A Bayou Boogie from 2003
Featuring Marcia Ball and Jearlyn Steele
A Prairie Home Companion 50th Anniversary Tour heads to Texas
Galveston, TX — February 23, 2024
Austin, TX — February 25, 2024 (NEED LINK)
The APHC 50th Anniversary Tour leads up to the half-century milestone in the summer of 2024. On February 23rd, Garrison and his rollicking troupe will be in Galveston, TX and on February 25th, they travel to Austin, TX. Joining them are singers Heather Masse and Christine DiGiallonardo. The Royal Academy of Actors (Tim Russell, Sue Scott, and sound-effects wizard Fred Newman) will be there, along with music director/keyboardist Richard Dworsky leading the band.
Join us for a great evening to help celebrate the old show! Get tickets!
The Back Room
Have you checked out the Back Room of Garrison’s Substack page? It’s where you will find two weekly columns with his comments on everyday life. You’ll also find his Post to the Host, where you can make a comment or ask question, and his answers are published on Mondays. There are excerpts from books, manuscripts, and letters that may or may not have been previously available, plus the News from Lake Wobegon, episodes of Comedy College dedicated to the works of our finest humorists, highlights from recent Prairie Home shows. Our latest addition is a monthly limerick contest, so if that tickles your fancy, give The Back Room a try. Check it out below.
Listen to the October 4, 2003 show
This classic was performed live from St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater, with bayou piano queen Marcia Ball as our musical guest. Jearlyn Steele brought her vocal and thespian talents to the stage. Barb and Jim were transfixed by a new gated community, Guy Noir helped a local rapper find her car, and “George Bush” made another appearance on our show.
Highlights include a few duets by Garrison and Jearlyn Steele, including “In the Garden.” From Peter Ostroushko, “Radke’s Reel,” an ode about baseball and Twins pitcher Brad Radke, plus the beautiful “When the Last Morning Glory Blooms.” There’s a rocking version of “So Many Rivers to Cross” and “Give Me a Chance” from Marcia Ball, plus Duct Tape, Guy Noir, and the News from Lake Wobegon. Click the link to listen now or join us via our social media pages on Saturday evenings at 5 p.m. CT.
Marcia Ball
Over a five-decade career, Texas-born, Louisiana-raised Marcia Ball has amassed a huge following with her infectious, intelligent, emotional brand of Southern boogie, rollicking roadhouse blues, and heartfelt ballads. In 2010, she was inducted into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame; in 2012, into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. She has appeared in several movies and television specials and continues to record and tour the country spreading the blues.
Jearlyn Steele
Growing up in Indiana, Jearlyn Steele sang with her siblings as The Steele Children. One by one, they moved to Minnesota and started singing together again. Now music is the family business. Jearlyn also hosts Steele Talkin’, a Sunday-night radio show that originates on WCCO in Minneapolis.
Peter Ostroushko
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). Peter passed away in 2021, and the compilation below featured many of his live performances over the years on A Prairie Home Companion.
This week’s classic show features Garrison’s memorable song about Republicans. And being that it is an election season, how could we not share his words from 2003? If you are half of the population that enjoys this bit of satire, the sheet music is available so you can play it for all your friends.
We’re all Republicans now
We’ve all come around somehow
He’s not all that bright
But his heart is right
We’re all Republicans now
Maybe you think we are nuts.
But we believe in tax cuts.
Cut ’em and cut ’em and then cut some more,
If you pay five percent, then you ought to pay four.
If you pay four percent, let’s make it three.
We’ll give you a discount like you wouldn’t believe.
We’re Republicans,
We’re Republicans,
We’re all Republicans now.
That Time of Year by Garrison Keillor
“That Time of Year is a major work: a thoroughgoing portrait of its artist as both a young man and a somewhat sad but grateful oldster. Each period of Keillor’s life is recounted, frequently in novelistic detail, with humor and humility.” —Washington Examiner
Garrison has been fairly productive and focused on his writing since retiring in 2016 from the weekly grind of putting together the radio show. That Time of Year was released in softcover early this year. It tells the story of his life and recounts many of the moments that make Prairie Home special to so many listeners. Get the book or the recorded version of his memoir.
American Duct Tape Council Wood Sign
Who can live without duct Tape? It truly is what holds America together since it can fix nearly everything as exemplified by all the humorous sketches you have heard over the years on the show. These signs are modeled after vintage advertising signs — the screen-printed wood re-creation is great for any office, den, or family room. Get the sign.
Also available are a few other unique wood signs.
Personalized Lake Wobegon Sign
Commercial Radio (1 CD)
Over Prairie Home’s almost 50-year history, fans have asked for many of the humorous sponsor ads that have aired on the show. Powdermilk Biscuits — always a favorite — but many others are popular, including Lutheran Air, the American Duct Tape Council (ad heard above), Fred Farrell’s Animal Calls, Cafe Boeuf, and Guy’s Shoes, among many others. This is the only recording of these sponsor ads (thirty of them!). Get the CDs or download.