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Johnnie revives the spirit of freeform American FM radio, playing the artists nurtured by 'underground' radio and the contemporary musicians who have been influenced by them.

Johnnie revives the spirit of freeform American FM radio broadcast during the late sixties and seventies. While featuring the artists nurtured by 'underground' radio such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Eagles and Joni Mitchell, Johnnie also plays the music of contemporary musicians who have been influenced by the records made during that era.

In the States, FM music stations began life as freewheeling alternatives to the commercial power of Top 40 AM stations. Their proliferation coincided with the rise in popularity of LP records containing the adventurous music of groups who focused their energies on albums rather than three-minute singles. LP sales boomed and the FM stations became very successful. For example, KSAN in San Francisco rose to number one in the 18-34 demographic and inspired the launch of similar stations across the country. FM became synonymous with a style of programming, an attitude and a lifestyle. However, during this period, British music fans could only dream about having a regular diet of the music heard on KSAN in San Francisco or WNEW in New York. Quality album music was rationed on Radio 1 to a few hours a week broadcast in the evening strand Sounds Of The Seventies and in Alan Freeman's Saturday Rock Show.

In search of more musical freedom, in 1976 Johnnie Walker left his lunchtime show on Radio 1 to join the DJ roster of KSAN. Unfortunately, it was a case of right station, wrong era as the format became more conservative and the music evolved.

57 minutes

Last on

Sat 25 Jan 2014 20:00

Music Played

  • Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

    THE LAST DJ

    From 2002 - The Last DJ

  • The Byrds

    EIGHT MILES HIGH

    From Fifth Dimension

  • Buffalo Springfield

    BLUEBIRD

    From Buffalo Springfield Again

  • Led Zeppelin

    Going to California

    From Led Zeppelin 4

  • The Mamas & the Papas

    TWELVE THIRTY (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)

    From album The Papas & The Mamas

  • Joni Mitchell

    Ladies of the Canyon

    From her album Ladies Of The Canyon

  • Jackie DeShannon

    LAUREL CANYON

    From her album Laurel Canyon

  • The City & Carole King

    HI-DE-HO

    From the LP Now That EverythingΒ’s Been Said

  • Crosby, Stills & Nash

    YOU DONΒ’T HAVE TO CRY

    The first song they sang together

  • Neil Young

    THE LONER

    From the first Neil Young solo album

  • Crazy Horse

    I DONΒ’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT

    The original version of this song

  • Grin

    SAD LETTER

    Nils Lofgren was a member of Crazy Horse and in this band

  • Frank Zappa

    PEACHES EN REGALIA

    Another resident of Laurel Canyon - from Hot Rats

  • Little Feat

    LONG DISTANCE LOVE

    Lowell George of Little Feat was briefly a member of Frank ZappaΒ’s band - from The Last Record Album

Broadcast

  • Sat 25 Jan 2014 20:00