Mark Sanders has been there and done that. From the '60 to his current output, Sanders has never given up on songs, creation, and finding the right tones to formulate excellent songs. Some of his first big stage tastes were opening for Ramblin Jack Elliot and The Blues Magoos after winning Battle of the bands at Daniels Den in Saginaw while in The Next Exit Blues Band. That band was coming out of another he was in, The Rogues, where he shared the stage with other luminaries of the time, including The Bossmen, ? and The Mysterians, Shadows Of Night, and ultimately a unique gig with The Animals.

From the clubs and main stages, rock, folk, and country eras, Mark is now retired from live shows, but was last playing with his wife Suzanne on keyboards & vocals in the Mark Sanders Band. Mark has four albums, he's back into blues and getting world-wide play, most recently a feature in Australia. This is a very intriguing ride and features a new song of his, 'On A Night Like That.'

The Flint Music Scene was once his stomping grounds. Then came the rest of Michigan, from Saginaw to Detroit, to Canada and into the entire mid-west. Nothing could stop Lafayette Yarbrough as he briefly dominated AM Radio and was the talk of the town during his Lafayette and the LaSabres era. Weeks and sometimes months, playing up to seven nights around for a local stint, Yarbrough brought the rockabilly and pre-Elvis sound to many around the state. The man never stopped and continued into the past few decades, recording four albums with his wife Vada (a former musician sometimes backing Elvis, as well as produced by Chet Atkins). His skills and stories take us on the best trip to the land of Michigan Music History. Jump on board to his special tour bus now...

If you haven't had a chance to listen to our Season 1 Episode 8 with Mike, covering record stores, free jazz, his radio show Destination Out, or his long time ensemble, Northwoods Improvisers, please start there. Then head right back here. After all, that was the first episode of the MMHP that catapulted us around the world with our Michigan Music History outlook and exposure. Mike alone was the first podcast we had that skyrocketed the listener number and remains in the top few to this day. We feel this episode just may eclipse that.

The long time listeners to WCMU know his voice. A Professor at CMU in music, as well as world renown bassist in the Northwoods Imporvisers, Johnston is a jazz writer, free music enthusiast, and a collector of all things organic and jazzy, from rock to world music and back. In this podcast, he gives background on the Improvisers 2023 release Fanfares, as well as gets to fill the gaps between his time early as a DJ, music with Faruq Z. Bey, and where the mighty new version of Northwoods is heading with the amazing saxophone front of Donovan Boxy and Dominic Bierenga, with the dual bass addition of Jack O'Brien (along with Johnston), violin from record label head Mike Khoury (Entropy Stereo) and Johnston's long time partner, drummer Nick Ashton.

Johnston also hangs around post-podcast for another 20 minutes of chat, discovery and story sharing, so please hang in there for the full show... Destination OUT of the ballpark with this episode!