Also From California Report
A window into health in California.
The California Report | Friday, Apr 06, 2012, 4:30 PM
California Songs: Homer Joy's 'Streets of Bakersfield'
Bakersfield stars in a new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, called the "The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard and California Country." Buck Owens helped put Bakersfield on the country music map. Later, a song about the city and its dusty streets helped Owens restart his career. But Buck Owens didn't write "Streets of Bakersfield." We hear from the original songwriter about how the song came about, and how he got it recorded back in 1972.
The California Report | Friday, Mar 23, 2012, 4:30 PM
California Songs: I See Hawks in L.A.'s 'Bohemian Highway'
Los Angeles alt-country band I See Hawks in L.A. just released their fifth album "New Kind of Lonely," which features several songs about the Golden State. We sat down with two members, guitarist Paul Lacques and singer Rob Waller, to talk about their song "Bohemian Highway."
The California Report | Friday, Mar 16, 2012, 4:30 PM
California Songs: Mason Jennings' 'California (Part II)'
Singer-songwriter Mason Jennings grew up in Pittsburg and now lives in Minnesota, but two of the songs on his debut album in 1997 were about the Golden State. Jennings told us the song "California (Part II)" was inspired by a road trip he took to Northern California in his twenties.
The California Report | Friday, Jan 13, 2012, 4:30 PM
California Songs: Moonsville Collective's 'Califia'
The notion of California as a promised land has inspired many artists. Corey Adams and his group Moonsville Collective explore romantic legends about the state in their music. We continue our California Songs series with "Califia."
The California Report | Friday, Dec 09, 2011, 4:30 PM
California Songs: Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land'
Chuck Berry is widely admired as one of rock 'n' roll's pioneers. He's best-known for hits like "Johnny B. Goode." But another song, "Promised Land," chronicles a journey Berry made to California from Virginia after serving time in prison. We talk to Berry's biographer Bruce Pegg about the tune's back story.
The California Report | Friday, Oct 14, 2011, 4:30 PM
California Songs: El Vez's 'En El Barrio'
El Vez -- the Mexican Elvis from Southern California -- is much more than an impersonator. He's a character that's equal parts Presley swagger, wry comedian, glam-rock showman and Latino activist. That's particularly evident in "En El Barrio," his late-80s take on the Elvis tune "In The Ghetto."
The California Report | Friday, Sep 30, 2011, 4:30 PM
California Songs: John Vanderslice's 'Tule Fog'
Our "California Songs" series on music inspired by the Golden State continues with San Francisco-based singer and songwriter John Vanderslice. He tells us the story behind his song, "Tule Fog."
The California Report | Friday, Jul 15, 2011, 4:30 PM
California Songs: Cracker's 'Big Dipper'
The wooden roller coaster on the Santa Cruz boardwalk is a magnet for families, kids and teenagers on dates. It also inspired musician David Lowery's song "Big Dipper." Lowery studied mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, and "Big Dipper" appears on the album titled "The Golden Age" released in 1996 with his band Cracker. Lowery tells us the story behind the music.
The California Report | Friday, May 27, 2011, 4:30 PM
California Songs: John Doe's 'The Golden State'
We continue our "California Songs" series with musician John Doe. He may be best known as a founding member of the heralded L.A. punk band X and their country offshoot the Knitters. But he's also an actor, and has released seven solo albums. Doe spoke with us about the romance behind his song, "The Golden State."
The California Report | Friday, May 13, 2011, 4:30 PM
California Songs: 'Oh California!'
For this installment of "California Songs," we reach back to before California was even a state. Karen Arlen is a musician and a retired classroom music teacher who co-founded a group which researches, performs and distributes the traditional music of early California. Arlen gives us the back story about a song called "Oh California!" that became the unofficial theme song of the gold rush in 1849.
