This is a partial list of guests who appeared on The Midnight Special.
Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedPremiereFinale133August 19, 1972September 8, 1973250September 15, 1973September 14, 1974348September 28, 1974September 13, 1975443September 20, 1975September 11, 1976538September 18, 1976August 13, 1977644September 10, 1977September 8, 1978735September 16, 1978September 15, 1979834September 22, 1979August 2, 1980925September 6, 1980March 27, 1981
Season 1 (1972–1973)
EpisodeHostPerformersOriginal airdate 1 (Pilot) John Denver John Denver - "Take Me Home, Country Roads" / "Goodbye Again"John Denver and 'Mama' Cass Elliott - "Leaving on a Jet Plane"Argent - "Hold Your Head Up" / "Tragedy"Harry Chapin - "Taxi"David Clayton-Thomas - "Yesterday's Music" / "Nobody Calls Me Prophet"The Everly Brothers - "All I Have to Do Is Dream" / "Stories We Could Tell"The Isley Brothers - "Pop That Thang"Helen Reddy - "I Don't Know How to Love Him"Linda Ronstadt - "Long Long Time" / "The Fast One"War - "Slippin' into Darkness" August 19, 1972 2 Helen Reddy Helen Reddy - "I Am Woman" / "Peaceful" / "Come On John"Ike & Tina Turner - "I Can't Turn You Loose" / "With a Little Help from My Friends"George Carlin - Stand-up comedy monologueCurtis Mayfield - "Superfly"Don McLean - "Dreidel" / "If We Try"Rare Earth - "We're Gonna Have a Good Time" / "I Just Want to Celebrate"Kenny Rankin - "Comin' Down"The Byrds - "Mr. Tambourine Man" / "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"The Impressions - "Preacher Man"Helen Reddy, Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions - "Amen" February 3, 1973 3 Johnny Rivers Johnny Rivers - "Blue Suede Shoes" / "Rockin' Pneumonia, Boogie Woogie Flu" / "Got My Mojo Workin'"Ace Trucking Company - Comedy routineAlbert Hammond - "It Never Rains in Southern California" / "If You Gotta Break Another Heart"Merilee Rush - "Start Again" / "Comfort and Please You"The Spinners - "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" / "I'll Be Around"Steely Dan - "Do It Again" / "Reeling in the Years"Paul Williams - "Out in the Country" / "I Won't Last a Day Without You"Wolfman Jack - "I Ain't Never Seen a White Man" February 10, 1973 4 Mac DavisMac Davis - "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me" / "I Believe in Music" / "Dream Me Home" / "Home" / "Half and Half (Song for Sara)"The Doobie Brothers - "Jesus Is Just Alright" / "Listen to the Music"Waylon Jennings - "You Can Have Her"Billy Paul - "Me and Mrs. Jones" / "Brown Baby"Billy Preston - "Blackbird" / "Georgia on My Mind" / "That's the Way God Planned It"Joan Rivers - Comedy segment February 17, 1973 5 Harry ChapinHarry Chapin - "Sunday Morning Sunshine" / "Sniper" / "Taxi"Kerrie Biddell - "Spirit in the Dark"Blood, Sweat & Tears - "Rosemary" / "Hip Pickles" / "Snow Queen"The Committee - Comedy segmentThe Hollies - "Magic Woman Touch" / "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"Curtis Mayfield - "Freddie's Dead" / "Superfly"Timmy Thomas - "Why Can't We Live Together" February 24, 1973 6 Anne MurrayAnne Murray - "Snowbird" / "Danny's Song" / "I Know"Anne Murray, Steve Martin and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - "Shuckin' the Corn"The Association - "Along Comes Mary" / "Crazy Songs and Loony Tunes" / "Names, Tags, Numbers and Labels"Badfinger - "No Matter What" / "Suitcase"Steve Martin - Comedy segmentDon McLean - "Vincent" / "Dreidel" / "If We Try"Sam Neely - "Loving You Just Crossed My Mind" & "Rosalie"Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)"Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee - "People Get Ready" / "Walkin' My Blues Away" March 3, 1973 7 Paul WilliamsPaul Williams - (Just An) Old Fashioned Love Song" / "Drift Away" / "That's Enough for Me"Edward Bear - "Last Song" / "Close Your Eyes"Loretta Lynn - "One's on the Way" / "Coal Miner's Daughter"Seals & Crofts - "Hummingbird" / "Summer Breeze"Sha Na Na - "Hound Dog" / "Yakety Yak" / "I Wonder Why"Lakshmi Shankar - "Nata Nagara"Ravi Shankar - "Tilak Shyam" March 10, 1973 8 Paul AnkaPaul Anka, Bobby Darin, The Coasters, Ace Trucking Company, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Doobie Brothers, George Jones, Tammy Wynette March 17, 1973 9 Lou RawlsLou Rawls, Brewer & Shipley, George Burns, Honey Cone, The Committee, The Grass Roots, The O'Jays, Eric Weissberg, Deliverance March 24, 1973 10 Ray CharlesRay Charles, The Raelettes, Bill Cosby, Carol Burnett, Aretha Franklin, The Earl Scruggs Revue, Freeman & Murray March 31, 1973 11 The Bee GeesThe Bee Gees, Jerry Lee Lewis, Skeeter Davis, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Johnny Nash, Jim Weatherly, Frank Welker April 7, 1973 12 Bill CosbyBill Cosby, David Brenner, Ray Charles, Waylon Jennings, Billy Preston, Steely Dan, Taj Mahal April 14, 1973 13 Doc SeverinsenDoc Severinsen, Henry Mancini, Hoyt Axton, Jerry Butler, Dobie Gray, Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Country Joe McDonald and his All-Star Band, Hot Cup of Friends April 21, 197314Jerry Lee LewisLinda Gail Lewis, Freddie Cannon, Chubby Checker, Bobby Day, The Del Vikings, The Diamonds, The Penguins, Lloyd Price, Little Anthony, The Ronettes, The ShirellesApril 28, 197315Johnny NashJohnny Nash (guest host) - "Stir It Up," "Groovy Feeling," "I Can See Clearly Now" & "Merry-Go-Round" Chi Coltrane - "Thunder and Lightning" & "You Were My Friend" Freemen and Murray (comedy team) Tom T. Hall - "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" & "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon" Andrew Johnson (comedian) Gladys Knight and the Pips - "If I Were Your Woman" & "Neither One of Us" Kenny Rankin - "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" & "In the Name of Love" The Raspberries - "I Wanna Be with You" & "Let's Pretend"May 5, 1972 16 Burns and SchreiberJack Burns and Avery Schreiber (comedy team, guest hosts) Mark Almond - What Am I Loving For, Just Another Road Song & The City Kenny Colman - Last Tango in Paris The Crusaders - Put It Where You Want It & Don't Let It Get You Down Ronnie Dyson - One Man Band The Hollies - Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress The Incredible String Band - Black Jack Davy & Old Buccaneer Steve Martin (comedian, stand-up comedy segment) The O'Jays - Love Train May 12, 1973 17 Chubby Checker May 19, 1973 18 Gladys Knight & the Pips May 26, 1973 19 Paul Williams June 2, 1973 20 Curtis Mayfield June 9, 1973 21 Jim CroceJim Croce - Operator, Roller Derby Queen, You Don't Mess With Jim, Speedball Tucker, Big Bad Leroy Brown, Careful Man Little Anthony and the Imperials - Dance To The Music, La La La At The End
Savoy Brown - Tell Mama, Coming Down Your Way
Bobby Womack - It's All Over Now, Nobody Wants You When You're Down And Out
Shawn Phillips - Anello (Where Are You), America
Barbara Fairchild - Teddy Bear
Wishbone Ash - Jailbait June 15, 1973 22 Bee Gees June 23, 1973 23 Paul Williams June 30, 1973 24 Jose Feliciano July 7, 1973 25 Smokey Robinson July 14, 1973 26 Joan Baez July 21, 1973 27 Dionne Warwick July 28, 1973 28 Al Green August 4, 1973 29 Bee Gees August 11, 1973 30 Richard Pryor August 18, 1973 31 Loretta Lynn and Marty Robbins "Midnight Special Country Edition"Loretta Lynn and Marty Robbins - "Midnight Special" Loretta Lynn - "One's on the Way"
Marty Robbins - "Don't Worry"
George Jones and Tammy Wynette - "We're Gonna Hold On"
Tanya Tucker - "Blood Red and Goin' Down"
The Earl Scruggs Revue - "Carolina Boogie"
Tom T. Hall - "Spokane Motel Blues"
Loretta Lynn and Marty Robbins - "Singing the Blues"
Tammy Wynette - "Stand By Your Man"
Charlie Rich - "Behind Closed Doors"
Marty Robbins - "A White Sport Coat" / "Devil Woman" / "El Paso"
Don Gibson - "Oh Lonesome Me"
George Jones - "The Race Is On"
Loretta Lynn - "Love Is the Foundation"
Conway Twitty - "You've Never Been This Far Before"
Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty - "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man"
Johnny Paycheck - "She's All I Got"
Johnny Rodriguez - "Bossier City Backyard Blues"
Tanya Tucker - "Delta Dawn"
NOTE: Sammy Jackson fills in as announcer for Wolfman Jack. August 25, 1973 32 Billy Preston September 1, 1973 33 Mac Davis September 8, 1973
Season 2 (1973–1974)
EpisodeHostPerformersOriginal airdate 1 Curtis Mayfield September 15, 1973 2 Wilson Pickett September 22, 1973 3 Seals & Crofts Seals & Crofts - "Diamond Girl" / "Dust On My Saddle" / "We May Never Pass This Way (Again)" / "Ruby Jean and Billie Lee" / "Pop Goes the Weasel"(instrumental)T. Rex "Hot Love" / "Bang a Gong (Get It On)"Arlo Guthrie - "Gypsy Davy" / "Bling Blang"Ramblin' Jack Elliot - "Talkin' Fishing Blues"Uriah Heep - "Stealin'" / "Sweet Freedom"Leo Kottke - "Bean Time"(instrumental)Paul Butterfield's Better Days - "New Walkin' Blues" / "Broke My Baby's Heart"September 29, 1973 4 Gladys Knight & the Pips October 6, 1973 5 The Bee Gees October 13, 1973 6WarWar - "The Cisco Kid" / "Me and Baby Brother" / "The World Is a Ghetto" / "City Country City"New York Dolls – "Trash" / "Personality Crisis"Mott the Hoople - "All the Way from Memphis" / "Rose"Danny O'Keefe - "Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues" / "Angel Spread Your Wings"Climax Blues Band - "Shake Your Love" / "Constant"Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "Hold Back the Water" / "Gimme Your Money Please"Piper - "Bungle Rye" October 20, 1973 7 Sly and the Family Stone October 27, 1973 8 Chuck Berry November 3, 1973 9 Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis - "Breathless" / "Hold On, I'm Comin'" / "Chantilly Lace" / "Lonely Weekends" / "Silver Threads Among the Gold" / "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"Jerry Lee Lewis and Linda Gail Lewis - "Jackson"Ballin' Jack - "This Song"Dalton and Dubarri - "Any Other Man But Me" / "Take a Change"Flash - "Dead Ahead" / "Psychosync"B.B. King - "Hummingbird" / "Why I Sing the Blues"Ike & Tina Turner - "River Deep Mountain High" / "Nutbush City Limits" November 10, 1973 10 The 1980 Floor Show starring David Bowie November 17, 1973 11 Peter NooneRecorded on location in London Gilbert O'Sullivan - "Ooh Baby" / "Get Down" The Bee Gees - "Bad Bad Dreams" / "Don't Wanna Be the One" Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits - "No Milk Today" / "There's a Kind of Hush" Electric Light Orchestra - "Showdown" / "Ma-Ma-Ma Belle" Gilbert O'Sullivan - "Who Knows Perhaps Maybe" Peter Noone - "Last Blues Song" David Essex - "Rock On" Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "Joy Bringer" Robin Trower - "Lady Love" Robin Trower - "Man of the World" David Essex - "Lamplight" Manfred Mann's Earth Band - "In the Beginning" Peter Noone - "Getting Over You" / "Oh You Pretty Thing" November 24, 1973 12 Procol HarumRecorded on location in London Procol Harum – "Conquistador" / "Whiter Shade of Pale" / "Grand Hotel" / "Fires Which Burn Brightly" / "Drunk Again" / " T.V. Caesar" Humble Pie with The Blackberries - "Oh La De Da" / "I Don't Need No Doctor" / "30 Days in the Hole" Alvin Lee and Mylon LeFevre - "Rockin' Till the Sun Goes Down" / "Carry My Load" / "The World Is Changing" Steeleye Span - "Cam Ye O-er Frae France" December 1, 1973 13 The Four Tops December 8, 1973 14 Loggins & Messina December 15, 1973 15 Jose Feliciano December 22, 1973 16 Marty Robbins December 29, 1973 17 Wolfman Jack "Million Sellers"Clip show Loggins and Messina - "Your Mama Don't Dance" (from Season 2, Episode 14) Billy Preston - "Will It Go Round in Circles" (from Season 1, Episode 32) Stories - "Brother Louie" (from Season 1, Episode 23) Gladys Knight & the Pips - “Midnight Train to Georgia” (from Season 2, Episode 4) Edgar Winter Group - "Frankenstein" (from Season 1, Episode 33) Spinners - "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" (from Season 1, Episode 3) Curtis Mayfield - "Superfly" (from Season 1, Episode 20) Eric Weissberg and Deliverance - "Dueling Banjos" (from Season 1, Episode 9) Jim Croce - "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" (from Season 1, Episode 21) Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show - "The Cover of the Rolling Stone" (from Season 2, Episode 13) Gilbert O'Sullivan - "Get Down" (from Season 2, Episode 11) Al Green - "Call Me" (from Season 1, Episode 28) Charlie Rich - “Behind Closed Doors” (from Season 2, Episode 16) The O'Jays - "Love Train" (from Season 1, Episode 9) Dobie Gray - “Drift Away” (from Season 1, Episode 13)