Let It Roll EXTRA

Nate Wilcox and Ryan Harkness continue their discussion of “⁠Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - The History of the Disc Jockey⁠” by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton.

Today's topic is the early days of disco in New York when an innovative wave of DJs like David Mancuso and Francis Grasso created a dancer’s utopia in Manhattan.

In this episode, Dave and Nate discuss UK folk-rock’s commercial peaks. We further our discussion of Steeleye Span, their alliance with stalwarts of the 60’s folk scene like Martin Carthy and Bert Lloyd, and commercial success.

We also discuss Led Zeppelin’s “Gallows Pole” and the supposed backlash from disappointed fans when they released Led Zeppelin I…

Today Nate & Ryan takes a look at Jamaica’s unique sound system scene which spurred the creation of ska, reggae and dub and directly influenced the creation of hip-hop.

This episode covers the emergence of UK folk-rock out of the hippie, psychedelic ballroom scene in the late 1960s.

Dave and Nate discuss the formation of Pentangle a sort of super group comprised of Jacqui McShee (vocals); John Renbourn (vocals and guitar); Bert Jansch (vocals and guitar); Danny Thompson (double bass); and Terry Cox (drums).

They also discuss the formation and evolution of Fairport Convention from a band modeled on the Jefferson Airplane to the greatest and most influential of the UK folk-rock groups.

We close with a discussion of Steeleye Span and debate Richard Thompson’s assertion that they were ultimately perceived as a novelty band.

In this episode, Nate and Ryan discuss the uniquely British dance culture called Northern Soul where the kids of the British rust belt just wouldn't let go of their favorite up-tempo 60s soul and kept the style alive into the 1980s.

Buy the book and support the show.

This episode discusses the UK folk scene from the peak of skiffle and Lonnie Donegan through the network of UK folk clubs who featured an open mic format that produced many of the leading talents of the coming UK folk-rock movement. We also discuss Paul Simon's sojourn to the UK during a career lull for Simon & Garfunkel and how he scored the biggest Ch…

Today hosts Nate Wilcox and Ryan Harkness are joined by producer Stephie Haynes to introduce the series and our main source book “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - The History of the Disc Jockey” by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton. In this episode, Nate, Ryan and Steph discuss their personal history with dance music and the introductory chapter of "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life", the connection it makes between DJs and shamans, DJs and conductors and DJs and musicians.

This episode discusses the peak of the Folk Boom in the US with the rise of Albert Grossman’s acts Peter, Paul, & Mary and Ian & Sylvia, Judy Collins' continued success and the rise of Grossman’s ultimate star, Bob Dylan. We cover Dylan's use of Child Ballads as source material and his ultimate abandonment of the scene.

Hosts Nate Wilcox and Ryan Harkness are joined by producer Stephie Haynes to introduce the series and our main source book “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - The History of the Disc Jockey” by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton.

This is the first of three series of dance music history that Ryan Harkness and I did together. We’ll be recasting them bi-weekly for the next 33 weeks.

Hosts Nate Wilcox and Dave Thompson continue their mini-series discussing Dave's book An Evolving Tradition: The Child Ballads in Modern Folk and Rock Music. (Note ordering the book using that link will help support the show via Amazon’s affiliate program).

This episode discusses the Child Ballads about Robin Hood and the folk revival's odd disinterest i…