Saturdays at 9:00 pm
Unique weekly series featuring songs, silliness, and show tunes
Original and offbeat, this three-hour Saturday night romp presents fresh new singer-songwriters alongside well-known artists who have played at Chicago area clubs, concert venues, festivals, and on the comedy scene. Inclusive, high-energy, and always entertaining, The Midnight Special offers listeners a lively potpourri of folk songs, ballads and blues, showtunes, spoken word, and hilarious novelty routines. Escape into the stories, experience the emotions, and let loose with a good guffaw whenever you tune in. Get onboard here, on wfmt.com, or use the WFMT app. The Midnight Special first aired in 1953 with Mike Nichols as host. View The Midnight Special archived playlists.
You might also be interested in WFMT's weekly series Folkstage featuring a one-hour folk concert.
The Midnight Special is available for free streaming in two different ways – live during the broadcast and on demand via the rights-compliant 5-hour, non-interactive player below within two weeks of the broadcast.
Tom Rush Turns 84
We celebrate the tuneful troubadour and find songs about speeding up and slowing down to help us all keep pace.
Love Takes a Turn
Love gone wrong and right and sideways populate the playlist. Songs by duos and other romantic combinations ensue because, after all, “You gotta’ have heart.”
President’s Day
On the birth date of the first US President George Washington (1732), a series of “firsts” in folk music wrap up the shortest month of the year.
Honoring Historic Women
Women’s voices and story songs about notable, honorable, courageous women launch Women’s History Month.
It’s a Woman’s World
Music from women around the world on International Women’s Day. Plus, songs about furry companions and animals in the wild.
