August Programs

Spokane Public Radio | By John Johnson

Published August 2, 2017 at 12:30 PM PDT

August 5, 2017
Little Walter
A tribute to harmonica player and vocalist Little Walter, a man often called the Charlie Parker of blues harp and a mainstay of Muddy Water's classic 1950's band.

August 12, 2017
Milk from the Tree
Female vocal folk and singer-songwriters from 1966 to 1973 including Sandy Denny, Judee Sill, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Jackie Deshannon.

August 19, 2017
Grateful Dead's Best Month Ever
A kickoff of a multi-part series sampling the Dead's live shows in May, 1977. We start tonight in the Northeast with examples from New Haven, Boston, and Ithaca, with the seven piece lineup in full flight.

August 26, 2017
Tony Bennett
SPR's record and video sale guru Bill Wright with a career overview of a master vocal stylist.

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John Johnson

When asked where he draws his inspiration for Johnson’s Improbable History of Pop, John had this to say, “I write and produce based on my interest in all forms of popular music. I've been listening to this "stuff" since in pre-school.” That seems to work well for John, who’s produced 625 shows since 1995. The show evolved out of an idea John had in December ’93. He did a few specials and the concept eventually gelled into the JIHOP of today. Outside of the studio, John recently retired from Boeing and enjoys golf, jogging and radio, especially the Saturday night lineup on KPBX. He and his wife Melinda have two daughters Korissa and Alicia, and 3 grandchildren.

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