The first season of the Theme Time Radio Hour, hosted by Bob Dylan, ran from May 3, 2006, to April 18, 2007 on XM Satellite Radio for a total of 50 shows.
Overview With the exception of the Halloween show - Episode 26 - introduced by comedian Steven Wright, all the episodes in Season One were introduced by an uncredited Ellen Barkin who would open with the lines, "It's night (or night time) in the Big City" and then describe a city scene - such as a woman walking in the rain, a shopkeeper closing his doors, angry hookers arguing on a street corner - before introducing the show and "your host, Bob Dylan." Barkin would identify herself in a Christmas greeting delivered to listeners on Season One's Christmas/New Year Special - Episode 34 - ending fan speculation as to whether it was her voice in the introduction. Barkin was officially named as the show's introductory announcer in an XM press release for Season Two.
Season One's closing credits were delivered by announcer "Pierre Mancini".
Interspersed between the music on the shows are old station promos and jingles; pre-recorded show promos and commentary from personalities such as Penn Jillette, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman; Dylan answering email the show has supposedly received (some of the emails are obviously made up. However, at least one email read on the "Friends and Neighbors" episode, came from a real listener.); Dylan reading poetry, often citing the author as a "def poet;" occasional food and drink recipes; even household cleaning tips from Dylan; and his comments on the music and musicians the show is featuring. Although most of Dylan's monologues are scripted - keen-eared listeners can hear him turning pages and members of various Dylan Web forums have pointed out the similarities between his stories and Wikipedia entries on the same subject - he has had the occasional memorable outburst which sounded as if it came directly from the heart, such as this one on country music from the "Friends and Neighbors" episode (Episode 17):
“Now I love country music, but I say 'What happened to it?'
"You hear a song like this and it's obvious it's about real people, and real emotions, and real problems, that's all, that's the country music we learned to love. Nowadays they want to sweep all the problems under the rug and pretend they don't exist.
"Well guess what folks – they do exist! And if you try and sweep 'em under the rug, they're just gonna pop up somewhere else. So we might as well all just face it and listen to the old style country music, the real country music. You know, about drinking and sleeping around. That's my kinda country music, and I hope yours!"
All but three of Season One's episodes ran one hour in length, the exceptions being the 2-hour Christmas/New Year special, the 2-hour season finale (Episode 50 - "Spring Cleaning") and Episode 24, "Time," which ran into overtime for approximately 13 additional minutes, apparently in a joking reference to the episode's subject matter.
Season 1 - Episodes 1 to 50
Episode 1: Weather First aired on May 3, 2006.
"Blow Wind Blow" – Muddy Waters (1953) "You Are My Sunshine" – Jimmie Davis (1940) "California Sun" – Joe Jones (1961) "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine" – Dean Martin with Paul Weston & His Dixieland Eight (1950) "Just Walkin' in the Rain" – The Prisonaires (1953) "After the Clouds Roll Away" – The Consolers (1961) "The Wind Cries Mary" – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967) "Come Rain or Come Shine" – Judy Garland (1963) "It's Raining" – Irma Thomas (1962) "Didn't It Rain" – Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1947) "Rainin' in My Heart" – Slim Harpo (1961) "Jamaica Hurricane" – Lord Beginner (1950) "Let the Four Winds Blow" – Fats Domino (1961) "Stormy Weather" – The Spaniels (1957) "A Place in the Sun" (Italian Version) – Stevie Wonder (1966) "Summer Wind" – Frank Sinatra (1966) "Uncloudy Day" – The Staple Singers (1957) "Keep on the Sunny Side" – The Carter Family (1928)
Episode 2: Mother First aired on May 10, 2006.
"Mama Don't Allow It" – Julia Lee (1947) "Daddy Loves Mommy-O" – Tommy Duncan (1956) "Mama Didn't Lie" – Jan Bradley (1963) "I'll Go to Church Again With Momma" – Buck Owens & His Buckaroos (1965) "Mama Told Me Not to Come" – Randy Newman (1970) "Mama Get the Hammer" – Bobby Peterson Quintet (1961) "Mama Talk To Your Daughter" – J. B. Lenoir (1954) "A Mother's Love" – Earl King (1954) "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" – Ruth Brown (1953) "Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way" – Carl Smith (1951) "Mother Earth" – Memphis Slim (1951) "Mother-in-Law" – Ernie K-Doe (1961) "Mother In Law Blues" – Little Junior Parker (1956) "Mama Tried" – Merle Haggard (1968) "Gonna Tell Your Mother" – Jimmy McCracklin (1955) "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" – Rolling Stones (1966) "Mother Fuyer" – Dirty Red (1949) "Mama Said Knock You Out" – LL Cool J (1990)
Episode 3: Drinking First aired on May 17, 2006.
"Ain't Got no Money to Pay for this Drink" – George Zimmerman and the Thrills (1956) "Wine, Wine, Wine" – The Electric Flag (1967) "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)" – Loretta Lynn (1966) "Daddy and the Wine" – Porter Wagoner & The Wagonmasters (1968) "I Drink" – Mary Gauthier (2005) "I Drink" – Charles Aznavour (1995) "Sloppy Drunk" – Jimmy Rogers (1954) "I Ain't Drunk" – Lonnie The Cat (1954) "It Ain't Far to the Bar" – Johnny Tyler and His Riders of the Rio Grande (1949) "What's On The Bar" – Hank Williams Jr (2003) "One Mint Julep" – The Clovers (1952) "Rum and Coca-Cola" – The Andrews Sisters (1945) "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" – John Lee Hooker (1966) "Who Will Buy the Wine" – Charlie Walker (1960) "Buddy Stay Off That Wine" – Betty Hall Jones (1949) "Whiskey You're The Devil" – Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (1962)
Episode 4: Baseball First aired on May 24, 2006.
"Take Me Out To The Ball Game" – Bob Dylan (a capella) (2006) "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" – The Skeletons (1988) "Baseball Boogie" – Mabel Scott (1950) "Home Run" – Chance Halladay (1959) "Baseball Baby" – Johnny Darling (1958) "Three Strikes And You're Out" – Cowboy Copas (1960) "The Ball Game" – Sister Wynona Carr (1952) "Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball" – Buddy Johnson (1949) "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" – Les Brown & His Orchestra with Betty Bonney (1941) "Joe DiMaggio's Done It Again" – Billy Bragg & Wilco (2000) "Don Newcombe Really Throws That Ball" – Teddy Brannon Orchestra with Dickie Thompson (1950) "Newk's Fadeaway" – Sonny Rollins Quartet (1951) "Say Hey" – The Treniers with Willie Mays (1954) "The Wizard Of Oz" – Sam Bush (2004) "3rd Base, Dodger Stadium" – Ry Cooder with James Bla Pahinui (2005) "Heart" – Damn Yankees Original Broadway Cast (1955)
Episode 5: Coffee First aired on May 31, 2006.
"Java Jive" – The Ink Spots (1940) "One Cup of Coffee and a Cigarette" – Jerry Irby (1947) "The Coffee Song" – Frank Sinatra (1961) "Black Coffee in Bed" – Squeeze (1982) "Cigarettes and Coffee" – Otis Redding (1966) "Caffeine and Nicotine" – Curtis Gordon (1954) "Cigarettes and Coffee Blues" – Lefty Frizzell (1958) "Coffee Blues" – Lightnin' Hopkins (1951) "Keep That Coffee Hot" – Scatman Crothers (1955) "Coffee Cigarettes and Tears" – The Larks (1951) "Black Coffee" – Bobby Darin (1959) "Raindrops In My Coffee" – Sexsmith and Kerr (2005) "Coffee and TV" – Blur (1999) "Forty Cups of Coffee" – Ella Mae Morse (1953) "Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee" – Glenn Miller Orchestra (1942)
Episode 6: Jail First aired on June 7, 2006.
"Folsom Prison Blues" – Johnny Cash (1956) "21 Days in Jail" – Magic Sam (1958) "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair" – Bessie Smith (1927) "Prisoner's Song" – Warren Storm (1958) "Back on the Chain Gang" – The Pretenders (1982) "Jail Bait" – Andre Williams (1956) "Prison Wall Blues" – Cannon's Jug Stompers (1930) "Columbus Stockade Blues" – Kenny Lane & His Bull Dogs (1960) "Nine Pound Steel" – Joe Simon (1968) "Okie's in the Pokie" – Jimmy Patton (1960) "Christmas in Prison" – John Prine (1973) "In the Jailhouse Now" – Sir Douglas Quintet (1965) "Jailbird Love Song" – The Mississippi Sheiks (1930) "Riot in Cell Block #9" – Wanda Jackson (1960) "Sing Me Back Home" – Merle Haggard (1968) "Last Meal" – Hurricane Harry (1956)
Episode 7: Father First aired on June 14, 2006.
"Song for My Father" – The Horace Silver Quintet (1964) "Daddy and Home" – Jimmie Rodgers (1928) "Daddy's Home" – Shep & the Limelites (1961) "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" – The Everly Brothers (1958) "Dust Got Into Daddy's Eyes" – Bobby 'Blue' Bland (1965) "Daddy" – Julie London (1961) "Your Dad Did" – John Hiatt (1987) "My Daddy" – The Sons of the Pioneers (1934) "Color Him Father" – The Winstons (1969) "Papa's on the Housetop" – Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell (1930) "Mama Loves Papa (And Papa Loves The Women)" – Jack Rhodes & His Lone Star Buddies (1951) "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" – The Temptations (1972) "Father Time" – Lowell Fulson (1963) "Father Alone" – The Swan Silvertones (1946) "Patsy Girl" – Ross MacManus (1964) "My Son Calls Another Man Daddy" – Hank Williams (1950)
Episode 8: Wedding First aired on June 21, 2006.
"Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine)" – Fred Rich & His Orchestra (1929) "Getting Married Soon" – Prince La La (1962) "(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry" – Darlene Love (1963) "Married Man's A Fool" – Ry Cooder (1974) "Wedlock Is a Padlock" – Laura Lee (1970) "I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)" – Dave Edmunds (1977) "Stop the Wedding" – Etta James (1962) "Don't Stop the Wedding" – Ann Cole (1962) "Fanny Brown Got Married" – Roy Brown (1954) "Get Me to the Church on Time" – Rosemary Clooney (1956) "I'm a Married Man" – Johnny Tyler & His Riders of the Rio Grande (1948) "Leave Married Women Alone" – Jimmy Cavallo (1951) "Married Woman" – Big Joe Turner (1954) "Love and Marriage" – Frank Sinatra (1965) "The Man Who Wrote 'Home Sweet Home' Never Was A Married Man" – Charlie Poole with Charlie Parker & Mack Woolbright (1927) "Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)" – Lloyd Price (1959)
Episode 9: Divorce First aired on June 28, 2006.
"D.I.V.O.R.C.E." – Tammy Wynette (1968) "The Grand Tour" – George Jones (1974) "Alimony" – Tommy Tucker (1965) "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)" – Jerry Reed (1982) "Alimony Blues" – T-Bone Walker (1951) "(Pay Me) Alimony" – Maddox Brothers and Rose (1946) "Alimony Blues" – Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson & His Orchestra (1947) "Divorce Decree" – Doris Duke (1981) "Married by the Bible, Divorced by the Law" – Hank Snow (1962) "Alimony" – Huey "Piano" Smith & His Clowns (1959) "Divorce Me C.O.D." – Merle Travis (1946) "Mexican Divorce" – The Drifters (1962) "Will Your Lawyer Talk to God?" – Kitty Wells (1964) "Mr. and Mrs. Used to Be – Ernest Tubb & Loretta Lynn (1965) "You Can't Divorce My Heart" – Lefty Frizzell (1951) "Love Doesn't Live Here Anymore" – June Christy (1953)
Episode 10: Summer First aired on July 5, 2006.
"Summertime" – Billy Stewart (1966) "Summertime Blues" – Eddie Cochran (1958) "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" – Martha & the Vandellas (1963) "Heat Wave" – Sol K. Bright and His Hollywaiians (1935) "Sunny" – Bobby Hebb (1966) "Juneteenth Jamboree" – Gladys Bentley (attributed to 'Fatso Bentley')(?) "So Nice" – Astrud Gilberto and Walter Wanderley (1966) "Youth of 1000 Summers" – Van Morrison (1990) "Hot Weather Blues" – Mr. Sad Head (1951) "Summer in the City" – The Lovin' Spoonful (1966) "Too Hot" – Prince Buster (1967) "In the Summertime" – Mungo Jerry (1970) "Ice Cream Man" – John Brim (1953) "Fourth of July" – Dave Alvin (1994) "Hot Fun in the Summertime" – Sly & the Family Stone (1969)
Episode 11: Flowers First aired on July 12, 2006.
"New San Antonio Rose" – Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys (1940) "Grazing in the Grass" – The Friends of Distinction (1968)