SUNDAY SUPPER
Sundays 4-6 pm on 90.7.FM/wfuv.org and archived at wfuv.org
The Sunday Supper - formerly the Sunday Breakfast - is our way to bring a little spice into your weekends, with the singers and songwriters you know and love plus a good dose of up-and-coming artist surprises, with John Platt, who's been the host of the show since 1997.
In its new one-hour format, it retains many of the features it’s had for years. There may be a set saluting an artist’s birthday, such as Bob Dylan, Norah Jones, Richard Thompson, or James Taylor, and there are usually mentions of concert appearances in the New York area for the coming week. John is known for putting together sets around a theme and makes a commitment to play a handful of songs of Compassion and Commitment to appeal to our better selves.
S0me shows also include an in-studio interview and live performance. Guests have ranged from icons like Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Linda Ronstadt, Graham Nash, and Judy Collins, to WFUV mainstays like Dar Williams, Bruce Cockburn, and Eliza Gilkyson, to emerging artists like Kirsten Maxwell, the Brother Brothers, and Phoebe Hunt. With his gentle probing John helps us to know more about the music - and who the artists are as people.
"My goal," John says of his musical mission at WFUV, "is to strike a balance between old favorites and newcomers who need to be heard and to help listeners stay connected to the rich music scene in New York."
CURRENT SHOWS
"Sunday Supper" dips into the latest Joni Mitchell archive this week for a song recorded at Forest Hills Stadium (maybe you were there). And a Joni cover is part of a Diana Krall medley, as her fellow Canadian hits the big 6-0 this weekend.
This week's "Sunday Breakfast" has music to soothe a savage breast in this fraught moment. We embrace the irresistible finger-picking, foot stomping guitar playing of Chris Smither, who turns 80 tomorrow, with some of his bluesy originals and covers by Jorma Kaukonen and Bonnie Raitt.
It's the circle of life this week on "Sunday Supper." We celebrate the births of blues/folk icon Bonnie Raitt (75) and jazzy singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones (70). And we honor the deaths of Phil Lesh, who added a cutting edge bass to the Grateful Dead, and JD Souther, one of the mainstays of Southern California songwriting.
SELECTED ARCHIVES
If anyone can be considered a true American treasure, it's Tony Bennett, whose 90th birthday is August 3. He's also a mensch who remains remarkably humble about his unique talent.
In the wake of the heartbreaking passing of John Prine from Covid-19, I came across an interview I had done with him in 1987 while I was producing "Mixed Bag." It's good to have this memento of John's humility and humor.
R.I.P. Dr. John. A Southern-fried mensch, a righteous musician for all seasons, a vital link in the New Orleans tradition.