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Johnson's Improbable History of Pop
Saturdays 7:00-8:00 p.m. on SPR News

John Johnson conducts a tour of the obscure world of early rock and pop music. The 95% of records that never got commercial airtime have a home, Johnson’s Improbable History of Pop features those artists who fell through the commercial cracks.

  • Career highlights from a pair of major 1960's and 70's female country stars with an emphasis on their impressive skills with honky tonk material.
  • Guests Curran Dempsey and Roger Costello from popular Spokane hard rock band of 1980's and 90's share inside stories and samples from the group's debut album.
  • Tribute to small custom label in Cleveland's Mount Pleasant neighborhood run for more than forty years by husband and wife team of Thomas and Louise Boddie. They recorded close to 1000 customers in a home made studio built in a converted dairy in back of their family home.
  • Original members Chad Mitchell and Mike Kobluk visited our studios in 2008 and discussed their long running career. We'll discuss their start as Gonzaga students and rapid rise to early 1960's stardom as part of the folk music boom.
  • Northwest music pioneer interviewed in 2013 in her adopted hometown of Soap Lake. She discusses her long career, started when she'd sneak out as a teenager to watch jazz bands at a club on Elliot Bay in Seattle's Ballard district.
  • We'll play highlights from discoveries at last week's annual SPR Record Sale. You'll mainly hear 45 rpm singles from a wide swath of performers and genres.
  • Vintage 1970's & 80's indie pop from some of our region's favorite lounge acts. A glimpse into an earlier era where genres were blended into a larger whole.
  • Highlights from recent releases in compilation series overseen by Bob Stanley of British alt/dance band Saint Etienne.
  • Spokane guitarist shares samples from his eclectic recording career.
  • Darcy Caputo of Spokane's Finn Boy Books and Records makes his fifth appearance on the show with a curated selection of indie Northwest femme pop circa 1998-2020.