The Midnight Special, February 21, 2026

By Marilyn Rea Beyer |

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Playlist

  1. Lead Belly: The Midnight Special THEME (excerpt 1); Lead Belly; Midnight Special; RCA Victor LPV-505
  2. Sons of the Never Wrong: Sing Sing Sing; Sons of the Never Wrong; Feather and the Starry Crown; Sons 3 Records SR4
  3. Rhiannon Giddens: “Music and Joy”; Rhiannon Giddens; Songs of Our Native Daughters; Songs of Our Native Daughters Smithsonian Folkways/SF CD 40232
  4. Laura Love & Orville Johnson: We Shall Not Be Moved/Stayed on Freedom (Trad./Wesby); Laura Love & Orville Johnson; The Sweeter the Juice; Octoroon Biograpy/OJM Octaroon OB / OJM 100
  5. Rhiannon Giddens: “Don’t Call Me Names”; Rhiannon Giddens; Single release; Single release Nonesuch/8.24.2020
  6. Jesse Jackson: Address to Democratic Convention (excerpt); Jesse Jackson; Great Speeches of the 20th Century; Rhino World Beat RWB 70567 1
  7. Windborne: Ain’t No Grave (C. Ely); Windborne; Lay Around the Shack; Windborne 00261 42598
  8. Emmylou Harris and Robert Duvall: I Love to Tell the Story (Hankey/Fischer); Emmylou Harris and Robert Duvall; The Apostle (Music from/Inspired by the Motion Picture; Rising Tide Records RTD 53058
  9. Ferlin Husky: “Wings of a Dove” (Bob Ferguson); Ferlin Husky; Ferlin Husky: Greatest Hits; Ferlin Husky: Greatest Hits | Gusto SD 3018
  10. The Milk Carton Kids: Blue Water; The Milk Carton Kids; Lost Cause Lover Fool; Thirty Tigers 4.24.2026 release
  11. Joe Gorka: Siren Song; Joe Gorka; Siren Song (single); joegorkamusic.com 2.18.2026
  12. Sons of Town Hall, ft. The Pairs: Sirens; Sons of Town Hall, ft. The Pairs; Of Ghosts and Gods; sonsoftownhall . com 2.2026
  13. Emily Scott Robinson: Hymn for the Unholy; Emily Scott Robinson; Appalachia; Oh Boy Records Oh Boy 0903
  14. Karen Feldner, ft. Bruce Molsky: Glory in the Meeting House (Trad., Feldner); Karen Feldner, ft. Bruce Molsky; Glory in the Meeting House – single; karensongs.com 2.24.2026
  15. Bobby McFerrin: I Shall Be Released (Bob Dylan); Bobby McFerrin; Spirityouall; Masterworks 8765 45686
  16. Jonas Friddle: “The Midnight Special – fretless banjo”; Jonas Friddle; Midnight Special Collection; Midnight Special Collection JFriddle | MS008
  17. Jillian Matundan: Hold On; Jillian Matundan; Hold On (single); Keezamonkee Records JMR223
  18. John Gorka: Hope Doesn’t Fall; John Gorka; Unentitled; Red House/Compass Records 10.3.2025
  19. Lucy Kaplansky: Eyes of the Immigrant (E. Andersen); Lucy Kaplansky; Tribute To A Songpoet, Disc 1; Y&T Music/EA Records 843563157770
  20. Cliff Eberhardt: Land of the Free; Cliff Eberhardt w/Louise Coombe; WFMT’s Folkstage April 16, 2016; Folkstage 4.16.16
  21. Patty Larkin: Different World; Patty Larkin; Red = Luck; Red = Luck | Vanguard 79727-2
  22. Nina Simone: In The Morning (Gibb); Nina Simone; Just Like a Woman; RCA/Legacy 82876 85174 2
  23. Jeremy Facknitz: As of This Morning; Jeremy Facknitz; Smilin’ at the Future; jeremyfacknitz.com
  24. Emmylou Harris: “The Light” (Harris/Kane); Emmylou Harris; Cowgirl’s Prayer; Cowgirl’s Prayer | Elektra B000002HE3
  25. Sweethearts of the Rodeo: “When the Morning Comes” (Don Schlitz / Janis Oliver); Sweethearts of the Rodeo; Beautiful Lies; Beautiful Lies | Sugar Hill SH CD 3857
  26. Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin: Til I’m Too Old To Die Young; Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch & Fats Kaplin; You Can’t Save Everybody; Compass 7 4385 2
  27. Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert: What Would You Do?; Kieran Kane & Rayna Gellert; When the Sun Goes Down; Dead Reckoning Records [2019]
  28. Judy Collins: I Know Where I’m Going (trad.); Judy Collins; Maids & Golden Apples; Wildflower WFL 1299-2
  29. Rhiannon Giddens: “Black is the Color” (Traditional); Rhiannon Giddens w/Jon Batiste (Melodica), Colin Linden (Guitar) et al.; Tomorrow is My Turn; Tomorrow is My Turn | Nonesuch 541708-2
  30. Smothers Brothers: “Black is the Color”; Smothers Brothers; (Think Ethnic!); (Think Ethnic!) | Mercury MG200777
  31. Owen Walsh: The Midnight Special (Trad.); Owen Walsh; The Midnight Special “exclusive”; single 1.31.2024
  32. Allison Russell & Leyla McCalla: “I Knew I Could Fly”; Allison Russell & Leyla McCalla; Songs of Our Native Daughters; Songs of Our Native Daughters Smithsonian Folkways/SF CD 40232
  33. Bryan Bowers: When I Go (Dave Carter); Bryan Bowers; Bristlecone Pine; Seattle Sounds CR040-2
  34. Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer: Farewell to Fiddler’s Rim; Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer; Folkstage: Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer 2000; WFMT Folkstage 10.28.2000
  35. Owen Walsh: Wrong Road; Owen Walsh; On My Way; Wrong Road Records 101
  36. Special Consensus: I’m Gone, Long Gone (Reno/Smiley); Special Consensus; Hey, Y’all; Turquoise Records TR-CD-5076
  37. Peter Joly: Till They Go; Peter Joly; Peter Joly; Lost in America Music 8 88295 48644 6
  38. Richie Havens: “On The Turning Away” (Moore/Gilmour); Richie Havens; Wishing Well; Wishing Well | Stormy Forest SF 2021
  39. Joy Clark: Lesson; Joy Clark; Tell It To The Wind; Righteous Babe RBR121D
  40. Vance Gilbert: Why Are We So Cruel?; Vance Gilbert; One Through Fourteen; Louisiana Red Hot Records LRHR-1157
  41. Utah Phillips: Preacher and the Slave / Pie in the Sky (Webster, Hill); Utah Phillips; Making Speech Free; IWW -1
  42. Zoe Lewis: “Pies for the Public”; Zoe Lewis; Sheep; Dog Called Dog 001
  43. Cosy Sheridan w/Charlie Koch: The Kind Words; Cosy Sheridan w/Charlie Koch; Breathing Room; cosysheridan.com 1 95269 380302 2
  44. Sons of the Never Wrong: What If; Sons of the Never Wrong; Feather and the Starry Crown; Sons 3 Records SR4
  45. Kemp Harris: Goodnight, America; Kemp Harris, ft. Alice Howe; The American Chronicles; Righteous Mischief 1 95269 35533 3
  46. Laura Love: I Still Believe (Unplugged); Laura Love; She Loved Red; Laura Love 88295 68276
  47. Andrew Beyer: “The Midnight Special – cigar box slide”; Andrew Beyer; Midnight Special Collection; Midnight Special Collection AABeyer/MS 004