Tent Show Radio Tent Show Radio

On this episode of Tent Show Radio, experience the show that started it all as Big Top's famed house band the Blue Canvas Orchestra present Riding The Wind.

Created in 1985 by Warren Nelson and Betty Ferris, “Riding The Wind” was the first show performed on the Big Top Stage and 38 years later it remains a season highlight.

Ride the winds of time as you experience "illuminated musical history" of Bayfield and the Island Environs, with secrets of Red Cliff and Old LaPointe. Original music, evocative story-telling, and spectacular visuals lead you through a journey with lighthouse keepers, the Ojibwe, dreamers and schemers, voyageurs, fishermen, and more. Warren Nelson's original songs from this show have become classics. Come see it with friends for the first time or as so many have done, see and hear it again and again and again. Riding the Wind never loses its magic.
 
 
 
EPISODE CREDITS
Michael Perry - Host
Phillip Anich - Announcer
Matt Jugeinhemer - Engineer
Gina Nagro - Marketing Support
 
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FOLLOW HOST MICHAEL PERRY
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2024 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/   
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Kylmala Truss - https://www.kylmalatruss.com/


SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/ 

On this episode of Tent Show Radio, the critically acclaimed, chart-topping, international outfit Gaelic Storm bring their unique, high-energy Celtic sound to the Big Top stage.

It’s hard to imagine Gaelic Storm coming into its own after 20 years of success, but that’s precisely what makes the group a true anomaly. Founded in 1996, the band’s first major career breakthrough arrived before they had even recorded their first album. Appearing as the "steerage band" entertaining passengers with “An Irish Party in Third Class” in James Cameron's massive 1997 blockbuster Titanic, Gaelic Storm were widely embraced by audiences when they released their self-titled debut album a year later.

Led by founding members Patrick Murphy and Steve Twigger, the acclaimed multi-national Celtic juggernaut grows stronger with each live performance, and as you can imagine, after two decades and over 2000 shows (13 of which have been on the Big Top stage), it is a true force to be reckoned with. With their energetic mix of Irish and Scottish traditional fare, drinking songs, and playful original material they have developed a fanatic and well-diversified fan base. Country Music fans adore their storytelling, Bluegrass fans love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love their devotion to tradition, and rock fans simply relish the passion they have for their instruments.

Throughout their multi-decade career, Gaelic Storm has amassed more than 250 million streams, racked up numerous Top 10 spots on the Billboard World Charts, and released 13 studio albums including How Are We Getting Home?, Bring Yer Wellies, and What’s The Rumpus. With their most recent release Go Climb A Tree, their music has never sounded more representative of themselves as musicians and as live performers. In addition to Murphy and Twigger, the band features percussionist Ryan Lacey, piper Peter Purvis, and fiddle player Natalya Kay.
 
 
EPISODE CREDITS
Michael Perry - Host
Phillip Anich - Announcer
Jaime Hansen - Engineer
Gina Nagro - Marketing Support
 
FOLLOW BIG TOP CHAUTAUQUA
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FOLLOW HOST MICHAEL PERRY
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2024 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/   
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Kylmala Truss - https://www.kylmalatruss.com/


SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/ 

On this episode of Tent Show Radio, we pay tribute to the late John Prine with highlights of some of his best performances under the Big Top.

One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters of his generation, John Prine was a master storyteller whose work was often witty and always heartfelt, frequently offering a sly but sincere reflection of his Midwestern roots, writing about the lives of ordinary people in a remarkable and perceptive way. While Prine's songs were most often rooted in folk and country flavors, he was no stranger to rock & roll, R&B, and rockabilly, and could readily adapt his rough but expressive voice to his musical surroundings.

Prine's self-titled debut album, released in 1971, was widely regarded as an instant classic and featured some his best-known songs, including "Sam Stone," "Hello in There," "Paradise," and "Illegal Smile," while 1972's Diamonds in the Rough was considered nearly as strong. 1978's Bruised Orange was a low-key return to the tone of his debut, and 1979's Pink Cadillac was a tribute to his love of rockabilly and first-generation rock & roll.

In the 1980s, Prine broke away from the major labels to form his own label, Oh Boy Records, and working at his own pace and following his own inclinations, he produced a handful of fine and idiosyncratic albums, including 1991's The Missing Years, the 1999 duets collection In Spite of Ourselves, and 2018's graceful finale The Tree of Forgiveness. The Tree of Forgiveness was a critical and commercial success, rising to number five on the Top 200 albums chart, peaking at number two on the Country Albums chart, and going all the way to number one on the Folk albums chart. The Tree of Forgiveness would prove to be Prine's last hurrah; he died on April 7, 2020, from complications of the COVID-19 virus at 73 years old.




EPISODE CREDITS
Michael Perry - Host
Phillip Anich - Announcer
Jaime Hansen - Engineer
Gina Nagro - Marketing Support


FOLLOW BIG TOP CHAUTAUQUA
https://www.facebook.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.instagram.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.tiktok.com/@bigtopchautauqua
https://twitter.com/BigBlueTent


FOLLOW HOST MICHAEL PERRY
https://sneezingcow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sneezingcow
https://www.instagram.com/sneezingcow/
https://twitter.com/sneezingcow/


2024 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/   
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Kylmala Truss - https://www.kylmalatruss.com/


SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/ 

On this episode of Tent Show Radio, enjoy masterful musicianship and quick-witted humor from Grammy Award winners Riders In The Sky!

Regarded as one of the “most historically significant acts in the history of American music” by Billboard magazine, the GRAMMY award-winning quartet of Ranger Doug, Woody Paul, Too Slim, and Joey the Cowpolka King, have kept the heritage of Western music alive as they have entertained audiences across the world for more than 40 years. Riders In The Sky kick off each performance with their trademark greeting, “Mighty fine and a great big Western ‘Howdy,’ all you buckaroos and buckarettes,” their live shows showcase each player’s masterful musicianship with an added dose of broad, quick-witted humor as they pay tribute to the classic cowboy songs of the 1930s and ‘40s.

Since their start in 1977, Riders In The Sky have released more than 40 albums, starred in the anthology television series “Tumbleweed Theater,” wrote and starred in their NPR syndicated radio program “Riders Radio Theater,” hosted their own children’s program on CBS, and have made more than 7,000 appearances all over the world. The Grand Ole Opry and Western Music Hall of Fame inductees have become well-known to new generations for their work with Disney & Pixar, notably their tune “Woody’s Roundup” from Toy Story 2 and the full-length GRAMMY award-winning companion albums for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc.
 
 
EPISODE CREDITS
Michael Perry - Host
Phillip Anich - Announcer
Gina Nagro - Marketing Support
 
FOLLOW BIG TOP CHAUTAUQUA
https://www.facebook.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.instagram.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.tiktok.com/@bigtopchautauqua
https://twitter.com/BigBlueTent


FOLLOW HOST MICHAEL PERRY
https://sneezingcow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sneezingcow
https://www.instagram.com/sneezingcow/
https://twitter.com/sneezingcow/


2024 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/   
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Kylmala Truss - https://www.kylmalatruss.com/


SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/ 

On this episode of Tent Show Radio, enjoy a thrilling hour of music from South Africa’s Five Time Grammy Award winning singing group, Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Called South Africa’s Cultural Ambassadors to the World by Nelson Mandela, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, was founded in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala, then a teenage Zulu farm boy living on the lands just outside the small town of Ladysmith. In 1970, a radio broadcast of one of their concerts opened the door to their first record contract. Singing a traditional style called isicathamiya (is-cot-a-ME-Ya), developed in the mines of South Africa, they collaborated with Paul Simon, incorporating their rich harmonies into the Graceland album (1986) – a landmark recording considered seminal in introducing World Music to mainstream audiences.

The group would go on to record with Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Sarah McLachlan, Josh Groban, Emmylou Harris and many others. They provided music for many movies, have appeared on Broadway and were even the subjects of a documentary film, On Tip Toe: The Story of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Their historic recording career includes over seventy albums, earning nineteen Grammy Award nominations and five Grammy Award wins, more than any other World Music group. They earned Grammys for their albums: Shaka Zulu (1988), Raise Your Spirit Higher (2004), Ilembe (2009), Singing For Peace Around the World (2013) and most recently Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30 Year Anniversary Celebration (2017).
 
 
EPISODE CREDITS
Michael Perry - Host
Phillip Anich - Announcer
Gina Nagro - Marketing Support
 
FOLLOW BIG TOP CHAUTAUQUA
https://www.facebook.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.instagram.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.tiktok.com/@bigtopchautauqua
https://twitter.com/BigBlueTent


FOLLOW HOST MICHAEL PERRY
https://sneezingcow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sneezingcow
https://www.instagram.com/sneezingcow/
https://twitter.com/sneezingcow/


2024 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/   
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Kylmala Truss - https://www.kylmalatruss.com/


SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/ 

On this episode of Tent Show Radio, experience a high voltage hour of countrified rock & roll as Wisconsin bred band Them Coulee Boys play tunes from their album Namesake.

Them Coulee Boys craft a brand of Americana that blends folk, punk, bluegrass, and rock & roll. They sing their conversational songs in 4-part harmony, often with a banjo stomp and rhythm section punch that drives the audience onto the dance floor and into community. Their trusty van has propelled them thousands of miles across the country and into the hearts of strangers, who tend to leave each show as family.

Soren Staff and Beau Janke, who both grew up amidst a stretch of glacial melt-carved river valleys in the upper Midwest, and more often than not could be found with an instrument in hand, became fast friends and formed their electric music partnership, after having met as counselors at a bible camp in northern Wisconsin in 2011. The duo played their first gigs as the rough-around-the-edges folk/rock/Americana outfit Them Coulee Boys in 2013. The additions of Jens Staff on mandolin, Neil Kraus on guitar & bass, and Stas Hable on drums helped to grow the band into the rollicking outfit it is today.

With three full-length albums and an EP behind them, including 2019’s Die Happy, they released their fourth studio album Namesake in 2021. The new album feels familial, like old friends with no need for small talk. There are moments of power and punch, balanced with an intimacy only felt between the ones we love. The ten-song collection spans from pure and genuine ballads to a leaping, countrified take on rock and roll. Namesake finds Them Coulee Boys following a new trajectory, combining their signature take on folk-grass and Americana with comfort on electric instruments and playing rock and roll. The record lives and breathes. It’s both intimate and bombastic.
 
 
EPISODE CREDITS
Michael Perry - Host
Phillip Anich - Announcer
Matt Jugeinhemer - Engineer
Gina Nagro - Marketing Support
 
FOLLOW BIG TOP CHAUTAUQUA
https://www.facebook.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.instagram.com/bigtopchautauqua/
https://www.tiktok.com/@bigtopchautauqua
https://twitter.com/BigBlueTent


FOLLOW HOST MICHAEL PERRY
https://sneezingcow.com/
https://www.facebook.com/sneezingcow
https://www.instagram.com/sneezingcow/
https://twitter.com/sneezingcow/


2024 TENT SHOW RADIO SPONSORS
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.visitashland.com/   
Bayfield Chamber and Visitor Bureau - https://www.bayfield.org/ 
Bayfield County Tourism - https://www.bayfieldcounty.wi.gov/150/Tourism 
The Bayfield Inn - https://bayfieldinn.com/ 
Cable Area Chamber of Commerce - https://www.cable4fun.com/ 
Kylmala Truss - https://www.kylmalatruss.com/


SPECIAL THANKS
Wisconsin Public Radio - https://www.wpr.org/