goes… Read more: FEELS LIKE RAIN

July 25, 2025      —–     Chart #308 Dear Smooth Operators, This week’s tune isn’t one you crank up on a road trip or play at a tailgate. No, this is what you cue up when the evening calls for dim lighting, chilled wine, and just enough jazz to sound like you might’ve gone to grad school. We’re talking about Popsicle Toes, that offbeat, oh-so-clever number from Michael Franks—the king of sly rhymes and satin melodies. Released… Read more: POPSICLE TOES

July 18, 2025      —–     Chart #307 Hello Music Friends, This week’s tune is a laid-back, two-steppin’ reminder that sometimes life moves too fast, and the best answer is to slow your roll, sip something brown, and start livin’ on Tulsa Time. Written by Danny Flowers, who was playing guitar with Don Williams at the time, the song was apparently born out of an actual travel disaster. The band had been snowed in at a hotel… Read more: TULSA TIME

July 11, 2025      —–     Chart #306 Hello Music Friends, This week we’re rolling back to 1964 with a tune that might’ve flown under your Beatles radar if you blinked too long while flipping A Hard Day’s Night over to Side B. It’s called “I’ll Be Back,” and like most Beatles songs, it packs more emotional horsepower into two minutes and change than most of us could wring out of a whole album and a bottle… Read more: I’LL BE BACK

July 4, 2025      —–     Chart #305 Hello Music Friends, Since today’s the Fourth of July, I figured we’d celebrate American independence with a British supergroup that broke up before most folks even figured out who was in it. That’s right—we’re lighting a sparkler in honor of Blind Faith and their haunted highway of a song, “Can’t Find My Way Home.” Now, don’t let the title fool you. This isn’t a tune about bad GPS directions… Read more: CAN’T FIND MY WAY HOME