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Minnesota Music Notes | Minnesota Music Notes: Seasons 1 & 2

Minnesota Music Notes: Stories from First Avenue | celebrating noteworthy artists, people and moments that shaped the history of Minnesota’s Mainroom First Avenue

Minnesota Music Notes: Seasons 1 & 2 | celebrating noteworthy songs, artists, and musical performances from Minnesota

Tall Paul Offers Prayers in a Song

Enrolled in the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Tall Paul grew in Minneapolis, listening to hip-hop and catching episodes of 106 & Park on BET. He started rapping as a teen but his music suddenly went viral when he incorporated the Ojibwe language into the lyrics of “Prayers in a Song.” Here’s Britt Aamodt with the story.

Judy Garland

Frances Gumm was born in 1922 Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She would grow to become the singer and actor Judy Garland, star of The Wizard of Oz. Producer Daniel Zamzow recounts the time she came back to her home state to sing with the Minneapolis Symphony in 1958.


Twin/Tone Records

The independent music scene of Minneapolis began its ascension in the mid-1970s. This happened for a number of reasons, but, as producer Daniel Zamzow explains, one of the key players in this now infamous scene was recording label Twin/Tone Records.

Jack Pearson

Jack Pearson was a multi-instrumentalist songwriter and storyteller devoted to sharing his talents in schools, libraries, and churches all across Minnesota. As producer Daniel Zamzow learned, his earliest storytelling gigs stemmed from tales he spun in order to acquire those gigs in the first place.

The Suicide Commandos Burn Down

The godfathers of the Minneapolis punk and indie rock scene are The Suicide Commandos, a trio at the center of the budding subculture in 1970s Minnesota. Producer Daniel Zamzow describes some of the ways in which they were on fire.


MN Music Notes: Keith Secola

Born and raised in Cook, Minnesota on the Boise Forte Reservation, musician Keith Secola has an intimate relationship with Anishinabe culture.  Producer Daniel Zamzow looks at the genre Secola calls “Native Americana” is a musical journey that spans the past, present, and future.

Duluth’s Dylan Festival

Duluth, Minnesota is the birthplace of Robert Zimmerman, better known as Bob Dylan. Producer Daniel Zamzow describes the annual festival that honors his birthday.


Les Fields & The River

Les Fields put a Dixieland Jazz band together at the last minute to cover for his work Christmas party in 1968 Rochester, Minnesota. As producer Daniel Zamzow learned, this decision to form the Turkey River All-Stars would impact the cornetist for decades to come.

Leonard “Skeets” Langley

The accordion was a gift that kept on giving for Leonard “Skeets” Langley, who as a young adult, was crowned champion at the 1963 World Accordion Championships in Germany. Producer Daniel Zamzow sheds light on how Skeets chose to give back to Minnesota.

Anna Schoen-Rene

In just 16 years of living in Minnesota, Anna Schoen-Rene made a tremendous contribution to the state’s music scene. Producer Daniel Zamzow describes one of her great undertakings, even before she helped to establish the original music faculty at the University of Minnesota.


Basilica Music

Minneapolis’ Basilica Block Party was started in 1995 as an effort to raise funds for repair and maintenance of the Basilica of Saint Mary. As producer Daniel Zamzow learned, the church has done well to take care of the community in which it resides, as well as the structure itself.


Supported by...

McKnight FoundationMN Legacy