Brother Jack McDuff is one of the most celebrated jazz organists in music history, but few music fans are aware of his deep connection to Naptown. This week we’ll celebrate McDuff’s work on the Avenue. We’ll share classic recordings he made with Avenue musicians and talk with some of the Naptown musicians who performed in his band.

This week we'll celebrate the history of drag queens and trans performers on the Avenue. They were billed as female impersonators. Nearly every club on the Avenue featured them, and nearly every musician on the Avenue worked alongside these entertainers - from Slide Hampton, to Jimmy Coe. Enjoy rare recordings from female impersonators connected to the Avenue scene.

This week we’ll feature an hour of words and music as we preview the Indiana Juneteenth Freedom Music Festival. The festival features an all-star lineup of legendary Naptown bands including Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign and Circle City Band.

This week, we’ll continue our ongoing look at the use of Avenue music samples in hip-hop. The music of Indiana Avenue has been sampled by some of the biggest names in rap music, including Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and others. On this week’s show we’ll hear how contemporary stars like Doja Cat have used Avenue music in their work.

This week we’ll look back at the Indianapolis Recorder’s “Dream Band” contest. During the 1940s and ‘50’s, the newspaper invited readers to vote for their favorite Naptown musicians, and the winning musicians were included in the Indianapolis Recorder’s “Dream Band." This provided many local musicians with their first taste of recognition including Wes Montgomery and Slide Hampton.

This week we explore torch songs – songs that lament an unrequited or lost loves. Diving into an hour of music from Aretta Bush, Helen “Fox” Walker, Everett Greene, Flo Garvin, The Ink Spots and more, we’ll take you on a tour of the smoke-filled clubs of Indiana Avenue famous for these sad, beautiful songs.

This week we’ll pay tribute to the late Naptown drummer Dewayne Garvin - better known as the “Funky Buzzard.” Garvin recorded with local legends like The Highlighters and Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign, and performed with international stars like Marvin Gaye and Funkadelic.

Chicago’s Chess Records is known worldwide for releasing classic blues and rock and roll music from artists like Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Etta James, and Howlin’ Wolf. But it also recorded important musicians from Indiana Avenue, like Larry Liggett, The Teasers, and The Highlighters. This week we’ll listen to music from Avenue artists who recorded for Chess Records.

David Williams has written several books that draw on his experiences growing up on Indiana Avenue, including “Indianapolis Jazz” and “Indianapolis Rhythm and Blues.” This week, David joins us to discuss his latest work “African-Americans in Indianapolis," which documents important moments in Indianapolis history - from the rise of Madame Walker, to the founding of Crispus Attucks High School.

We continue our tribute to guitarist Johnny Shacklett - one of the greatest living legends of the Naptown jazz scene. Shacklett rose to prominence during the 1950s. He played in many of the Avenue’s most famous clubs, and performed with many of the Avenue’s greatest musicians - including Wes Montgomery, The Hampton Family, Larry Ridley, and many others.