Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies Join our first events back onstage as Prudence Johnson, Dan Chouinard, Adam Granger, Bob Douglas, and I celebrate America’s Independence. Either watch the livestream of our performance in Bayfield, Wisconsin, July 2nd at 7:30 CT (Live only), or come out with blankets and lawn chairs to our 4:00 p.m. show in St. Michael, Minnesota, at the Summerfield Amphitheater (30 minutes north of downtown Minneapolis). LIVESTREAM July 2nd 7:30 p.m. CT >>>
July 4th 4:00 p.m. St. Michael, MN >>>
For St. Michael, use WOBEGON to access special discount |
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What made last Tuesday better than average Back in Minnesota briefly and in the euphoria of returning home to the land of slow talkers, I called up some friends to invite them to supper at a steakhouse. As the submissive husband of a quasi-vegan, my steak opportunities are few and far between, and she happened to still be in New York, giving me a couple days of freedom to hunker down with other cavemen by a blazing fire and hack at the half-raw hunk of animal flesh and speak Middle English...
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SURVEY As Garrison plans his tour routing for this fall, we want to make sure we are able to contact you when we come to your hometown. If you haven't already, please take a moment to fill out this survey. Survey >>> |
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This week on A Prairie Home Companion This week’s classic A Prairie Home Companion show comes to you from Wolf Trap National Park in Vienna, Virginia, as we travel back to 1999 for the season finale featuring guests including classical pianist Garrick Ohlsson, mandolin master Peter Ostroushko, plus The Hopeful Gospel Quartet with Kate MacKenzie, Robin and Linda Williams, and Garrison. Also with us, the Royal Academy of Radio Actors (Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and Tom Keith), and The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band.
Highlights include a comments about Independence Day and “Stars and Stripes Forever,” “Turn the Radio On” from Peter Ostroushko and “Louise” from Pat Donohue, “The Wings of a Dove” and “I’ll Fly Away” by The Hopeful Gospel Quartet, an appearance by Marvin & Mavis Smiley, plus Guy Noir, Rhubarb, “Web-footed Friends,” and the latest news from Lake Wobegon. The link is posted on Saturdays at 5 p.m. CT each week on our Facebook page.
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More about this week’s guests
For every show, we will start on Tuesday of each week to promote Saturday’s classic broadcast. But as a primer, we will publish links to teasers, bios, and videos of the week’s musical guests to whet your appetite to tune in for the show. And who knows, we may even pop in for some live commentary and profiles via the Facebook page.
Garrick Ohlsson was born in White Plains, New York, began studying piano at the age of eight, attended the Westchester Conservatory of Music, and at age 13 entered The Juilliard School. He won the top prizes at the 1966 Busoni Competition in Italy and the 1968 Montreal Piano Competition, and then was propelled into worldwide fame with his 1970 Gold Medal triumph at the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Ohlsson has completed nearly a dozen tours of Poland, where he has become virtually a national hero. The bulk of his 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons was devoted to the complete solo piano works of Chopin, cycles that played to sold-out houses across the nation and were later recorded for Arabesque. In addition to Chopin, Ohlsson’s extensive concerto repertoire includes more than 70 works for piano and orchestra, ranging from Haydn and Mozart to 20th-century masters. An avid chamber musician, Ohlsson has collaborated with noted ensembles including the Cleveland, Emerson, Takacs, and Tokyo String Quartets, and —together with violinist Jorja Fleezanis and cellist Michael Grebanier — is a founding member of the San Francisco-based FOG trio. “Nocturne, OP 27 NO. 1” >>>View available music >>>
The Hopeful Gospel Quartet was formed when four friends discovered their shared interest in gospel music; they were standing around backstage, waiting for one of the Prairie Home Companion shows to begin, and one of them began to sing. The others joined in, and — fast-forward — the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, or the Hopefuls, toured with Chet Atkins and performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, The Universal Amphitheatre, and at The Great Prairie Home Hymn-Sing Festival in Moorhead, Minnesota. The Hopefuls released two albums: Garrison Keillor & the Hopeful Gospel Quartet and Climbing Up on the Rough Side. The members of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet for this show are Kate MacKenzie, Garrison Keillor, and Robin and Linda Williams. “Candle in the Window” >>>Purchase “Climbing Up on the Rough Side” >>> History of the Hopeful Gospel Quartet >>> .
Mandolinist, composer, arranger Peter Ostroushko, who made his first Prairie Home Companion appearance in 1974, grew up listening to tunes played at family get-togethers in the Ukrainian community of northeast Minneapolis. It’s the music that provides the basis for many of his compositions — works that have been performed by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra, among others. Peter won an Emmy for the score of Minnesota: A History of the Land (Twin Cities Public Television). Upon Peter’s passing earlier this year, a compilation of some of his finest performances on A Prairie Home Companion were assembled. His musical legacy will continue for many years. Listen to the compilation >>>View available music >>>
More from Robin and Linda Williams
Robin and Linda Williams have been frequent guests on A Prairie Home Companion since 1976. They have made numerous television appearances on the Nashville Network’s Fire on the Mountain, Nashville Now, and Music City Tonight. The duo has also been heard on other nationwide radio programs, including the Grand Ole Opry, Mountain Stage, and NPR’s All Things Considered. With more than a dozen recordings and three musicals to their credit, they are considered to be among the finest songwriters in the folk-country tradition. That tradition continues as they prepare to release their first self-published CD, called A Better Day A-Coming. We asked them a few questions about the new music.
Tell us a bit about the new CD, which is called A Better Day A-Coming.
We feel we had “the gift of time” for our new CD, A Better Day A-Coming. We recorded it in three sessions, from August 2019 through August 2020, in our living room, with its 10-foot ceilings and plaster walls, with our good friend Kevin McNoldy assisting as co-producer and engineer. Bassist Mark Schatz and multi-instrumentalist David McLaughlin come by the house for the second session, and we sent digital files to our friends Richie Dworsky, Kevin Maul, and Patrick McAvinue and had them add their parts. During the final session, we recorded one last song and began mixing the CD. The “gift of time” was especially important with the mixing and sequencing of the songs. We did most of it by emailing files back and forth, we took our time, and we were able to make sure we were all satisfied with the final product.
How did you go about choosing the songs?
We started by recording eight original songs. Then we added five other songs, three by other songwriters and two from the public domain that we felt we had made ours by developing personal and unique versions.
What is the most personal song on the CD and why?
I’d say it’s probably “The Old Lovers Waltz” since it’s essentially about us and our long marriage. There are several other original songs that are about people we’ve known over the years. Of those, I’d say “We Don’t Know What To Say” would be a close second to “The Old Lovers Waltz” because it’s about a neighbor and a friend.
What is the most exciting part and most challenging part of self-releasing your first album?
One exciting aspect of this record was that our living room sounded so doggone good, as good as some high-priced studios we’ve recorded in. Another exciting aspect is the strength of the performances. Everything is in good pitch and in good time and the recording has good energy and solid dynamics.
The most challenging part of the CD has been the postproduction work. This is our first self-release and now we know how diligent the record companies had to be in dealing with the mountains of minutiae involved in getting a CD out to the public. Talk about teaching old dogs new tricks! We’ve learned a lot, and we wouldn’t have gotten through it without a lot of help from our musician and music-business friends who freely shared their knowledge.
Robin and Linda Williams have agreed to sign all copies of the new CD that are ordered through their store. Read the full Guest Interview >>>Listen to “A Better Day A-Coming” >>>Purchase A Better Day A-Coming >>> |
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"MacKenzie Adkins" featuring Kate MacKenzie
Kate MacKenzie was lead singer of Stoney Lonesome for many years, and with them she recorded six bluegrass albums, toured Europe, Japan, and North America, and was featured in the public television series Showcase and the Nashville Network’s Fire on the Mountain. With the Hopeful Gospel Quartet, she recorded a live album from Carnegie Hall, performed at folk festivals in Scotland and Denmark, and was featured on PBS’ Austin City Limits. MacKenzie’s work with A Prairie Home Companion included co-host roles on several broadcasts, coast-to-coast tours, farewell and reunion shows, 20 Disney Channel television broadcasts, the 1993 Book of Guys tour, and a recurring dramatic role as Sheila, the Christian Jungle girl.
After a 20-year recording hiatus, Kate MacKenzie returns in fine form with the group MacKenzie Adkins and demonstrates that she truly has a voice that bluegrass misses! From Dylan to Greg Brown, she proves she can still sing any song. Get the CD >>>Read our guest interview >>> |
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Climbing Up On the Rough Side |
The second audio recording by the Hopeful Gospel Quartet —Robin and Linda Williams, Kate MacKenzie, and Garrison Keillor –– is old-time gospel singing at its best. Recorded live during broadcasts of Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, it features instrumentals by Butch Thompson, Chet Atkins, and others.
Tracks: - Climbing Up On the Rough Side
- He Knows How Much We Can Bear
- Life Is a Ball Game
- Calling My Children Home
- How Great Thou Art
- I Am a Pilgrim
- Take Me in Your Lifeboat
- Touch of the Past
- Count Your Blessings
- Just a Closer Walk With Thee
- Long As I Can See the Light
- How I Got Over / Bid You Goodnight
Listen to “Long As I Can See the Light” >>>Get the CD >>> |
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