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Derby Day Music on WKMS

By Jenni Todd

Murray, KY – WKMS features special editions of Music from the Front Porch and Juke Joint Shuffle Saturday, May 1. Former WKMS News Director Gary Scott, now performing as half of Garcia and Scott, joins host Mark Welch on the Porch from 10 to 1, including a salute to the Derby. Then host John Griffin's Juke Joint Shuffle, 2 to 4 p.m., is all about "horse music."

Mark Welch says, "Gary and I enjoy each other's company off and on the air, so I was glad he had a little time to sit in with me this Saturday." Fans have been tuning in to Music from the Front Porch for about three decades. The tradition of folk, bluegrass, acoustic and western swing continues with hosts John McMillen and Mark Welch who usually host on alternating weeks. Hear the best of old and new musicians from Bill Monroe and Woody Guthrie to Alison Krauss and Chris Thile.

"Of course, it's all about the horses," says John Griffin, "with a playlist drawing from a wide variety of artists who love to sing horsey songs." The show opens with Levon Helm's "Tennessee Jed" and moves along to the Clovers' "One Mint Julep," to the Baltimore Consort's "Jockey Loves His Moggy Dearly," to The Beatles' "Dig A Pony," and many more classics like America's "Horse with No Name." Paris, Tennessee's Dan Knowles' "Sunrise at the Downs" from his album "Return to Baptist Alleyway" is a local feature on this special Juke Joint Shuffle production.

Juke Joint Shuffle offers listeners a two-hour weekly mix of blues, jazz, and roots music. Long-time WKMS personality, John Griffin hosts the eclectic music program featuring artists like Mavis Staples, Neko Case, Ry Cooder, Robert Plant and Yo-Yo Ma. Griffin says, "The name of the show honors older blues musicians who were expected to play anything the juke joint customers cared to hear; not just home-made blues, but all the popular songs of the day. And of course when you hit the shuffle button on an mp3 player, there is no telling what will play next." Most every week, he is joined by his old pal, graphic artist Rick Nance. This partnership means that the music often goes in even stranger directions.