Back where it all began & Chicago

the 40th Anniversary Celebration with a host of guests

Chicago Bound!

Thanks to everyone who joined us in person or via LIVESTREAM as the old show returned home to the Fitzgerald Theater. It was a special time and this is what Garrison wished to share about the weekend:

“Remarkable that anyone can have such a good time as my family had the past few days in St. Paul. I got to sing with Heather Masse and Christine DiGiallonardo, three shows, seven or eight songs per show, in a tight triangle, three-part harmony, and Jenny and Maia got to hang out backstage and after the Sunday show we went to dinner with Heather, Christine and Ross, Fred and Katie, and we laughed and laughed for a couple hours. And me, the Calvinist, was the host. Wow. Remarkable. Thanks to the audience, which was no casual bunch of onlookers. These were fanatics. The Fitzgerald was electric. I don't exaggerate. Now we must resume ordinary life and do our laundry and pay bills and remember our PIN numbers. But thanks to all who made it possible.”

Now, onward to Chicago for a 50th Anniversary celebration at the Chicago Theatre on Sunday. Join us! Wondering what to expect? Read the Star Tribune review of Saturday’s show.

Then join Garrison to ring in his 82nd birthday with about two weeks of solo shows. View ALL Events.

Listen to the July 5, 2014, show

Everyone is riding high and still feeling the energy of the Fitzgerald crowd, so we are sticking with the anniversary theme with this week’s classic show. We’re revisiting the 40th Anniversary of the very first show at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, which featured a special three-hour live broadcast as part of a three-day festival. We’ll have a host of rock ’n’ roll, blues, folk, soul, and country musicians on hand, plus, a few big sing-alongs, the Old Regulars of the Powdermilk Biscuit Band, Royal Academy of Radio Actors, an extra-wide version of The Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band, and the latest News from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show.

About Our Guest Performers (Just a few of the more than 40 guests):

Iris DeMent was born on the Arkansas Delta and grew up in California, the youngest of 14 children. Her dad played fiddle; her mother dreamed of singing on the Grand Ole Opry. For a family that saw its share of hard times, music was a necessity of life, not just a pastime. Since launching her career in the early 1990s, Iris has become one of the most celebrated artists of her generation. Joining Iris are bassist Dave Jacques and Jonathan Graboff on pedal steel.

With a little luck and a whole lot of talent, Old Crow Medicine Show went from playing their slash-and-burn brand of old-time music on the streets of Boone, North Carolina, to bringing down the house at the Grand Ole Opry. Now based in Nashville, Grammy winners and Grand Ole Opry inductees Critter Fuqua, Kevin Hayes, Morgan Jahnig, Gill Landry, Chance McCoy, Ketch Secor, and Cory Younts are bringing audiences to their feet coast to coast and then some.

Gillian Welch grew up in Los Angeles, where her musical parents wrote for The Carol Burnett Show. In the early 1990s, she met Dave Rawlings at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, while the two were students waiting to audition for the country-band class. Over the past decades, they have built highly successful careers as singers and songwriters, individually and as a duo.

More Video:

So many guests graced the PHC stage over the weekend, and here is a nice little spot on You Tube where you can watch other highlights. Watch and enjoy!

About the Sponsors:

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The 40th Anniversary Collection

A collection of highlights from America’s favorite live radio show, with over 85 tracks (five hours) of the finest performances from the vast archives of A Prairie Home Companion, including material from the 40th Anniversary celebration itself.

Since A Prairie Home Companion first went on the air, July 6, 1974, a steady stream of great musicians has crossed its stage — Chet Atkins, Greg Brown, Emmylou Harris, The Everly Brothers, Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, Peter Ostroushko, The Wailin’ Jennys, Robin and Linda Williams, Iris DeMent, Willie Nelson, Odetta, Doc Watson, Jean Redpath — plus the radio detective Guy Noir, sound-effects artists Tom Keith and Fred Newman, and the good people of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. An all-star roster of favorite performers joined thousands of fans to celebrate the 40th anniversary on the lawn of Macalester College in St. Paul, a stone’s throw from the hall where the first broadcast was made. This, the most comprehensive collection ever of highlights from America’s favorite live radio show, includes a souvenir booklet featuring rare photos and an essay by Garrison Keillor. Get the CD or download.

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