Nanci Griffith was a Grammy award winning American singer, songwriter, and musician, known for blending together Country & Folk music stylings. Throughout her life she had multiple appearances on Austin City Limits, and had an illustrious touring career. In 2008, Griffith was awarded the Lifetime Americana Trailblazer Award by the Americana Music Association.   First broadcast in 1994, Tent Show Radio is a one-hour public radio program created from the best live recordings from acclaimed musical acts who grace the Big Top Chautauqua stage each summer in beautiful Bayfield, WI.  During intermission, host Michael Perry spins a story “from the backstage dressing room, with the one lonely little light bulb burning."  Topics range from Mike’s battles with trees, to the behavior of rogue chickens, to the search for hope while stoking a wood stove in the darkness. ​ Running 52 weeks a year, Tent Show Radio is broadcast on 31 listener supported radio stations across 6 states and on most podcast streaming platforms. "Tent Show Radio" is also available for streaming at www.tentshowradio.org. ​ Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua was founded in 1986. The first show under canvas was the Nelson-Ferris Concert Company Production Riding the Wind, the story of Bayfield and Madeline Island. Since then Big Top has welcomed over 700,000 patrons to the grounds for 2,000+ concerts and shows and countless lectures, workshops and other unique events. In addition to the action on the tent grounds, Big Top has also broadcast its performances over the public radio airwaves since 1994 through Tent Show Radio, bringing Big Top concerts into living rooms across the country and around the world via internet streaming and podcasts. Our resident band, the Blue Canvas Orchestra, also tours to theaters and schools throughout the Upper Midwest. Over the course of 30 years we’ve touched millions of lives and created millions of memories with our eclectic blend of excellent musical offerings.

Tent Show Radio

Nanci Griffith | Episode 21-42

Roy Clark, an American Country music singer and musician, best known for hosting "Hee Haw", a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997, was an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and in helping to popularize the genre. Clark was highly regarded and renowned as a guitarist, banjo player, and fiddler. He was skilled in the traditions of many genres, including classical guitar, country music, Latin music, bluegrass, and pop. He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1987, and, in 2009, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. This episode of Tent Show Radio features recordings from his 2004 performance at Big Top Chautauqua.

Roy Clark | Episode 21-41

The word “legend” usually makes an appearance at some point when discussing Merle Haggard. It’s an acknowledgement of his artistry and his standing as “the poet of the common man.” It’s a tribute to his incredible commercial success and to the lasting mark he has made, not just on country music, but on American music as a whole. He performed under the Big Top in 1999 and again in 2013 to adoring audiences. This week's Tent Show Radio is a recording of Merle Haggard's 1999 performance.

Merle Haggard | Episode 21-40

In 2019 we cut the band loose on some of their favorite songs from the season and from summers past. Severin Behnen leads the famed house band that has graced the Big Top stage since its founding in 1986. They are an eclectic blend of string instruments, driving rhythm section, and stunning voices that together rock the tent with their unique fusion of bluegrass, folk and jazzy blues. *Originally aired April 2021

Best of BCO & Friends | Episode 21-39

 This week, Different Drums of Ireland joins us on Tent Show Radio. Different Drums brings the indigenous drums of Ireland, the Lambeg and the Bodhran together for the first time ever in celebratory performance. The music also features the Uilleann or elbow pipes,whistles, guitar, snares, long drum, 4 voices and is driven by the engine of the African djembe. Adding myriad percussion and other instruments to original and traditional songs makes a unique and exciting combination of traditions and sounds. A unique celebration of cultural diversity and linkages-- The band has played across the world, for everyone from US & Irish presidents to school children – The message is the same Celebrate that which makes us different and that which bonds us together, “…an amazing sensory experience, the vibrant drum playing is genuinely stunning but over the top we hear whistles and pipes playing flying melodies with gorgeous ballads and spoken word sections…” Woven wheat whisper.   *Originally aired Mar. 2021 

Different Drums of Ireland | Episode 21-38

On this episode of Tent Show Radio we revisit Rosanne Cash's August 2019 performance at Big Top Chautauqua. One of the country's preeminent singer/songwriters, Cash has released 15 albums, garnered 21 Top 40 hits, including 11 No. 1 singles. She has won four GRAMMY awards, and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015.   *Originally aired Mar. 2021

Rosanne Cash | Episode 21-37

Multi-Grammy Award winners: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant members since the early times are singer-guitarist Jeff Hanna and drummer Jimmie Fadden. Multi-instrumentalist John McEuen was with the band from 1966 to 1986 and returned during 2001. Keyboardist Bob Carpenter joined the band in 1977. The band is often cited as instrumental to the progression of contemporary country and roots music.  

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Episode 21-35

The Blue Canvas Orchestra has been the Big Top Chautauqua's house band since its founding in 1986. Severin Behnen has led the famed house band to include an eclectic blend of string instruments, driving rhythm section, and stunning voices that together rock the tent with their unique fusion of bluegrass, folk and jazzy blues. This 'Best of' show handpicks shows from 1997, 2002 and 2006 to make a truly exciting hour of music!

Best of the Blue Canvas Orchestra | Episode 21-35

Suzanne Vega's music career spans almost 40 years and we were lucky to have her in the summer of 2009.  As an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer, Vega is best known for her folk-inspired music and big hits during the 80's and 90's:  "Luka," "No Cheap Thrill," and "Tom's Diner" to name a few.  In 2007, Vega released the Grammy award-winning Beauty & Crime on Blue Note Records, a deeply personal reflection of her native New York City in the wake of the loss of her brother Tim Vega and the tragedy of 9/11. Vega’s love for the city shines through as both its subject and its setting, and she mixes the past and present, the public with the private, and familiar sounds with the utterly new—just like the city itself

Suzanne Vega | Episode 21-34

This episode of Tent Show Radio this week features two amazing artists, Tommy Emmanuel recorded at the Big Top in 2006 and Leo Kottke recorded in 1998. Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian guitar virtuoso known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the guitar. Although originally a session player in many bands, Emmanuel carved out his own style as a solo artist winning several awards and accolades after his 2006 visit to Big Top Chautauqua. Leo Kottke is an acoustic blues and folk-style guitar player, who visited a couple times over the years. Kottke usually performs with just a spotlight and his music -- and a crowd that just sits in anticipation of what he'll do next. He is known for a fingerpicking style that draws on blues, jazz, and folk music, and for syncopated, polyphonic melodies.

Tommy Emmanuel & Leo Kotke | Episode 21-33

This week on Tent Show Radio, we have two great groups who played under the Big Top Tent in 2008. In the first half of the show, the award-winning Cowboy Junkies rocked out with us here in Bayfield during their 2008 international tour promoting their new album Trinity Revisited, which was a 20th anniversary of their original recording of the Trinity Session. You'll enjoy this Toronto alternative country/blues/folk rock band formed in '85 by Margo Timmins (vocalist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Alan Anton (bassist). The second half of Tent Show Radio this week features The Wailin' Jennys The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse – three distinct voices that together make an achingly perfect vocal sound. Starting as a happy accident of solo singer/songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most beloved international folk/pop/world acts.

Cowboy Junkies & The Wailin' Jennys | Episode 21-32

This week on Tent Show Radio, living legend, songwriter and singer, Arlo Guthrie. Mr. Guthrie has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall too, well, just about everywhere! Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, Arlo is the eldest son of America’s beloved singer, songwriter and philosopher Woody Guthrie. Arlo grew up surrounded by dancers and musicians like Pete Seger, Leadbelly, Ramblin Jack Elliott, and Brownie McGee. Arlo gave his first public performance and age 13 and has returned to the Big Top for seven appearances on the Chautauqua stage. This show combines two shows from when he was under the Big Top in 2005 & 2015.

Best of Arlo Guthrie | Episode 21-31

From houses of worship to houses of blues, Ruthie Foster has always been a rafter-rattler. And with a soul-filled voice honed in Texas churches, she can move audiences to tears or ecstasy – sometimes in a single song. Her two albums, 2009’s The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and 2012’s Let It Burn, moved the Recording Academy to deliver Best Blues Album Grammy nominations. Her latest release, Promise of a Brand New Day on Blue Corn Music, earned her a third Grammy nod in 2015. Ruthie performed at the Big Top, almost blowing the roof off the tent with her amazingly soulful voice and blues artistry. This episode was recorded on June 24th in both 2011 and 2012.

Ruthie Foster | Episode 21-30

If joy were a person, he’d bring both peace and frenzy. He’d be full of music, light, and energy that soothes even as it stirs us up. Eyes closed, wire-rim glasses in place, mandolin pressed against his ribs, joy would be Sam Bush on a stage (info from @sambush). For this week's Tent Show Radio episode, we bring to you The Best of The Sam Bush Band. Live from Big Top Chautauqua, this show consists of two acts recorded in July of 2002 and 2006. Sam Bush is an American Mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. He was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, a Grammy Nominee and was elected the Mandolin Player of the Year four times in '90, '91, '92 and '07. Notably, Sam Bush was also voted in as the "Father of Newgrass" by the state of Kentucky in 2010. Sit Back and enjoy this hour or Tent Show Radio with us!

The Best of the Sam Bush Band | Episode 21-29

Joan Baez is a singer, songwriter, musician and activist, whose music encompasses genres including folk, rock, pop, gospel and country.  Joan performed music for over 60 years and released over 30 albums, in which her first three achieved gold record status.  A long and impressive list of awards, Joan has received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 49th annual Grammy Awards® in 2007, Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award in 2015, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.  Big Top Chautauqua was fortunate enough to have Joan Baez grace the stage under the blue and pearl grey canvas on August 7 in 2009. First broadcast in 1994, Tent Show Radio is a one-hour public radio program created from the best live recordings from acclaimed musical acts who grace the Big Top Chautauqua stage each summer in beautiful Bayfield, WI.  During intermission, host Michael Perry spins a story “from the backstage dressing room, with the one lonely little light bulb burning."  Topics range from Mike’s battles with trees, to the behavior of rogue chickens, to the search for hope while stoking a wood stove in the darkness. ​ Running 52 weeks a year, Tent Show Radio is broadcast on 31 listener supported radio stations across 6 states and on most podcast streaming platforms. "Tent Show Radio" is also available for streaming at www.tentshowradio.org.

Joan Baez | Episode 21-28

Tent Show Radio live from Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua featuring author humorist Michael Perry, the Blue Canvas Orchestra and Grammy Award winning musical guest Bill Miller.

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Tent Show Radio

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