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. TSR15-05 Don McLean

TSR15-05 Don McLean

Feb 13, 2015

McLean recorded his first album, Tapestry, in 1969 in Berkeley, California, during the student riots. After being rejected 72 times by labels, the album was released by Mediarts. It attracted good reviews but little notice outside the folk community.

McLean's major break came when Mediarts was taken over by United Artists Records thus securing for his second album, American Pie.  American Pie's success made McLean an international star and piqued interest in his first album, which charted more than two years after its initial release.  We are thrilled to have have him on our stage!

Tent Show Radio is a weekly one-hour music series showcasing live performances from Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua, Bayfield Wisconsin.

Airing continuously since 1994, Tent Show Radio is hosted by farmer, humorist, New York Times best-selling author, volunteer firefighter, Michael Perry and features regional and national acts with regular contributions by the Big Top’s Blue Canvas Orchestra.

Michael Perry is a humorist and author of the bestselling memoir Population 485: Meeting Your Neighbors One Siren at a Time, and the essay collection Off Main Street. Perry has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Backpacker, Orion and Salon.com, and is a contributing editor to Men’s Health. His essays have been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered and he has performed and produced two live audience recordings (I Got It From the Cows and Never Stand Behind a Sneezing Cow). Perry lives in rural Wisconsin, where he remains active as a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical responder. He can be found online at www.sneezingcow.com

In 2014, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua will celebrate its 29th season under canvas on the south shore sands of Lake Superior near Bayfield, Wisconsin. Big Top Chautauqua is a non-profit performing arts organization. For more information visit www.bigtop.org or www.tentshowradio.org