There’s a new tribute album out, celebrating the music of country renaissance troubadour Roger Miller. Produced by his son Dean it’s a fully formed varietal that, as Rolling Stone magazine critic Stephen Betts notes, features a dazzling lineup after being beset by repeated delays since 2015. Miller was an extraordinary songwriter with offbeat humor, part Hank Williams, part Will Rogers, and a poet of the uncommon whose song King of the Road “was positively average compared to his other oddball compositions, including Dang Me, Chug-a-Lug, and You Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd” as Betts goes on to point out. Our show features tracks from the album, some other notable covers of Roger Miller’s music, and, of course, some wacky, some tame originals from Roger himself.
| No. | Artist | Title | Album | Buy |
|---|
| 1 | Asleep at the Wheel | Chug-A-Lug (feat. Huey Lewis) | King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller |  |
| 2 | Roger Miller | Dad Blame Anything A Man Can't Quit | King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD2) | |
| 3 | Doug Kershaw | You Don't Want My Love | The Best Of Doug Kershaw | |
| 4 | Ernest Tubb | Half a Mind | Ernest Tubb: The Definitive Collection | |
| 5 | Faron Young | A World So Full of Love | The Complete Capitol Hits of Faron Young (2 of 2) | |
| 6 | Emmylou Harris; Rodney Crowell | Invitation to the Blues | Old Yellow Moon | |
| 7 | George Jones | Tall Tall Trees | George Jones The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection | |
| 8 | Roger Miller | Tall, Tall Trees | King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD3) | |
| 9 | Roger Miller | My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died | The Complete Smash-Mercury Singles | |
| 10 | Charley Pride | Billy Bayou | 20 Classics | |
| 11 | Jim Reeves | Home | Essential Jim Reeves | |
| 12 | Roger Miller | Little Green Apples | All Time Greatest Hits | |
| 13 | Bill Kirchen | Husbands and Wives (Album) | Word To The Wise | |
| 14 | Roger Miller/Willie Nelson | Husbands and Wives | Old Friends/Funny How Time Slips Away | |
| 15 | Willie Nelson | Old Friends | One Hell Of A Ride | |
| 16 | Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson & Merle Haggard | Old Friends | King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller | |
| 17 | Patsy Cline | When Your House Is Not A Home [Radio Transcription] | The Patsy Cline Collection [Disc 2] | |
| 18 | Little Jimmy Dickens | When Your House Is Not A Home | Four Classic Albums Plus Singles 1954-1962 | |
| 19 | Merle Haggard | Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go | Chicago Wind | |
| 20 | Ray Price | Invitation To The Blues | Columbia Country Classics Volume 2: Honky Tonk Heroes | |
| 21 | Jon Rauhouse | Pardon This Coffin | The Executioners Last Songs, Volume 3 | |
| 22 | Roger Miller | King Of The Road | The Best Of : Vol 2 | |
| 23 | Dick Curless | King of the Road | A Tombstone Every Mile (7CD Set) CD4 (1950-1969) | |
| 24 | Roger Miller | Kansas City Star | The Best Of : Vol 2 | |
| 25 | Kacey Musgraves | Kansas City Star | King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller | |
| 26 | Roger Miller | Dang Me | King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD1) | |
| 27 | Willie Nelson | When Two Worlds Collide | Old Friends/Funny How Time Slips Away | |
| 28 | Alison Krauss | You Oughta Be Here With Me / I've Been a Long Time Leaving (feat. The Cox Family) | King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller | |
| 29 | Alison Krauss | River In The Rain | Windy City | |
| 30 | Roger Miller | Where Have All The Average People Gone | King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD3) | |
| 31 | Roger Miller | Hoppy's Gone | The Best Of : Vol 2 | |
| 32 | The Dead South | One Dying And A Burying | King Of The Road: A Tribute To Roger Miller [Disc 2] | |
| 33 | Nick Lowe | Old Toy Trains | Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection For All The Family | |
| 34 | Roger Miller | (The Day I Jumped) From Uncle Harvey's Plane | The Best Of : Vol 2 | |
Yip Harburg was a songmaker. He was part of a select few in the early to mid-century who found their calling as lyricists, writing words that transformed music to story and story to film and Broadway spectacles. We could gloss over his contributions by simply saying “he’s the guy who wrote Over The Rainbow or April in Paris or Brother, Can You Spare a Dime”. But his career was more than that. It’s no secret that Yip’s politics were carefully crafted in song. The phrases “honky-tonk parade” and “Barnum and Bailey world” were veiled criticisms of the “phony as it can be” corporate and political leadership in America, written by a freethinking, socially conscious lyricist. Our show today will honor some of his best songs and include interview excerpts featuring both Yip and his son, Ernie.
| No. | Artist | Title | Album | Buy |
|---|
| 1 | The George Shearing Quintet And Orchestra | What Is There To Say | White Satin Black Satin | |
| 2 | Anita O'Day | Old Devil Moon | Anita Sings The Most | |
| 3 | Frank Sinatra | It's Only A Paper Moon | Swing And Dance With Frank Sinatra | |
| 4 | Peggy Lee | Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe | The Best of Miss Peggy Lee [Bonus DVD] Disc 1 | |
| 5 | Martha Tilton | How Are Things In Glocca Morra? | The Liltin' Miss Tilton [Disc 2] | |
| 6 | Nellie Lutcher | April In Paris | Nellie Lutcher & Her Rhythm [Disc 2] | |
| 7 | Lena Horne | Ain't It The Truth | Lena Horne: A Musical Anthology | |
| 8 | Lena Horne | Then I'll Be Tired of You | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 9 | Nat King Cole Trio | Then I'll Be Tired Of You | The Nat King Cole Trio: The Complete Capitol Transcription Sessions [Disc 3] | |
| 10 | Ella Logan | How Are Things in Glocca Morra? | The Best of Broadway: The Late '40s | |
| 11 | Ray Bolger | If I Only Had A Brain | The Wizard Of Oz | |
| 12 | Groucho Marx & Bing Crosby | Lydia The Tattooed Lady | The Marx Brothers Greatest Hits | |
| 13 | Ella Logan | When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 14 | Judy Garland | Over The Rainbow | That's Entertainment! The Best Of The MGM Musicals | |
| 15 | Judy Garland | We're Off To See The Wizard | The Wizard Of Oz | |
| 16 | David Wayne | When I'm Not Near the Girl I Love | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 17 | Don Francks & Petula Clark | Old Devil Moon – Finian's Rainbow | Warner Bros.: 75 Years Of Film Music – Songs (3) | |
| 18 | Dinah Washington | Look To The Rainbow | Smoke Gets In Your Eyes [Disc 2] | |
| 19 | Carmen McRae | The Eagle and Me | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 20 | Blossom Dearie | Down With Love | Once Upon A Summertime | |
| 21 | Jeri Southern | Down with Love | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 22 | Dean Martin | I'm Yours | Late at Night with Dean Martin | |
| 23 | Judy Garland | Paris Is A Lonely Town – Gay Purr-Ee | Warner Bros.: 75 Years Of Film Music – Songs (3) | |
| 24 | Judy Garland | The Jitterbug | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 25 | Bing Crosby | Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 26 | Rudy Vallee | Brother Can You Spare A Dime | Vagabond Lover | |
| 27 | Barbara Cook and Jerome Courtland | Here's to Your Illusions | Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981 | |
| 28 | Count Basie | April In Paris | Ken Burns Jazz: Count Basie | |
A Century of America's Music
