WRFG Playlist & Podcast July 18, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.
It’s an encore of our Louis Jordan tribute from 2025.
We’ll have a new podcast for you next week.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org

Today we bring you the third and final part of our annual tribute to
Louis Jordan, the king of the jukebox. Born Louis Thomas Jordan in
Brinkley, Arkansas, on July 8, 1908. Jordan was a saxophonist,
multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from
the late 1930s to the early 1950s. He earned his highest profile
towards the end of the jump blues era. He was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “early influence” in 1987.

LOUIS JORDAN RESOURCES
biography @ wikipedia.org
discography @ discogs.com
Encyclopedia Britannica
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2026
Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1948

I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You
Louis Jordan & Louis Armstrong
Decca Records 1950

Early in the Morning
Catherine Russell
Alone Together 2019

Big Boy Jim Giuffre Modern Records 1952
My Playful Baby’s Gone Wynonie Harris King Records 1952

All For The Love Of Lil
Louis Jordan
Decca Records 1948

Barnyard Boogie
Bruce Willis
If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger 1989

Beans & Cornbread
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1949

Is You Is Or Is You Ani’t (My Baby)
Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson
Cleanhead’s Back In Town 1957

Barbados The Charlie Parker All Stars Savoy Records 1948
Lady Sings the Blues Andra Day The United States vs. Billie Holiday 2021
Red Bank Boogie Count Basie Columbia Records 1945
I’m a Good Man But a Poor Man Cecil Gant Bullet Records 1949
I Want to Hug You John Lee Hooker Mr. Lucky 1991
Taxi Blues Little Richard RCA Victor 1950

Lady Be Good
Louis Jordan w/ Dotty Smith
Live at Zardi’s Jazzland, Hollywood 1956

Boogie Woogie Blue Plate
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1947

Caldonia
Jerry Granelli w/ Robben Ford & Bill Frisell
Dance Hall 2017

Whoo Whee Sweet Daddy Veronica Lewis You Ain’t Unlucky 2021
Goobers Gene “Mighty Flea” Conners Sanctified 1980

Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’
Ray Charles
The Genius Of Ray Charles 1959

Every Man To His Own Profession
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1949

I Want A Roof Over My Head
Van Morrison
Accentuate The Positive 2023

I’ll Never Be Free
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
Decca Records 1950

My Idea About You Pee Wee Crayton Imperial Records 1955
Hard Times (The Slop) Noble “Thin Man” Watts Baton Records 1958
One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer Amos Milburn Aladdin Records 1953
Shake Rattle & Roll Amos Garrett Doug Sahm Gene Taylor Band …Japan 1991

Ain’t That Just Like a Woman
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
Pressure Cooker 1985

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast July 5, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

For the 4th of July weekend, we count down the hottest
R&B songs in Saint Louis for this week in 1949.

We also bring you part one of our annual Louis Jordan birthday celebration.
We’ll tell you more about Mr. Jordan next week.

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, JULY 5, 2026
Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date
Hamp’s Boogie Woogie Lionel Hampton Decca Records 1944

WHAT’S HOT IN SAINT LOUIS
Top 10 R&B Songs for the week ending July 9, 1949
As reported to The Cash Box magazine

10-Come Back Baby
Jack Dupree & His Band
Apollo Records 1949

9-Because
Herb Lance
Mainstream Records 1949

8-T.J. Boogie
T.J. Fowler & Orchestra
National Records 1949

7-Rock & Roll
Wild Bill Moore
Modern Records 1949

6-Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
Stick McGhee and His Buddies
Atlantic Records 1949

5-Ain’t Nobody’s Business
Jimmy Witherspoon w/ the Jay McShann Orchestra
Supreme Records 1949

4-Confession Blues
The Maxin Trio
Down Beat Records 1949

3-Close Your Eyes
Herb Lance
Sittin’ In With Records 1949

2-The Hucklebuck
Paul Williams & The Hucklebucks
Savoy Records 1948

1-Trouble Blues
Charles Brown Trio
Aladdin Records 1949

Stormy Weather Syndee Winters Sings Lena Horne 2025

Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca 1946

I Don’t Want Your Money Honey Frantic Fay Thomas Exclusive Records 1949
Route 66 Chuck Berry New Jukebox Hits 1961

Buzz Me
B.B. King
Let The Good Times Roll: The Music Of Louis Jordan 1999

Jack, You’re Dead
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1946

If You So Smart, How Come You Ain’t Rich?
Louis Jordan & His Tympany 5
Decca Records 1951

I’m Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town
Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra
Genius + Soul = Jazz 1961

Good Rockin’ Daddy Roomful of Blues Steppin’ Out 2025
Rockin’ At Midnight Roy Brown Deluxe Records 1949

How Bout That
Big Al Dupree
Swings The Blues 1995

Run Joe
Bloodest Saxophone feat. Lauren Cervantes
Texas Queens 5 2019

Hard Way Duke Robillard A Tribute To T-Bone Walker 2004
Call It Stormy Monday… T-Bone Walker Black & White Records 1947
A Pretty Girl… Buddy Johnson & His Orchestra Mercury Records 2016
My Money’s Green Little Charlie & The Nightcats Disturbing The Peace 1988

Caldonia
Taj Mahal
Savoy 2023

Five Guys Named Moe
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1942

Moanin’ Christian McBride Big Band Without Further Ado, Vol 1 2025

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast June 28, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Our featured artist is Lloyd “Tiny” Grimes,
who was born in Newport News, Virginia, on June 7, 1916.

Grimes was an early master of the electric jazz guitar.
He actually played a four-string tenor guitar which gave him a singular sound.
He began recording with the Cats and A Fiddle vocal group in 1941
before taking over guitar duties in the Art Tatum Trio.
Shortly after going solo in 1944, Grimes led a recording session
with a then relatively unknown sax player named Charlie Parker.

In the late 1940s he led a very popular jump blues outfit called
Tiny “Mac” Grimes and the Rockin’ Highlanders.
Their biggest hit was a jazzy take on “Loch Lomond” in 1947.
But even when he was going on stage in a kilt,
he was still making serious jazz in the studio
including a recording session backing Billie Holiday in 1951.

After the Highlanders, Grimes focused on jazz and played
on numerous recordings until shortly before his death in 1989.

TINY GRIMES RESOURCES
biography @ wikipedia.org
discography @ wikipedia.org
discography @ discogs.com
Tiny Grimes @ spontaneouslunacy.net

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Loch Lomond
Tiny “Mac” Grimes & the Rocking Highlanders w/ Red Prysock
Gotham Records 1947

One O’Clock Jump Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sing A Song Of Basie 1957
Someday You’ll Be Sorry Jimmy T99 Nelson Take Your Pick 2002
Jumpin’ in the Morning Deacon John’s Jump Blues Music From the Film 2002
Trouble in the Mind Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, & Ruth Brown The Big Band… 1968
Resolution Blues Dinah Washington Mercury Records 1948
Bewildered Amos Milburn Aladdin Records 1948
When A Woman Loves Her Juice Eddie Vinson Mercury Records 1946

I Miss You So
The Cats & The Fiddle w/Tiny Grimes
Bluebird Records 1941

I Ain’t Got Nobody
Art Tatum Trio w/Tiny Grimes
Brunswick Records 1944

Feelin’ Happy Joe Turner Freedom Records 1950
You’ve Got What It Takes Ledisi & Gregory Porter For Dinah 2025
Paradise Squat Count Basie Mercury Records 1952
Don’t You Lie To Me Fats Domino Imperial Records 1951
Stacked Deck Billy Wright Savoy Records 1951
Tra-La-La Tommy Brown Dot Records 1951
Perdido Sarah Vaughan Columbia Records 1950
The Frim Fram Sauce King Cole Trio Capitol Records 1945

Tiny’s Tempo
Tiny Grimes Quintette w/ Charlie Parker
Savoy Records 1944

Cadillac Boogie Jimmy Liggins & His Drops of Joy Specialty Records 1948
All She Wants to Do Is Rock Wynonie Harris King Records 1949
Strollin’ With Bones T-Bone Walker Imperial Records 1950
Save The Bones For Henry Jones Lou Rawls & Ray Charles Just Between Us 1988

Rocky Mountain Blues
Billie Holiday w/ Tiny Grimes Sextet
Aladdin Records 1951

Detour Ahead
Billie Holiday w/ Tiny Grimes Sextet
Aladdin Records 1951

Telephone (Operator) Blues Floyd Dixon Aladdin Records 1950
I Smell A Rat Big Mama Thornton Peacock Records 1954
Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’ Louis Jordan Decca Records 1946
Summertime Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald Porgy & Bess 1957

Frankie & Johnny Boogie
Tiny Grimes w/ Jay McShann
Tiny Grimes 1970

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast June 21, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


HOT IN HARLEM – JUNE 24, 1946
This week marks the 80th anniversary of Cash Box Magazine’s
first “Hot In Harlem” chart listing the 10 most popular jump blues, R&B,
and jazz records played on juke boxes in New York’s Harlem neighborhood.

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2026
Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

10 – Stardust
Howard McGhee & His Band
Philo Records 1945

9 – Beware
Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five
Decca Records 1946

8 – That’s The Groovy Thing
Earl Bostic & His Orchestra
Gotham Records 1946

7 – Driftin’ Blues
Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers
Philo Records 1945

6 – Prisoner of Love
Billy Eckstine & Orchestra
National Records 1945

5 – Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Cryin’
Louis Jordan & The Tympany Five
Decca Records 1946

4 – The Gypsy
The Ink Spots
Decca Records 1946

3 – What Is This Thing Called Love?
Billie Holiday
Decca Records 1945

2 – On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Eddie Heywood & Orchestra
Decca Records 1944

1 – Stone Cold Dead In The Market Place (He Had It Coming)
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan
Decca Records 1946

The Honeydripper Cab Calloway Columbia Records 1946
I’ve Got A Right To Cry Joe Liggins Exclusive Records 1946
C Jam Blues Tiny Grimes Swingtet Blue Note Records 1946
Route 66 (Nat) King Cole Trio Capitol Records 1946
R.M. Blues Roy Milton Juke Box Records 1946
Honkin, Stompin Jimmy Jackson All Stars RPM 1952
The Chill Is On Big Joe Turner Atlantic Records 1951
Jim Dog Porky Cohen Rhythm & Bones 1996
Mystery Train Little Junior’s Blue Flames Sun Records 1953
Blues Down Home Dinah Washington Mercury Records 1957
Lonesome & Blue Annie Laurie Okeh Records 1952
Cookin’ In Style Johnny Adams One Foot in the Blues 1996
Low Down Dog Rod Piazza California Blues 2000
Everything I Do Is Wrong B.B. King R.P.M. Records 1954

Paint It Black
Deborah Silver & Count Basie Orchestra
Basie Rocks 2025

I’m Beginning To See The Light
Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown
American Music Texas Style 1999

Never Let Me Go Ruth Brown A Good Day For The Blues 1999
Free And Easy Mind Jimmy “T-99” Nelson Chess Records 1955
That’s Enough Ray Charles What’d I Say 1959

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast June 14, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


Our theme this week is This, That, & the Other.

HERE’S THE WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Topsy, Part 2 Cozy Cole Love Records 1958
A Bird In The Hand Roy Milton Specialty Records 1954
Walkin’ Around Paul Williams Savoy Records 1948
New Blow-Top Blues Dinah Washington Decca Records 1947
Hy’a Sue Duke Ellington Columbia Records 1948
When That Man Is Dead & Gone Paula West (digital single) 2026
Outta Your League Lizzy & The Triggermen Live at Joe’s Pub 2025

June-teenth Jamboree
Gladys Bentley
Swing Time Records 1953

Boogie’n My Woogie
Gladys Bentley Quintette
Excelsior Records 1945

WHO WAS GLADYS BENTLEY?
Gladys Bentley was one of the first openly gay jazz singers. Starting in the 1920s,
she performed in men’s clothing at speakeasies in New York City. Bentley was never
a top selling R&B artist, but she was a musical trailblazer in her own right.

GLADYS BENTLEY RESOURCES
Biography @ Wikipedia.org
Discography @ discogs.com
National Museum of Black History and Culture

Charlesville Ray Charles & Milt Jackson Soul Brothers 1957
Sax Shack Boogie Amos Milburn Aladdin Records 1950
Ocean Of Tears Roomful of Blues That’s Right 2003
Baby, I Love Your Way Deborah Silver & Count Basie Orch Basie Rocks 2025
B-Yot Illinois Jacquet King Jacquet 1949

Hadacol Bounce
Roy Byrd (Professor Longhair)
Mercury Records 1949

Lovin’ Machine
Wynonie Harris
King Records 1951

Drinkin’ Hadacol
Little Willie Littlefield
Modern Records 1949

WHAT THE HECK WAS HADACOL?
Hadacol was a patent medicine that from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s
that was marketed as a vitamin supplement that was good for the whole family.
In reality, Hadacol’s principal attraction was that it contained 12% alcohol,
supposedly as a preservative.

While the recommended dosage was one tablespoonful taken four times a day in a
half glass of water after meals and at bedtime, some pharmacies in dry counties
in the American south were known to sell Hadacol by the shot and in one county
outside Chicago, you could only buy it in a liquor store.

And like any good intoxicant, Hadacol became the stuff of song and story.

Long Old Road Queen Latifah Bessie – Music from the HBO Film 2015
News All over Town Charles Brown Honey Dripper 1996
Crazy About A Jukebox Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band Time 2026
Be Baba Leba Helen Humes Philo Records 1945
Million Dollar Secret Helen Humes Modern Records 1950
McShann’s Boogie Blues Jay McShann Trio Philo Records 1945
Let Your Tears Fall Baby Wille Mae Thornton Peacock Records 1951
…My Cherry Red Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson King Records 1949
Rocket 88 Rocket 88 Rocket 88 1981

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast June 7, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


This week we count down the Top 10 R&B songs in Harlem, New York,
for this week in 1951, as reported to Cash Box Magazine.

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Play Boy Hop Duke Robillard BLAST OFF! 2026

10) Please Send Me Someone To Love
Percy Mayfield
Specialty Records 1950

9) Hopefully Yours
The Larks
Apollo Records 1951

8) Cool Water
Four Tunes
Jubilee Records 1951

7) Don’t Take Your Love Away from Me
Laura Tate & Joe Morris
Atlantic ‎Records 1951

6) Sleep
Earl Bostic
King Records 1951

5) I Won’t Cry Anymore
Dinah Washington
Mercury Records 1951

4) I Apologize
Billy Eckstine
MGM Records 1951

3) Sixty Minute Man
Billy Ward & The Dominoes
Federal Records 1951

2) Too Young
Nat King Cole
Capitol Records 1951

1) How High The Moon
Les Paul & Mary Ford
Capitol Records 1951

T-Bone Boogie T-Bone Walker Rhumboogie Records 1945
Yellow Dog Blues Louis Armstrong …Plays W. C. Handy 1954
St. Louis Blues Duke Ellington w/ Marion Cox …Plays the Blues 1947
The Chase Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray Dial Records 1947
The Honeydripper Joe Liggins Exclusive Records 1945

When that Man is Dead and Gone
Lizzy & The Triggermen
Baby, One More Time Live at Joe’s Pub 2025

Oh, What A Beautiful Morning
Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra
Ray Sings Basie Swings 1973

Let’s Do It Ledisi For Dinah 2025

Op. 49 – Cold Chicken Suite, 3rd Movement
The Christian McBride Big Band
Without Further Ado, Vol 1 2025

Ain’t That A Shame? Fats Domino Imperial Records 1955
The Question (What’Cha Gonna Do?) Billy Wright Peacock Records 1955
Roamin’ Blues Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five Decca Records 1949
Every Time I Think Of You Big Mama Thornton Peacock Records 1952
Weepin’ & Cryin’ Tommy Brown Regent Records 1951
My Playful Baby’s Gone Wynonie Harris King Records 1952
Bouncing With Benson Paul Williams Savoy Records 1948
Grits Aint Groceries Blue Velvet Atlanta Lady’s Night 2025
Hallelujah, I Love Him So Ella Fitzgerald Ella: The Lost Berlin Tapes 1962

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast May 31, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


T-Bone Walker is today’s featured artist. Aaron Thibeaux Walker was born just
west of the Louisiana state line in Lindon, Texas on May 28, 1910. Walker came
from a musical family and got his start as a professional musician in Dallas where,
as a teenager, he played with Blind Lemon Jefferson. Walker was a pioneer and
innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds.

In 2018 Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 67 on its list of
“The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”

T-BONE WALKER RESOURCES
Biography @ wikipedia.org
Discography @ discogs.com
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Blues Foundation
The Story of Stormy Monday @ wikipedia.org


WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Riffette
Freddie Slack & His Orchestra w/ T-Bone Walker
Capitol Records 1943

Long Skirt Baby Blues
T-Bone Walker
Black & White Records 1948

Alimony Blues
Duke Robillard
A Tribute To T-Bone Walker 2004

Hurry, Hurry Baby Lucky Millinder w/ Wynonie Harris Decca Records 1944
One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer Delbert McClinton Outdated Emotion 2022
That Was Your Last Mistake Amos Milburn Aladdin Records 1951
I’ll Love You Just The Same Kieran Brown Loving You 2026
Oop-Pop-A-Da Three Bips & A Bop Blue Note Records 1947

Old Maid Boogie
Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson w/ T-Bone Walker & Jay McShann
Kidney Stew Is Fine 1969

Blues Aint Nothing but a Woman
Helen Humes & All-Star Band
American Folk and Blues Festival, 1962
Personnel: Helen Humes, vocals; T-Bone Walker, MC & guitar; Sonny Terry, harmonica; Brownie McGhee, guitar; Willie Dixon, bass; Memphis Slim, piano;
Jump Jackson, drums

I Want A Roof Over My Head Louis Jordan Decca Records 1950
Every Dog Has Its Day Jump 66 Every Dog Has Its Day 2026
Okie Dokie Stomp Cornell Dupree Teasin’ 1974

West Side Baby
Dinah Washington
Mercury Records 1948

Bobby Sox Blues
T‐Bone Walker
Black & White Records 1947

Gee Baby Ain’t I Good To You
Johnny Big Stone & the Blues Workers
DOWNBEAT RECORDS PRESENTS… Plays T-Bone Walker 2020

Juke Joint Blues Joe Turner, Milt Jackson & Roy Ethridge Nobody In Mind 1976
You Go To My Head Ledisi For Dinah 2025
Nice Work If You Can Get It Sarah Vaughan w/ Miles Davis Columbia Records 1950
Talkin’ Bout You Ray Charles At Newport 1958

Tell Me What’s The Reason
The Knickerbocker All-Stars
Texas Rhody Blues 2016

T-Bone Shuffle
The Amos Garrett, Doug Sahm, Gene Taylor Band
Live in Japan 1991

Woman You Must Be Crazy & Stormy Monday
T-Bone Walker & Jazz at the Philharmonic
Recorded in London, November 1966
Personnel: T-Bone Walker, guitar & vocals; Dizzy Gillespie & Clark Terry, trumpets; James Moody & Benny Carter, altos; Coleman Hawkins & Zoot Sims, tenor;
Teddy Wilson, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Louis Bellson, drums

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast May 24, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


Today, we celebrate the 115th anniversary of Big Joe Turner, the Boss of the Blues.
Born Joseph Vernon Turner, Junior, in Kansas City, Missouri, on May 18, 1911 Turner began his musical career as a singing bartender at Piney Brown’s legendary Sunset Club. Pete Johnson was Brown’s piano player and soon became
Turner’s musical partner.

In December 1938 Turner and Johnson traveled to New York to perform at the first
From Spirituals to Swing concert at Carnage Hall. During that visit they made their
first record, “Roll ’em Pete,” which became their signature song.

Always well respected by the jazz and blues audience, Turner’s greatest fame was
from his rock & roll records in the 1950s. According to songwriter Doc Pomus,
“Rock and roll would have never happened without him.”

BIG JOE TURNER RESOURCES
Biography @ wikipedia.org
Discography @ discogs.com
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

The Tout Sam Butera Groove Records 1954

Roll ‘Em Pete
Joe Turner & Pete Johnson
Vocalion Records 1938

Someday After Awhile (Joe Turner)
Coco Montoya
Gotta Mind to Travel 1995

Mama Don’t Allow It Julia Lee & Her Boyfriends Capital Record 1951
Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby Taj Mahal Savoy 2023
Hallelujah, I Love Him So Kieran Brown Loving You 2025
The Richest Guy In The Graveyard Etta Jones Victor Records 1947

My Gal’s A Jockey
Big Joe Turner w/ Wild Bill Moore’s Lucky Seven Band
National Records 1946

Milk and Water Amos Milburn Aladdin Records 1954
Quiet Whiskey Catherine Russell Inside This Heart of Mine 2010
My Baby’s Barrel House Wynonie “Mr. Blues” Harris Apollo Records 1946
Let’s Do It Billie Holiday Columbia Records 1941
Caravan Billy Eckstine MGM Records 1948
Down But Not Out Joe Houston & Otis Grand The Return Of Honk! 1994
Let’s Have a Natural Ball Jump 66 Every Dog Has His Day 2026

Shake, Rattle & Roll
Big Joe Turner
Atlantic Records 1954

Flip, Flop And Fly
Van Morrison
Accentuate The Positive 2023

Wee Baby Blues (Joe Turner)
Lynwood Slim
Last Call 2006

My Mother Told Me Nat King Cole Capitol Records 1950

Rocket 88 Boogie, Pt 1
Pete Johnson
Swing Time Records 1947

Rocket 88 Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats Chess Records 1951
Hop, Skip and Jump Kim Wilson My Blues 1997
Standing On The Corner Ruth Brown Atlantic Records 1950

TV Mama (Joe Turner)
Champion Jack Dupree
From New Orleans to Chicago 1962

Switchin’ in the Kitchen (Joe Turner)
Roomful Of Blues
Under One Roof 1997

Piney Brown (K.C.)
Big Joe Turner, Sonny Stitt, Pee Wee Crayton
Every Day I Have the Blues 1975

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast May 17, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


We have two featured artists today.

Big Maybelle was born Mabel Louise Scott in Jackson, Tennessee on May 1, 1924.
She began performing when she was a teenager, then toured and recorded with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first racially-integrated all-female band
in the U.S. In 1952, Smith went solo as “Big Maybelle” and scored a number of R&B
hits including “Candy.” She was the first artist to record “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” which later became a hit for Jerry Lee Lewis.

BIG MAYBELLE RESOURCES
Biography @ Wikipedia.Com
Discography @ Discogs.Com
Blues Foundation bio

Born in Barnwell, South Carolina on May 3, 1933, James Brown is known as
the Godfather of Soul, but his roots were in gospel and jump blues. In 1944,
a young James Brown sang “So Long” at a talent show in Augusta, Georgia. He won.
It was his first public appearance. He was either 10 or 11 at the time.
Brown said he was inspired to become a professional musician
when he heard Louis Jordan’s “Caldonia Boogie.”

JAMES BROWN RESOURCES
jamesbrown.com
biography @ wikipedia.org
discography @ discogs.com
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, MAY 17 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Bouncing With Benson Paul Williams Savoy Records 1948

Good Rockin’ Tonight
James Brown & the Famous Flames
King Records 1967

Caldonia Boogie
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Decca Records 1945

Piece of My Heart Deacon John’s Jump Blues Music From the Film 2002
The Congregation The Interplay Jazz Orchestra Bite Your Tongue 2026

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Big Maybelle
Okeh Records 1955

One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show
Big Maybelle
Okeh Records 1955

D’Natural Blues (The Hucklebuck) Lucky Millinder RCA Victor 1949
Going Back Home To New Orleans Joe Liggins Specialty Records 1950
The Darktown Strutters’ Ball Catherine Russell Bring It Back 2014
Crazy About A Jukebox Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band Time 2026
Smack Dab In The Middle Count Basie /w Joe Williams Clef Records 1956
(Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch & Grab It Julia Lee Americana Records 1947
I’ll Always Be In Love With You X-Rays Savoy Records 1948

Night Train
James Brown
James Brown Presents His Band – Night Train 1961

Have Mercy Baby
James Brown
King Records 1964

So Long
Ruth Brown & Eddie Condon’s NBC Television Orchestra
Atlantic Records 1949

Twisted Annie Ross Specialty Records 1952
Moanin’ Christian McBride Big Band w/ Jose James Without Further Ado, Vol 1 2025

Baby Please Don’t Go
Big Maybelle
Newport Jazs Festival 1958, Vol III: Blues in the Night No. 1 1958

Gabbin’ Blues
Big Maybelle
Okeh Records 1952

The House Of Blue Lights Ella Mae Morse Capital Record 1946
I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead (You Rascal You) Duke Robillard BLAST OFF! 2026
King For A Day Blues Van Morrison Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge 2026
Wait A Minute, Baby Eddie Vinson & Jay McShann Jumpin’ The Blues 1969

Talk To Me, Talk To Me
James Brown
Thinking About Little Willie John And A Few Nice Things 1968

Candy
Big Maybelle
Blues, Candy & Big Maybelle 1958

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005

WRFG Route 66 Playlist & Podcast May 10, 2026

WRFG’s Route 66 celebrates a time when blues, jazz, and R&B were on the same
page and, often, in the same song. Our primary focus is on the music of the
Jump Blues Era of the 1940s which blended into the early Rock & Roll Era
of the 1950s, and follow on how those styles and artists have evolved over
the years. We also bring you jazz from the era along with the occasional page
from the Great American Songbook.

Listen to Route 66 Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 A.M. Eastern (U.S.) on
Atlanta’s WRFG 89.3FM. Your independent community radio station is
streaming worldwide over our free mobile app and WRFG.ORG.

Become a WRFG Route 66 Supporter

Follow us on Facebook @ WRFG Route 66 Jumps

Subscribe to our weekly podcast @ MixCloud.Com
You’ll find the podcast for this week at the bottom of this post.

Contact: john.askins@wrfg.org


In honor of this special holiday,
we countdown the top R&B songs in the U.S.
on Mother’s Day 1948 and 1950.

WRFG ROUTE 66 PLAYLIST FOR SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2026

Song
Artist
Original Album or Label & Date

Mad Lad Sir Charles & HIs All Stars Apollo Records 1947

TOP R&B SONGS IN THE U.S. – MOTHER’S DAY 1948

10) Temptation
Earl Bostic
Gotham Records 1948

TIE 8) Come And Get It, Honey
Nellie Lutcher
Capital Records 1948

TIE 8) Good Rockin’ Tonight
Wynonie Harris
King Records 1948

7) Nature Boy
Nat King Cole
Capitol Records 1948

(6TH PLACE BLANK)

(5 – I Want a Bowlegged Woman – Bull Moose Jackson – not played)

4)All My Love Belongs To You
Bull Moose Jackson & His Buffalo Bearcats
King Records 1948

3) Fine Brown Frame
Nellie Lutcher
Capitol Records 1948

2) Tomorrow Night
Lonnie Johnson
King Records 1947

1) King Size Papa
Julia Lee & Her Boy Friends
Capitol Records 1948

Bags Groove Milt Jackson Quartet Wizard of the Vibes 1952
I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water Lou Rawls & Les McCann Ltd Stormy Monday 1962
Every Breath You Take Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orch. Basie Rocks 2025
Saturday Night Fish Fry Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five Decca Records 1950
I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good) Ella Fitzgerald …Ellington Song Book 1958

TOP R&B SONGS IN THE U.S. – MOTHER’S DAY 1950

10) Pink Champagne
Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers
Specialty Records 1950

9) Cry, Cry Baby
Mel Walker & The Blue Notes w/ Johnny Otis
Regent Records 1950

8) Rag Mop
Lionel Hampton
Decca Records 1950

7) Sitting by the Window
Billy Eckstine
MGM Records 1950

6) I Almost Lost My Mind
Ivory Joe Hunter
MGM Records 1950

5) 3 x 7 = 21
Jewel King
Juke Jam Records 1950

4) Double Crossing Blues
The Johnny Otis Quintette w/ The Robins & Little Esther
Savoy Records 1950

3) Information Blues
Roy Milton & His Solid Senders
Specialty Records 1950

2) Mistrusting Blues
Johnny Otis Orchestra w/ Little Esther & Mel Walker
Savoy Records 1950

1) I Need You So
Ivory Joe Hunter
Atlantic Records 1950

Jumpin’ In The Mornin’ Ray Charles Atlantic Records 1953
The Danger Zone Rick Vito Slidemaster 2026
Lover Come Back To Me Dinah Washington Dinah Jams 1954

(sign off)

Tag (You’re It) Little Charlie & The Nightcats Nine Lives 2005