It’s Local 518 Thursday! February 2nd

It’s Local 518 Thursday on WEXT Radio! Click on the artist/band and song featured on the WEXT Radio Local 518 Show to find out more about them, and support by listening to & purchasing the songs. Miss the show? Listen to it and previous ones at the WEXT Radio Local 518 Show webpage. Have music you want us to hear? Submission guidelines can be found at the webpage link too. Send us stuff!

At 11:00pm, tune in WEXT Radio at 97.7 and 106.1 FM, at 89.1’s HD2 station, via online stream at www.wextradio.org, or by using the free app for iOS and Android devices. You can also ask Siri and Alexa to “play WEXT Radio” too!

Tonight are great Local 518 alternatives to regular radio…
Heather Richards – “Rock Me“
Kathryn Grace – “Cosmic Kinda Pull“
Izzy Singer (As Iz) – “Pocketful of Souls“
Ian Morgan – “Get Away“
House of Saturn – “Sugar of Lead“
Alexandra Higgins – “What I Know Now“

The Attic Classic: Rockabilly and country singer-songwriter MARTY WENDELL has been recording and performing for over 55 years. It all began when he first sang in front of a live audience at a church talent show, but the catalyst to his long music career came from a pair of events.

While in college in the mid-60’s near NYC, he was able to make some connections in the music business, including a talent agent who introduced him to one of his musical heroes and inspirations, Johnny Cash. The two traded playing songs on one of Cash’s guitars in a backstage dressing room in Newburgh.

Four years later, Marty had ventured to Greenwich Village and, being discovered by a producer, recorded his first record “Hey Hey Mama.” The song got heavy airplay and sold very well. When Cash toured in 1968 promoting his “At Folsom Prison” album, he remembered the young singer-songwriter he had met and brought Marty along as an opening act. Marty’s recording and performing career has continued ever since.

In 2019, Marty released “Rock & Roll Days: A Celebration of Sun Records.” The album of roots and original rockabilly songs made it to the final round of Grammy Award nominee selections for “Best Americana Album.” It featured a newly recorded version of his 1967 single “Hey Hey Mama” – on which Marty’s son Sean plays the 1954 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top featured on the original. That’s our Attic Classic song.

Here’s a clip of Marty at The Linda in June 2014, performing what he called “a three minute autobiography.”