There was a moment. Not that long ago. The time was the 70’s, and there were these ladies and gentlemen know as DJ’s. They ruled the airwaves. They were allowed creative freedom, and would play not only the hits, but would dig deep into the albums and find these awesome deep cuts. It was a wonderous time to listen to the radio. During that time, there was a group of us that lived in the small town of Mayville, Wisconsin. We spent hours upon hours listening to the radio stations out of Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay. Stations like 93QFM, WLPX, WIBA, WIXX, WZMF. The announcers on these stations became our companions. Our friends. They were knowledgeable of the life and times of these artists and groups.

During this time, there was a place in this small town where we would all gather to listen to these stations, and then make the trek to Milwaukee or Madison, and other cities in the area, and visit Radio Doctors, Peaches Records, 1812 Overture, The Mad Hatteur, The Exclusive Company, among others. We would spend hours in these album stores, going through rack upon rack of vinyl. Then, when we had our treasures, we would head down to my parents basement. Herb and Leona Clark were my parents and they became very close friends with these Basement Dwellers, and were very patient with the antics that went on down there, when we would meet to listen to the records, read the liner notes of the albums to learn more about the artists, and find out where they would be playing. We all thought we were pretty hip, getting the jump on artists and music. Then, the cool part…sharing that knowledge and turning other kids into fans of those artists. Soon, we became the “Music Aficionados” of the town, and more and more people wanted to come down to “Don’s Basement”, to hang with us, listen to this great music, and developing friendships that remain today

Time to bring Art Porter into the story.

Art and I worked together for years, and developed a brother like friendship. One day, I was telling Art stories of “The Basement”, the music, the people, and the bonds that we share today. I also told him that one of these Basement Dwellers had discussed with me an idea. To develop a radio show based on music of the A.O.R. days of FM Radio, and the stories of that wonderful place. It was Art who really pushed me to do Don’s Basement Tapes, “You owe it to your listeners” he said. I am always grateful to Art, for leading me down this path. Rest in peace, my brother. Art wanted to learn more about “The Basement” and asked if it was alright to “roll tape” and talk about it. In rememberance of Art, I am pleased to share that conversation. Rest in peace, Art. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez64JQIAIrE&list=PLYSh7nDOYaMAjxjAVNz3jLGrJJMSByMmf

With that push, Don’s Basement Tapes was born. It started as a podcast on http://www.spreaker.com where it remains today, but thanks to friends and colleagues, it has found it’s way onto terrestrial radio, including our flagship station, 99.9FM WYML in Chicago, 89.1FM WLPR in Northwest Indiana, and back where it all began in Mayville, Wisconsin, on 98.7FM WMDC, The Great 98. It can also be heard on http://www.buddyguyradio.com and http://www.wgfmradio in Chicago, as well as the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, along with other great radio stations and websites around the globe.

This is a sample of Don’s Basement Tapes. To all internet and terrestrial stations, if you would be interested in running the show, please email me at donsbasementproductions@gmail.com and I will give you the show to air on your station.

https://soundcloud.com/don-clark-727365662/the-wayback-machine-1975?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

All these years later, we sustain the brotherhood that we had in the little room in Herb and Leona’s basement. We’ve lost some of our brothers along the way. Mark Schmidt and Randy Pritchard are missed dearly every day, and were a big part of our lives. But today, these friends of my youth are still crazy after all these years, and Don’s Basement Tapes never would have happened without you. Many thanks to Steve Tighe, Mark Sorgent, Dave Green, Jay Hisel, Greg Smith, Richie Puls, Dave Plautz, John Sternat, and many others. And, oh yes, The Ladies of The Basement. Dawn Gindt, Renee Lamont, Dori Cundy

Also, special thanks to “The Voice of Don’s Basement Tapes”, Mr. Lee Peek. A brother and great friend, who has been with me from the start of this madness.

And finally, I would like to thank my wife, Teresa Pelletier, for the inspiration, the motivation, and the love that you give me every day. Thanks for believing in me and my work. I love you forever and ever!