Welcome! brothers and sisters to Episode #8—of the Cornbread Cafe. I am the mongrel, and I’ll be back in the kitchen today cooking up a sampler platter of the best from a sprawling menu of American Roots music. Cazh and cozy, we’re located at the five-corners of Blues, Americana, Folk, Country, and Gospel. And you can sometimes catch an express to Rock ’n’ Roll at the bus stop across the way. *

Virginia taught me love, it taught me heartache, but most importantly it taught me that a home away from home can exist. These songs represent an incredible time of personal growthTanya Gallagher

Featured in this Episode:Tanya Gallagher • “3002 Miles” (explicit lyrics) • VirginaKate Lush • “Good Good Love” • Let It FlyThe Suitcase Junket • “Swamp Chicken” • Pile Driver Bumper Jacksons • “Corina Corina” • I’ve Never Met a StrangerFaint Peter • “Texas” • RedoubtBirds of Chicago • “Etoile d’Amour (Stardust)” • American Flowers

You know, somebody asked me the other day what makes this podcast any different, or any better than, the radio. Now I don’t know if the Cornbread Cafe is better than radio—I mean, I grew up listening to some of the last great mainstream radio out there, when stations would play an entire new album commercial free late at night, and thousands of teenagers would have their fingers on play and record with a brand new 90-minute CrO2 in the deck, back when we spent Saturday night with Dr. Demento, Sunday morning we ate Breakfast with the Beatles and Sunday night was for headphones, high volume, and the King Biscuit Flower Hour, with Bill Minkin. And if you haven’t heard either of those shows I have good news for you. Episodes of the King Biscuit programs are archived online and Dr. Demento is STILL doing his musical funny business every Saturday night through his websites.

Tanya Gallagher