Tent Show Radio

First broadcast in 1994, Tent Show Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program showcasing the best live recordings from acclaimed music acts and entertainers who grace the Big Top Chautauqua stage each summer in beautiful Bayfield, WI. In the program's nearly 30 year history it has featured artists like Johnny Cash, B.B King, Brandi Carlile, Willie Nelson, Don McLean, and many more. Hosted by celebrated New York Times best-selling author Michael Perry-who weaves stories and humor throughout each episode - Tent Show Radio features performances from renowned national & regional artists, with regular appearances featuring Big Top’s own unique brand of shows that feature songs and stories performed by its acclaimed house band, The Blue Canvas Orchestra.

Tent Show Radio is independently produced by Big Top Chautauqua, a non-profit performing arts organization, with a mission to present performances and events that celebrate history and the environment - along with their annual summer concert series - nestled in the woods on the shores of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands.

Tommy Emmanuel & Leo Kotke | Episode 21-32

Jul 31, 2021

This episode of Tent Show Radio this week features two amazing artists, Tommy Emmanuel recorded at the Big Top in 2006 and Leo Kottke recorded in 1998. Tommy Emmanuel is an Australian guitar virtuoso known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects on the...

Cowboy Junkies & The Wailin' Jennys | Episode 21-31

Jul 24, 2021

This week on Tent Show Radio, we have two great groups who played under the Big Top Tent in 2008. In the first half of the show, the award-winning Cowboy Junkies rocked out with us here in Bayfield during their 2008 international tour promoting their new album Trinity Revisited, which was a 20th anniversary of...

Best of Arlo Guthrie | Episode 21-30

Jul 17, 2021

This week on Tent Show Radio, living legend, songwriter and singer, Arlo Guthrie. Mr. Guthrie has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall too, well, just about everywhere! Born in Coney Island, Brooklyn, Arlo is the eldest son of America’s beloved singer, songwriter and philosopher Woody Guthrie. Arlo grew...

Ruthie Foster | Episode 21-29

Jul 10, 2021

From houses of worship to houses of blues, Ruthie Foster has always been a rafter-rattler. And with a soul-filled voice honed in Texas churches, she can move audiences to tears or ecstasy – sometimes in a single song. Her two albums, 2009’s The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and 2012’s Let It Burn, moved...

The Best of the Sam Bush Band | Episode 21-28

Jul 3, 2021

If joy were a person, he’d bring both peace and frenzy. He’d be full of music, light, and energy that soothes even as it stirs us up. Eyes closed, wire-rim glasses in place, mandolin pressed against his ribs, joy would be Sam Bush on a stage (info from @sambush). For this week's Tent Show Radio episode, we bring to...