The Splendid Turntable

06/06/2026

One of the best things about album radio has always been discovery.

What's the best new artist you've discovered in the last year?

Maybe you heard them on WQFS.
Maybe a friend turned you on to them.
Maybe the algorithm accidentally got something right.

Let's compare notes.

06/06/2026

2 SHOWS NEXT WEEK:

1) MON, JUN 8: The Splendid Turntable spins a tune about rock & roll radio, a song based on an Edgar Allen Poe short story, a hard rocker who later morphed into a pop balladeer, plenty of vintage tunes from folks like Allmans, Boomtown Rats, Etta James, Outlaws, Canned Heat, and more. Plus new music by The Rallies, The Strokes, AKA Belle, and The Sheepdogs, just to name a few. Listen Monday, 8-10am EDT.

2) TUE, JUN 9: We go Deep in the 60s again with obscure cuts, garage gems, psychedelic trips, and deep tracks from names you remember and names you probably don’t. It's happening Tuesday, 2-4pm EDT.

Catch it all on WQFS Guilford College Radio, 90.9 FM in Greensboro and streaming coast-to-coast.

06/05/2026

You have the turntable for one hour tonight.

One side only.

What album are you dropping the needle on?

A classic from the '70s?
An overlooked gem?
Or something brand new?

There are no wrong answers.

06/04/2026

On this date in 1984, Bruce Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A., one of the defining albums of the MTV era and one of the last true blockbuster rock albums.

Whether you discovered it on vinyl, cassette, or FM radio, chances are you can still hear the opening snare crack in your head.

What's your favorite track from the album?

06/03/2026

A few days ago marked the birthday of Tom Donahue — and if you've ever spent an evening getting lost in an album track on FM radio, you owe him a debt.

In the late 1960s, while most radio stations were still built around short playlists, jingles, and tight formats, Donahue imagined something different. He helped pioneer progressive FM radio, giving DJs the freedom to play entire album sides, deep cuts, long songs, blues, folk, jazz, psychedelia, and music that didn't fit neatly into a category.

The result wasn't just a new format. It was a new way of listening.

Every time a DJ reaches past the hits and shares a hidden gem, every time a listener discovers a song they didn't know they needed, a little bit of Tom Donahue's vision is still on the air.

Belated happy birthday to one of radio's true revolutionaries.

06/02/2026

Here's the summer jamming playlist from today's Chip & Don show:

Chip & Don share tunes with each other while you eavesdrop on the listening party. Don’s a little more pop and Chip's a little more rock, until they aren't. Today, Chip & Don's Summer Jam: live performances from the history of rock & roll that collectively becomes the greatest music fe...

06/02/2026

Chip & Don's Summer Jam, two hours of live performances through the history of rock & roll, was a complete blast for us. If you missed it, you can hear the full show on demand at the link.

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06/02/2026

Gates are open and only a couple hours until the first band starts. Tune in to Chip & Don's Summer Jam, live performances from the history of rock & roll, 2-4pm EDT today on WQFS Guilford College Radio.

(Please get off those towers. We don't need any extra weight on 'em.)

06/02/2026

Check out this lineup!

06/02/2026

Charlie Watts was never the loudest member of the Rolling Stones.

He didn't need to be.

While everyone else grabbed the headlines, Charlie quietly supplied the heartbeat that carried the band through six decades of rock and roll.

Proof that sometimes the coolest person in the room is the one saying the least.