The Music Show

A love song, a football anthem, and a weapon of war for men with acoustic guitars: Noel Gallagher said he thought Wonderwall was an annoying song when he wrote it. Cover Story dips more than a toe into the world of Britpop with composer and ex-Go-Between Amanda Brown, and conductor, composer and singer Dan Walker. Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?WonderwallWords and music by Noel GallagherFirst performed by OasisOn the album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, 1995Versions heard in the show:The Mike Flowers Pops - single (1995)Cat Power - John Peel Session live at the BBC (2000) Bring Me the Horizon, single (2025)Paul Anka - Rock Swings (2005)Brad Mehldau - Brad Mehldau Trio Live (2008)Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays The Music of Oasis (1997)Ryan Adams - Love Is Hell (2004)The Killers - Live At Lollapalooza Chile (2018)Oasis - Live in Dublin August 2025Next time on Cover Story: the nation’s favourite Australian song, Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.Technical production by Antonia GauciThe show this week was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

As one-half of A.B. Original, Trials was responsible for one of the key moments in Australian hip-hop over the last decade with the album Reclaim Australia. Away from that collaboration he’s worked with everyone from Paul Kelly to the Hilltop Hoods. His latest work though marks a debut of sorts - his first solo release, called Hendle.Shadow puppetry, dance theatre, and music are all part of a new show called In Shadows, featuring a live composition by Hantu. Isobel D’Cruz Barnes explores the myths and traditions behind her latest work.Music heard in this program:Title: Tree of LIfeArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live RecordingTitle: run to the riverArtist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music AustraliaTitle: whistle while I walkArtist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music AustraliaTitle: what’s the colour of love?Artist: TrialsComposer: Daniel RankineAlbum: hendleLabel: Universal Music AustraliaTitle: That's How I PrayArtist: Vika & LindaComposer: Vika Bull, Francesca De Valence, Karen Jacobsen, Mark SholtezAlbum: Where Do You Come From?Label: MushroomTitle: PartyArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live RecordingTitle: Tree of LIfeArtist: HantuComposer: HantuAlbum: In ShadowsLabel: Live RecordingTitle: WonderwallArtist: OasisComposer: Noel GallagherAlbum: (What's The Story) Morning Glory?Label: EpicThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Antonia Gauci

Cover Story makes a long overdue visit to the songwriting of Carole King, who with her then-husband Gerry Goffin wrote Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow as songwriters-for-hire in the Brill Building music factory of 1960s New York. Originally recorded and made famous by The Shirelles, King's own version of the song on 1971's Tapestry might be its most famous iteration, but there are many brilliant, unforgivable, and indefinable versions for Andy and his guests, Felix Cross and Laura Case, to dig their teeth into. Will You Still Love Me TomorrowMusic by Carole King, lyrics by Gerry GoffinFirst released by The Shirelles on Tonight’s The Night, 1960Versions heard in this episode:Carole King - Tapestry (1971)Johnny O’Keefe - B-side to single ‘Rock'n'Roll Will Stand’ (1964)Linda Ronstadt - Silk Purse (1970)Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures (2011)Taylor Swift - Carole King Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (2021)Dana Valery - single (1976)Andy Gibb/P.P. Arnold - Andy Gibbs Greatest Hits (1980)Ann Hampton Callaway - Slow (2005)Carole King & James Taylor from Live at the Troubadour (2010)Next time on Cover Story: Oasis's britpop anthem WonderwallTechnical production by Tegan NichollsThe show was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

Comedian David Mills takes his acerbic humour into the world of cabaret for this year's Adelaide Cabaret Festival. He joins Andy to talk about pessimism, storytelling, and picking the right song for the moment.Violist Lawrence Power joins the Australian Chamber Orchestra this month for a program wending its way through the rolling hills of English music, from Thomas Tallis and Henry Purcell to Jonny Greenwood and Kate Bush. Music heard in this program:Title: The Man With The Child In His EyesArtist: Kate BushComposer: Kate BushAlbum: The Kick InsideLabel: EMITitle: The SnakeArtist: Oscar Brown JrComposer: Oscar Brown JrAlbum: Tells It Like It Is!Label: ColumbiaTitle: Pirate JennyArtist: David MillsComposer: Kurt Weill & Bertolt BrechtAlbum: Live RecordingLabel: Supplied by artistTitle: MothersongArtist: Leah SeniorComposer: Leah Senior and Jesse WilliamsAlbum: Pt. RoadknightLabel: Third Eye StimuliTitle: Flos Campi - Moderato alla marciaArtist: BBC National Orchestra of Wales ft. Lawrence PowerComposer: Ralph Vaughan WilliamsAlbum: Ralph Vaughan Williams/McEwen: Flos Campi & Viola ConcertoLabel: HyperionTitle: Flos Campi - Andante quasi lentoArtist: BBC National Orchestra of Wales ft. Lawrence PowerComposer: Ralph Vaughan WilliamsAlbum: Vaughan Williams/McEwen: Flos Campi & Viola ConcertoLabel: HyperionTitle: Symphony, for double string orchestra - Allegro moltoArtist: London Symphony Orchestra/Vernon HandleyComposer: Elizabeth MaconchyAlbum: Elizabeth Maconchy: Selected worksLabel: LyritaThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Tegan Nicholls

Daniel Avery has been filling dancefloors around the world for more than a decade, both as a dj and with his own critically acclaimed records. On his latest, Tremor, Avery has embraced his love of rock and shoegaze, blending driving guitars with his normal electronics. Not content with one set of songs, Avery completely remixed his own album, turning it back to the dancefloor with his Midnight Versions.  There aren’t many musicians who have been nominated for a Hugo - one of the biggest sci-fi awards - but the hip-hop group clipping have had that honour twice, a testament to the narratives that drive their songs. They’re an unusual group musically as well, drawing inspiration from experimental composers and techno music, as well as from their own genre. William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes share how theatre brought the group together, and the very surprising lengths they've gone to in order to get the sounds they want.Daniel Avery is on tour, including date at Rising, Vivid, and Dark Mofo. Details here.Clipping is on tour, including Dark Mofo. Details here.Music heard in this program:Title: DodgerArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: Dead Channel SkyLabel: Sub Pop Title: Haze (with Ellie)Artist: Daniel AveryComposer: Daniel AveryAlbum: TremorLabel: DominoTitle: Until The Moon Starts ShakingArtist: Daniel AveryComposer: Daniel AveryAlbum: TremorLabel: DominoTitle: Until The Moon Starts Shaking (Midnight Version)Artist: Daniel AveryComposer: Daniel AveryAlbum: Tremor (Midnight Versions)Label: DominoTitle: DominatorArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: Dead Channel SkyLabel: Sub Pop Title: Bring The NoiseArtist: Public EnemyComposer: Public EnemyAlbum: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us BackLabel: Def Jam RecordingsTitle: Get UpArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: CLPPNGLabel: Sub PopTitle: Run For Your LifeArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: There Existed An Addiction To BloodLabel: Sub Pop Title: Ask What HappenedArtist: clippingComposer: Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Snipes, William HutsonAlbum: Dead Channel SkyLabel: Sub Pop The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

Every great song gets covered. Sometimes beautifully, sometimes badly, and sometimes by people who clearly should have known better.Cover Story, returning for its third series, hunts down the best, the worst, and the downright strange versions of classic songs, and asks the question: why does this version give us goosebumps while that one makes our skin crawl?According to some Dolly Apocrypha, Dolly Parton wrote Jolene and I Will Always Love You on the same day: a lifetime's worth of goosebump production in a single day. And whilst I Will Always Love You is best known by its Whitney Houston cover, Jolene is Dolly's most covered song. And the variety is stunning. Join Andy and his guests - Adelaide Cabaret Festival's Reuben Kaye and Gillian Cosgriff - to paint a picture of a beauty beyond compare. Adelaide Cabaret Festival runs until 21 JuneJolene – Dolly PartonComposed and performed by Dolly PartonReleased as a single, January 1974Versions heard in this episode:Olivia Newton John - Come On Over, 1976Beyonce - COWBOY CARTER, 2024Dami Im - Jolene (Acoustic) single, 2018Nicola Zuraitis, Dan Pugach and his Big Band - single, 2025Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade, 1985Darcy Clay - Jesus I Was Evil (EP), 1997Miley Cyrus - Attention (Live), 2022andReuben Kaye and Gillian Cosgriff - live in The Music Show studio, 2026Next time on Cover Story: Carole King's Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? Technical production by Isabella Tropiano and Angela GrantThe show this week was made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country. 

A portrait of the legendary trumpeter Miles Davis on his centenary. We hear how Miles not only changed music but also the lives of those he played with. We've pulled interviews from The Music Show's archives with former bandmates including pianists Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, saxophonists Wayne Shorter and Gary Bartz, guitarist John McLaughlin, bassist Dave Holland as well as big fans of his music like Paul Grabowsky. We move from the Birth of the Cool to Kind of Blue, Nefertiti, Bitches Brew and, finally, to Aura.As a bonus, we'll also hear what it was like working with Miles Davis the actor. In the last ten years of his life he aspired to appear on screen— he only starred in one full-length film before his death in 1991, and that was Rolf de Heer's Dingo.More InformationArchive interviews featuredChick Corea (2007)Dave Holland (2007)Wayne Shorter (2016)John McLaughlin (2009)Gunther Schuller (1998)Paul Grabowsky (2019)Herbie Hancock (2007)Rolf de Heer (2020)Gary Bartz (2016)Music played in this programTitle: JoshuaArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Victor FeldmanAlbum: Seven Steps To HeavenLabel: CBS BP233072Title: Venus De MiloArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Gerry MulliganAlbum: Birth Of The CoolLabel: Capitol Records T-762Title: DeceptionArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Birth Of The CoolLabel: Capitol Records T-762Title: So WhatArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Kind Of BlueLabel: Coronet KLP893Title: Blue In GreenArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Kind Of BlueLabel: Coronet KLP893Title: NefertitiArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Wayne ShorterAlbum: NefertitiLabel: CBS SBP 2335 15Title: E.S.P.Artist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles Davis, Wayne ShorterAlbum: E.S.P.Label: CBS SBP 233267Title: Pharaoh's DanceArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Joe ZawinulAlbum: Bitches BrewLabel: CBS S2BP-220056Title: Concert on the RunwayArtist: Miles Davis and Michel LegrandComposer: Miles Davis and Michel LegrandAlbum: Dingo: Selections From The Motion Picture SoundtrackLabel: Warner Bros. Records ‎- 9 26438-2Title: WhiteArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Palle MikkelborgAlbum: Aura Label: CBS 463351 1The Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Harvey O'Sullivan, Emrys Cronin, Que Nguyen, Nathan Turnbull and Simon BranthwaiteLibrary archivist Sabrina Lipovic

We pay tribute to Sonny Rollins, who died this week at the age of 95. Rollins played with many of the greats of jazz, but was himself something of loner. Driven by ideas of perfection, Rollins played into his 80s, but spent years away the music industry, including a famous three-year sabbatical where he played for no one other than himself on the Williamsburg Bridge in NYC. Andy spoke to Rollins in 2008, and we revisit that conversation here. For some, performing a show taking on the work of Bette Midler could be a little intimidating; Janis Joplin even more so. Mahalia Barnes is doing both at once, performing songs from The Rose as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. She shares what those greats mean to her and what she looks for when she covers a song. Live in the Music Show studio, Cass McCombs performs songs from his latest album Interior Live Oak, and talks about his place in the folk tradition and his time writing folk songs for childrenMahalia Barnes performs The Rose is on at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on the 14th of JuneCass McCombs is performing at the Sydney Opera House for Vivid on the 31st of MayMusic heard in this program:Title: The RoseArtist: Bette MidlerComposer: Amanda McBroomAlbum: The Rose (The Original Soundtrack Recording)Label: AtlanticTitle: The BridgeArtist: Sonny RollinsComposer: Sonny RollinsAlbum: The BridgeLabel: RCATitle: Whose Side Are You OnArtist: Bette MidlerComposer: Charley Williams & Kenny HopkinsAlbum: The Rose (The Original Soundtrack Recording)Label: AtlanticTitle: Stay With MeArtist: Lorraine EllisonComposer: George David Weiss & Jerry RagovoyAlbum: Stay With MeLabel: Warner Bros. - Seven Arts Records Title: I'm On FireArtist: Mahalia Barnes and the Soul MatesComposer: Bruce SpringsteenAlbum: I'm On Fire singleLabel: Independent releaseTitle: PriestessArtist: Cass McCombsComposer: Cass McCombsAlbum: Interior Live OakLabel: DominoTitle: Missionary BellArtist: Cass McCombsComposer: Cass McCombsAlbum: Interior Live OakLabel: DominoThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Harvey O'Sullivan, Angela Grant, and Brendan O'Neill

Hilary Geddes is a guitarist of understated virtuosity, and a composer of music that takes jazz into a rolling, lush, environmental register. Her latest album Redleaf, with the Hilary Geddes Quartet, is a record of the sounds she's heard, the music she's created, and the relationship between the players over the past four years.Kae Tempest returns to The Music Show ahead of his appearance at Vivid Sydney. His latest album Self Titled is his most personal, threading the needle between fury and optimism with the wordy humanity he's known for. He talks to Ce about how the Self in Self Titled has evolved. Tour dates for Hilary Geddes hereKae Tempest’s national tour which includes dates in Perth, Melbourne (Rising) Brisbane (Open Season) and Sydney (Vivid) starts June 4Music heard in this program:Title: HyperdistillationArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island RecordsTitle: First (solo version)Artist: Hilary Geddes Composer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: Live performanceTitle: First Artist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift MusicTitle: Three Five TenArtist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift MusicTitle: Prayers To WhisperArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island RecordsTitle: BreatheArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island RecordsTitle: Sunshine On CatfordArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island RecordsTitle: I Stand On The LineArtist: Kae TempestComposer: Kae TempestAlbum: Self TitledLabel: Island RecordsTitle: Blue In GreenArtist: Miles DavisComposer: Miles DavisAlbum: Kind of BlueLabel: Island RecordsThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano and Timothy Jenkins

Barry Conyngham’s piece Ice Carving isn’t performed very often, and almost never in its intended configuration - a solo violinist surrounded by an audience, who are then surrounded by 4 string orchestras. It’s finally getting its proper form at The Ian Potter Centre in Melbourne and Barry takes us back to the inspiration, at The Imperial Palace in Tokyo.It's been 30 years since Mogwai released their debut single, Tuner/Lower, and the band have gone from one of the young teams of rock to one of post-rock's longest running groups. Stuart Braithwaite, the band's guitarist and occasional singer, looks back on the band's three decades.Tortoise, another central figure in post-rock, are also celebrating 30 years since one of their biggest albums, Millions Now Living Will Never Die. John McEntire explains how the band decides which drummer will play on a given track, why they're drawn to unusual time-signatures, and why it took 10 years for them to complete their latest record.  Ice Carving has three shows on May 29. Details hereTour dates for Mogwai, beginning on May 23 at Vivid in Sydney, are available hereTour dates for Tortoise, beginning May 27 in Sydney, are available hereMusic heard in this program:Title: Mogwai Fear SatanArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: Young TeamLabel: SpunkTitle: Ice CarvingArtist: Sydney Symphony Orchestra & Wilfred LehmannComposer: Barry ConynghamAlbum: Live performanceLabel: ABC MusicTitle: What Kind of Mix Is ThisArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: The Bad FireLabel: Rock Action RecordsTitle: Yes! I Am A Long Way From HomeArtist: MogwaiComposer: MogwaiAlbum: Young TeamLabel: SpunkTitle: OganessonArtist: TortoiseComposer: TortoiseAlbum: TouchLabel: International Anthem Recording CompanyTitle: Glass MuseumArtist: TortoiseComposer: TortoiseAlbum: Millions Now Living Will Never DieLabel: Thrill JockeyTitle: After RainArtist: Hilary Geddes QuartetComposer: Hilary GeddesAlbum: RedleafLabel: Earshift MusicThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

Judy Small is a fixture of the Australian folk scene, a writer and performer of songs about politics and people. She joins Andy to recap the thirty-ish years since she was last on the show, including a career in family law and as a federal judge, and the process she's been undertaking of recording some of her last songs (Swansongs) and appearing at the 60th National Folk Festival.And Ce Benedict reports from the festival itself, where transcontinental dulcimer jams, children busking, and bardic reinterpretations of Smashmouth all contribute to one of Australia's most distinctive festival experiences. Music heard in the show: Title: Home HomeArtist: ApollineComposer: Hickey, LuisaAlbum: Home HomeLabel: Independent ReleaseTitle: Stand Or Fall, Within These Walls (Yad Vashem)Artist: Judy SmallComposer: Small, JudyAlbum: SwansongsLabel: Independent ReleaseTitle: The White Bay Paper SellerArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Small, JudyAlbum: Mothers, Daughters, Wives / Ladies and GemsLabel: Independent ReleaseTitle: You Don't Speak For MeArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Small, JudyAlbum: Judy Small - Best of the 80sLabel: Independent ReleaseTitle: EncantoArtist: Maryam RahmaniComposer: Rahmani, MaryamAlbum: KamandLabel: Independent ReleaseLabel: Independent ReleaseTitle: Home HomeArtist: ApollineComposer: Hickey, LuisaAlbum: Home HomeThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Emrys Cronin and Timothy Jenkins

Xiu Xiu has been a leading figure in American avant-pop for more than two decades: combining abrasive noise and extremely dark subject matter with a catchy pop sensibility. It’s perhaps no surprise then that they’ve been drawn to the work of David Lynch, releasing their version of the music of Twin Peaks, and now, appearing at Dark Mofo in Tasmania to present their take on Eraserhead. Jamie Stewart talks passion, performance, and Dolly Parton. in 1707 Alessandro Scarlatti wrote an oratorio called il primo omicidio - The First Murder. It features Cain, Abel, their parents Adam and Eve, and (naturally) God and Satan providing a bit of sung commentary too. Ashlyn Tymms, Madison Nonoa, and Erin Helyard share Pinchgut Opera's approach, which uses a distinctly Australian setting.Pinchgut Opera are performing The First Murder at Roslyn Packer Theatre from May 23Music heard in this program:Title: JoleneArtist: Xiu XiuComposer: Dolly PartonAlbum: Xiu MF'n XiuLabel: Polyvinyl Record Company Title: Common LoonArtist: Xiu XiuComposer: Xiu XIuAlbum: 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn GripsLabel: Polyvinyl Record Company Title: Il primo omicidio, Parte prima; 'La fraterna amica pace'Artist: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and René JacobsComposer: Alessandro Scarlatti Album: Scarlatti: Il primo omicidioLabel: Harmonia MundiTitle: La Fraterna amica paceArtist: Erin Helyard, Ashlyn Tymms, Madison NonoaComposer: Alessandro Scarlatti Album: Live PerformanceTitle: The White Bay paper sellerArtist: Judy SmallComposer: Judy SmallAlbum: Ladies & GemsLabel: Crafty MaidThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Emrys Cronin and Timothy Jenkins

American Singer-songwriter Connie Converse would be hard enough to pigeonhole had she not disappeared without a trace in 1974. She wrote folk songs, and art songs, and the story of her life and disappearance is a fascinating one. It's the subject of a biography called To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse by Howard Fishman, who joins Andy to tell the tale and listen to her wonderful and wonderfully strange songs. Gia Margaret's new album is called Singing, fitting for her first return to vocal music after eight years of having lost her voice. As she tells Andy, adversity led her to finding creativity in instrumental writing, which she's now brought back to the voice for her latest release. And we hear new music by tar virtuoso Hamed Sadeghi from his new album, Convergence. Join us for The Music Show at Sydney Writers' Festival on 21 May with Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior and Kate Fagan

Voiceless Mass, by Raven Chacon, can be performed in 'any space of worship with high ceilings and pipe organ' and plays with the amplifying power of a church's architecture, while commenting on the silencing of voices and languages that churches have been active in throughout their history. It won the composer the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2022 and is heading to the Rising Festival in Melbourne.Raven talks to Andy about the intersection of politics and music, his role as a mentor, and what he wants to add to John Cage's understanding of silence.The huge sound of the Melbourne Town Hall grand organ might seem like an unusual choice for the composer and guitarist Cam Butler, but for his latest album, he had a chance to take over the hall - and brought along a rock band and a string orchestra to complete the mix. Cam’s project is a cinematic album of guitar-organ-strings-rock maximalism, called World Forever and he shares how he approached this latest challenge, and how he gets the most from his normal instrument, the guitar.Cam Butler will be performing World Forever live at the Melbourne Town Hall on May 22. Join us for The Music Show at Sydney Writers' Festival on 21 May with Ziggy Ramo, Leah Senior and Kate FaganMusic heard in this program:Title: Haunted RuinsArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery RecordsTitle: Voicless MassArtist: Present MusicComposer: Raven ChaconAlbum: Raven Chacon: Voiceless MassLabel: New World RecordsTitle: Don't Cry (Your Father & Grandfather Are GoodArtist: Himba Hymn CollectiveComposer: Himba Hymn CollectiveAlbum: Himba Hymn: Ghosts Of Namibia's Skeleton CoastLabel: Sublime FrequenciesTitle: World ForeverArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery RecordsTitle: Clear InfinityArtist: Cam ButlerComposer: Cam ButlerAlbum: World ForeverLabel: Heavy Machinery RecordsTitle: RottenArtist: Gia MargaretComposer: Gia MargaretAlbum: SingingLabel: JagjaguwarThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

The American pianist Ruth Slenczynska, who died last week at the age of 101, was a childhood prodigy (although she denies the label). That came at a huge price, including a punishing concert schedule from the age of 4, orchestrated in the main by a tyrannical teacher-father. She went on to be one of the great pianists of the 20th century, playing duets with Harry Truman, touring with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops and being taught by Artur Schnabel, Egon Petri and Sergei Rachmaninov - to whom she was possibly the last remaining student link. Andy spoke to her in 2020 at the tender age of 95. 

Scottish composer Anna Meredith creates a meeting place between the concert platform and the rave in her music. Her piece for electronics and string quartet, Tuggemo, takes its name from an archaic English word for a swarm of bees, and demands to be heard loud. It's being given its Australian premiere by Omega Ensemble as part of their Howl concert season.Sophia Brous is an Australian composer based in the US, and she creates semi-improvised song cycles from selections by 20th century writers. Her new collaborator of sorts is the late Dorothy Porter, with her partner Andrea Goldsmith acting as a guide through the poetry Porter wrote in the last years of her life. Andrea and Sophia join Andy to talk about Porter's impact on music and music's impact on her. Sophia Brous and Paul Grabowsky are performing Life Lines: A Song Cycle of Dorothy Porter at the Melbourne Writers FestivalMusic heard in this program:Title: BlackfriarsArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: VarmintsLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: TuggemoArtist: Ligeti QuartetComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: NucLabel: Mercury KXTitle: Lil WaltzerArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: Bumps Per MinuteLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: NautilusArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: VarmintsLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: NautilusArtist: Ligeti QuartetComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: NucLabel: Mercury KXTitle: MoonmoonsArtist: Anna MeredithComposer: Anna MeredithAlbum: FIBSLabel: Moshi MoshiTitle: If Snakes Could FlyArtist: Paul Grabowsky and Katie NoonanComposer: Dorothy Porter and Paul GrabowskyAlbum: Before Time Could Change UsLabel: SBS WeatherwatchTitle: Set PIecesArtist: Sophia Brous and Kit DownesComposer: Sophia Brous and Alejandra PizarnikAlbum: Set Pieces live at The Lincoln CenterTitle: 10 Preludes, Op. 23; No. 6 AndanteArtist: Ruth SlenczynskaComposer: Sergei RachmaninovAlbum: Complete American Decca RecordingsLabel: EloquenceThe Music Show is made on Gadigal, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country CountryTechnical production by Isabella Tropiano

We're digging into the archives for a special program looking at the role that music played in the UK miners' strikes: a political, industrial and personal struggle. From Peggy Seeger to Paul Weller, Billy Bragg to brass bands—there's music supporting the striking miners, songs tormenting strikebreakers and tracks referencing (and sometimes sampling) National Union of Mineworkers leader Arthur Scargill and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.Emeritus Professor of Politics at the University of East Anglia John Street guides us through the history and music of this divisive time, plus we hear interviews from the ABC archives with folklorist A L Lloyd, singer songwriter Billy Bragg, Grimethorpe Colliery Band, folk singers Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger and composer David Lumsdaine.

On the 25th of August, 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born to Run, the "dividing line" of his career. Starting with the title track, written on the edge of his bed in a rented cottage in New Jersey, Born to Run signalled the arrival of Springsteen, and the E Street Band. A child of the Kennedy, King, and Malcolm X assassinations, Springsteen transformed classic rock and roll images - the road, the car, the girl - into something potent and virile that reflected the sense of dread in the air. Musician and academic Toby Martin and writer and critic Kerryn Goldsworthy join Andy to trace the arc of Born to Run's story through one violent night in the city, and the root system of its influences, from Roy Orbison, to the Bible, and West Side Story. 

“Ships become obsolete; fine furs are ravaged by moths, faded by the sun, worn by rubbing against show cases; garments go out of style; the gold watch grandfather handed down is replaced by a thin one. Change and decay is all around — except in violins. Death rarely comes to the violin.” So wrote Arland Weeks in 1929, in The Scientific Monthly.Dr Laura Case gives Andy a potted history of the violin in Australia, from 1788 to 1914 – and beyond. It's a history of class and gender lines in the colony but it's also about how the violin has been an instrument of both assimilation and resistance by First Nations violinists.

Aspirations of modernity, progress and innovation drove music through the 20th century. For French composer Maurice Ravel, inspiration from (and imitation of) his peers, of the voices and styles around him, made him a true original. He pulled from Spanish music, 18th century music, Viennese waltz and jazz, and yet within seconds it’s always possible to hear Ravel’s own, distinct, voice. To mark the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth, director-composer-lyricist-translator and friend of The Music Show Jeremy Sams is Andy’s guest, to explore not only where Ravel’s music came from, but where it led. 

The Music Show goes Deep Inside the Blues with photographer and writer Margo Cooper, who’s assembled a beautiful book of photographs and interviews with blues musicians from Chicago to the Mississippi Delta. She joins Andrew on The Music Show to outline a sprawling, searching and ultimately living tradition, plus interviews with Blues legends from the Music Show archive.

The Music Show explores the legacy of the late Ruby Hunter – short in stature, a giant in music, and a mentor and parental figure to so many First Nations musicians in subsequent generations. We’ll hear Ruby from the archives, and catch up with Emily Wurramara and Dan Sultan, both of whom have sung a tribute to Ruby Hunter alongside their fantastic new albums.

Some of the most prominent folk singers of the twentieth century like Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan were being surveilled and, in some cases, blacklisted by the FBI due to their political activism and ties to the U.S Communist Party.Writer and historian Aaron J. Leonard has written several books on the subject and is in to reveal why the US Government was so fixated on musicians in the 1940s and 50s, and what he unearthed from the FBI files he gained access to. Aaron J. Leonard's books on this subject include The Folk Singers and the Bureau: The FBI, the Folk Artists and the Suppression of the Communist Party, USA-1939-1956 and Whole World in an Uproar: Music, Rebellion and Repression - 1955-1972, both published by Repeater Books. 

For someone referred to as "the Queen of Jazz" and "First Lady of Song", there's a surprising amount we don't know about legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. She didn't fit the image of a star: she was incredibly polite, avoided drugs and swearing, and kept her private life entirely private. But when she sang, people listened. Her clear diction, perfect intonation and master of scat singing made her one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century.  Music historian and author of Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: The Jazz Singer Who Transformed American Song Judith Tick reveals as much as she can about the great singer.

From the rattling charge of The Lone Ranger to the slick, warbling vocals of White Lotus, music for television has been beckoning us to the couch for the best part of a century.In Music for Prime Time: A History of American Television Themes and Scoring, Jon Burlingame has charted the history of music for telly in the form of an elegiac sort of look back at the medium as streaming overtook network TV and the 2007 writers’ strike looked to have changed the medium forever. Now a new edition, released in the context of a new and bitterly long writers’ and actors’ strike, may serve as an elegy for the streaming age too.Jon joins Andy from Los Angeles to fire up the cathode ray and listen to the music of the medium, with plenty of memorable tunes in the mix.