Dirt Roads Trailheads - Dolly Parton Tribute Alternative folk-country-rock-bluegrass selection and left-field tribute to the Queen of Country, the incomparable Dolly Parton . Features a few choice cuts from over the years by herself and also some collaborations. While known her mainstream appeal with the widest possible fanbase, Dolly always stayed true to her roots despite the success and never forgot her poor, rural upbringing, doing her best to help various & numerous communities, funding many community building & literacy programmes. Her mighty voice stands out as does her clear & unaffected, natural delivery and legendary stage/screen presence. She is sorely missed by many but her songs will always live on... ^^free stream & download^^ The stream can be a little slow starting TAP PLAY ONCE THEN AGAIN to play here or tap the building icon to enter our  internet archives page & stream or d/l^^   Dolly Parton songs across eras, from earlier songs like...

See the Stars Begin to Fall Stratospheric Folk Americana Selection. Spotlights the new Neil Young album Second Song  and Jesse Welles ' latest  Masks Off . Topical songs. ^^free stream & download^^ The stream can be a little slow starting TAP PLAY ONCE THEN AGAIN to play here or tap the building icon to enter our  internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ A new Neil Young album with The Chrome Hearts, Second Song , dropped last month. Its a surprisingly deep and melancholic affair, especially after the rebellious & rocking Talkin' to the Trees set from last year, and is better. There are only seven songs though two of them are epics. Lyrically it seems that Neil is wrapping up while sending out some personal asides. Songs like Soon I Might Be Going and The Foggy Edge of Time leave us in little doubt that the man's dealing with immanent mortality while the title track reflects on a long life lived but also the regret at seeing how the world has turned. ...

Birdsong Here's a fun mix on an ever popular topic; folk songs regarding our feathered friends and their perceived relations with and comparisons to people. Traditional and popular styles. ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ Highlights from the blindingly good 2012 concept album A Pocket of Wind Resistance by Karine Polwart & Pippa Murphy . Bert Jansch was a great lover of songs about birds. Featuring tracks from across his career, including a scorching 1978 collaboration with Martin Jenkins & Danny Thompson from the amazing Avocet LP and a 1995 live performance of Kingfish . Another nature lover Chris Brain comes with two thoughtful songs about that mighty & fearful source of life, the sun . A wild, mammoth live recording of  Bonny Birdie by Peter Knight's Gigspanner from 2011. Veteran Tony Capstick performance of The Geese are Flying from 1983. Two...

Stephen Stills - Blues Man Another one from the vaults... Charting the career of celebrated guitarist Stephen Stills . All the big tunes; from his early solo efforts and Buffalo Springfield days to CSN & CSNY superstardom and then through the Manassas period and solo years and  countless tours  to his essential comeback in the 2000's and a surprise project in 2017.     ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^   Texan Stephen Stills was always an exceptionally gifted singer-songwriter and guitarst and was responsible for some of the most striking music of the late 60's & early 70's. Buffalo Springfield formed with Richie Furay & a youthful  Neil Young in 1966 and had a major hit with the Stills' penned  For What its Worth that year. They'd finally split up by 1968 after releasing three albums. Stills went to to record sessions with ...

I Dreamt an Ocean - Songs of the Sea Fantasy mingles with time-old reality in an expansive & epic dream of titanic proportions. An enduring voyage. Tales of leaving and staying, farewells, great journeys, adventure, mermaids, endurance, stormy seas and calm, survival, reflection and then a final acceptance that nature is greater than man. We are of this world born and so on it we do depend. Eclectic folk rock mixtape.   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^   Cat Stevens makes a rare appearance on the blog with three 1970 tracks from Tea With the Tillerman . I've been asked why we seldom play Stevens, a goliath of the folk world. Now then, while we have dropped two or three songs before I personally always found Steven's approach often a little bit too clean & precise for my taste (a bit too straight - the opposite of Jansch, for example). The sheer quality ...

Gulf Stream Blues Oh mama, I got the gulf stream blues... Trans-Atlantic folk selection. Traditions have travelled back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean for years to intertwine and create a shared musical heritage.   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY ONCE THEN TWICE to play here or tap building icon to enter the internet archives page & stream or d/l^^ Blend of Irish, Scottish, English and American folky sounds. Songs from Linda Thompson 's excellent 2002 LP Fashionably Late . An exploration of some inspirational Jethro Tull tracks from the  late-1970's   Heavy Horses era, including three brilliant studio outtakes that never ought to have been left on cutting floor. Glaswegian band The Humblebums were formed in 1965 by Billy Connolly & Tam Harvey  and were later joined by Gerry Rafferty . The band continued until 1971 when they split to pursue solo projects. Connolly in particular went to to enjoy a stellar career in stand-up comedy, television &...

Freedom on the Wings of the Wind Relaxing and reflective selection of relatively contemporary British & North American folk. Oh to be as free as a bird... Taking inspiration from the natural world that surrounds us. Only through peaceful contemplation can one really know peace and communion with nature is a grounding, humbling and experience which helps lift one's spirits while we break free from the rat race & the troubles of the world, even just for a while... Wonderful acoustic guitar playing throughout.   ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY TWICE or tap icons^^   Shining a spotlight on the legendary Tracy Chapman with four deep, insightful songs from 1989-2010. In 1977 Bert Jansch teamed up with Martin Jenkins & Danny Thompson to make the avian themed  Avocet album, an instrumental tour-de-force, of which excepts are interspersed throughout this session. Focus on Scotland's  The McCalmans also with four excellent ballads & laments from 1980 ...

To the Gulf of Mexico... Collection of traditional American folk songs and great country bluegrass roots tunes, old and new.  ^^stream & download^^ (TAP PLAY TWICE)^^   Special tribute to the late, great Jamaican reggae & world music superstar JIMMY CLIFF   who passed away recently aged 81. The man was a true legend in his own lifetime, breaking down borders & building many bridges over a long, distinguished career. His songs had real universal appeal while his music was eclectic, able to transcend genres. Tributes from Joe Cocker , Bruce Springsteen , Linda Ronstadt , Jerry Garcia & David Grisman  &  Willie Nelson . Songs like Many Rivers to Cross , Wonderful World Beautiful People & Sitting Here in Limbo will surely stand the test of time.       More fabulous music from Emmylou Harris , Steve Earle , Willie Nelson  &  Iris Dement , including some superb combinations. Emmylou & Willie's expansive ...

Folk Rock Mixtape A Well That Never Runs Dry The usual blend of the old with the newer as stone-cold classics rub shoulders with a lot of newer material. Positive music for good vibes.    ^^stream & download^^ TAP PLAY TWICE^^ We kick off with some vintage Neil Young from back in 1968. 3 his first solo efforts from after Buffalo Springfield split and UK band Unicorn chip in with an early Young cover also. Its always a good time to hear some Bob Dylan so we revisit 3 blazing mid-70's songs from the man as well as a couple of covers by  Roy Harper and Fairport Convention  with  Sandy Denny . Two more heavyweight 70's cuts from Fairport with the Bonny Bunch of Roses & Polly on the Shore . Robert Plant blazes hot on Little Maggie & a very original take of  One More Cup of Coffee , while Darkness Darkness is a sonic tour de force. Eliza Carthy also rocks out with Devil in the Woman and 2 other tracks, including live selections from the Oyst...

 Voices 2025 Outlaws & Heroes. All-era Folk, blues, country, americana selection with the usual healthy focus on protest songs.   ^^stream & download^^ CLICK PLAY TWICE There's a whole load of shite going off in the world right now with levels of ignorance, misinformation, cruelty, inhumanity, surveilance & polarisation not seen in the West in 80 years. With our freedoms, economic security and the living planet itself under serious threat billionaires are running amok, stirring up racial predjudice & class war to cover up their ebezzlement en mass  while impoverishing governments (i.e. the people) at previously unseen levels everywhere . Enough is enough! The people must & will prevail over big money and greed eventually due to total unsustainability. It requires a complete overturn of economic & management systems as we know them though and will involve some personal sacrifices and lifestyle changes but it is doable. Right now, while we're on the ...