No way could this happen today. There once was a band from Miami that got signed to a major label country record deal - on the history making MCA Records, circa 1992. And not only did this eclectic quartet serve up a debut album infused with Tex Mex, Latin, R&B and Bakersfield country music, its title track From Hell To Paradise, was a political song about the plight of Cubans struggling to make the 90 mile trip from a life of limits to one of infinite possibilities.

The singer and writer of that song - still the leader and commanding voice of The Mavericks 25 years later - is Raul Malo. And he knows this story because it's his family story. Malo's parents emigrated from Cuba shortly before he was born in 1965. While Malo has only visited the country once briefly, Cuba's culture and of course its spectacular music is part of his soul. And he's going back there this spring. That's central to our conversation in this hour.

Also, Part 2 of the series Music, Money & Metadata - The Promise of The Blockchain. And a short catch up with Amy Ray about the Indigo Girls upcoming tour with Joan Baez and Mary Chapin-Carpenter.