Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

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.

  1. All Episodes
  2. 2023
  3. 04

Heavy Gus and Sasha Mercedes

Apr 28, 2023

Born of the stark beauty and bittersweet desolation of the high desert, California trio Heavy Gus blurs the lines between grungy garage band fare, hazy surf, and dreamy indie rock on their captivating full-length debut, Notions. Bristling with live-wire electricity, the collection is lean and spare, fueled by distorted...

Read More

The Greatest Piano Men

Apr 21, 2023

Created and Produced by Donnie Kehr, best known for his originated roles in Broadway's Jersey Boys and Billy Elliot, The Greatest Piano Men is an electrifying production that celebrates the world’s greatest piano icons and showmen in music history - from the 50s and 60s hits of Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ray...

Read More

Larry McCray and Phil Anich & Friends

Apr 14, 2023

For more than 30 years, rust belt blues shouter and guitar slinger Larry McCray's greatness has been hiding in plain sight. A native of Magnolia, Arkansas, Larry McCray discovered his love of music at a young age through his sister Clara, who introduced him to the guitar and the transformative music of Blues legends...

Read More

In Spite of Ourselves: The Music of John Prine & Nanci Griffith

Apr 5, 2023

Led by Molly Otis & Ed Willet, the Blue Canvas Orchestra take on the work of John Prine and Nanci Griffith in this Big Top original show. John Prine and Nanci Griffith were both humble masters of the story. They dug deep into the places where we were afraid to go. Emotional depth, keen observations and wry humor brought...

Read More