''Theme Time Radio Hour'' (''TTRH'') was a weekly one-hour

satellite radio Satellite radio is defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)'s ITU Radio Regulations (RR) as a '' broadcasting-satellite service''. The satellite's signals are broadcast nationwide, across a much wider geographical area than t ...

show hosted by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

that originally aired from May 2006 to April 2009. Each episode had a freeform mix of music, centered on a theme (such as "Weather", "Money" or "Flowers") rather than genre. Much of the material for the show was culled from producer

Eddie Gorodetsky Eddie Gorodetsky is a television writer and television producer, producer. His credits include ''Desert Bus'', ''Two and a Half Men'', ''Dharma & Greg'', ''The Fresh Prince of Bel Air'', ''The Big Bang Theory'', ''Saturday Night Live'', ''SCTV Netw ...

's music collection. Dylan would read emails from fans, take listener phone calls, play vintage radio promos and jingles, tell jokes, recite poetry, play taped messages from celebrities, and provide commentary on the music. Throughout the show, Dylan would claim that musical genres were constructed "ticky-tacky boxes" not to be taken seriously. The show was not live, taped at various locations and while touring; the "Abernathy Building" studio location mentioned was fictitious. Most of the "listener phone calls" and emails were also fictitious, although at least one email read on the show came from an actual listener.

Original broadcast history

The first episode of ''TTRH'' was broadcast on May 3, 2006 on the

Deep Tracks Deep Tracks is a Sirius XM Radio channel featuring lesser-known classic rock music selections such as album tracks, one-hit wonders, concert recordings, "forgotten 45s" and "B-side" tracks. Brian Beddow is Deep Tracks' current programming dire ...

channel of

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM, Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable televisi ...

(now

Sirius XM Radio Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

). The show was originally broadcast every Wednesday at 10:00 am ET on Deep Tracks, with several "encore" repeats throughout the week on various channels, including an all-day airing on what was XMX Channel 2. On November 12, 2008, Sirius XM revised its channel lineup, providing Sirius and XM listeners with access to programming on both networks, with ''TTRH'' airing every Wednesday at 11 am ET on Deep Tracks. Several channels on both stations were discontinued in November 2008, including XMX Channel 2, which had aired ''TTRH'' all day on Wednesdays. The show was simulcast on

DirecTV DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. I ...

until February 9, 2010. From 2006 through 2008,

AOL Radio AOL Radio powered by Slacker (formerly AOL Radio powered by CBS Radio, and prior AOL Radio featuring XM) was an online radio service available in the United States only. It had over 200 free internet radio stations. History Roots AOL Radio ...

offered the show on "AOL Radio featuring XM" until XM Radio and America Online announced that their relationship was terminated. From 2007 to 2009 the program aired in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

and

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available only ...

, and in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

-based alternative rock station Phantom FM. Season 3 of ''TTRH'' concluded with the show's 100th original episode on April 15, 2009. The theme of that show was "Goodbye". During an April 2009 interview with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, Dylan implied that his contract with Sirius XM had ended, and that he had no plans to do additional episodes of the show. In September 2020, SiriusXM announced that a 101st episode of the ''Theme Time Radio Hour'' would be produced and aired as part of a

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

rerun A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated. Variations In the United Kingdom, the word ...

ning of the whole series. The new episode, with a "

Whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ...

" theme, was being produced as a

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...

to Dylan's line of whiskeys, "Heaven's Door".

Reruns

Sirius XM continued to air rebroadcasts of ''Theme Time Radio Hour'' on the Deep Tracks channel to the end of April 2011. At the beginning of May 2011, ''TTRH'' was replaced with the "Earle Bailey" show. On July 25, 2011, Sirius XM issued a press release announcing the launch of a 24/7 "Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour" internet-only channel. The press release noted that channel would launch on Monday, August 15 on channel 801 on Sirius XM Internet Radio and would feature "every one of Dylan's classic 'Theme Time Radio Hour' shows." The release also noted "Sirius XM listeners will hear a show from the Theme Time Radio Hour vault on Deep Tracks, channel 27, on Mondays at 8:00 pm; Wednesdays at 11:00 am; Thursdays at 12:00 am and Sundays at 8:00 am (all times Eastern)," marking the show's return to satellite radio. The internet channel and radio rebroadcasts were discontinued in August 2013.

Seasons and episode lists

Season 1 of ''TTRH'' consists of fifty episodes, airing from May 3, 2006 to April 18, 2007. Season 2 of ''TTRH'' consists of twenty-five new episodes, airing from September 19, 2007 to April 2, 2008. Three episodes ("Halloween," "Leftovers" (Thanksgiving) and the "Christmas/New Year's Special") were repeats from Season 1. Season 3 of ''TTRH'' consists of twenty-five new episodes, airing from October 8, 2008 to April 15, 2009. Three episodes ("President's Day," "Christmas/New Year's Special," and "Number One") were repeats from earlier seasons.

The "Kiss" episode, 2015

In early February 2015, Berlin radio station Radio Eins announced that it would broadcast a new episode of ''Theme Time Radio Hour'', titled "Kiss," as a special episode of the station's ''Friendly Takeover'' series. The Radio Eins "Kiss" episode was broadcast on February 11, 2015 and later by SiriusXM and the BBC. Due to time constraints, both the Radio Eins and BBC versions of the "Kiss" episode were edited by the respective stations, and neither broadcast the complete hour-long show. Show track listings: # " The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" –

Betty Everett Betty Jean Everett (November 23, 1939 – August 19, 2001) was an American soul singer and pianist, best known for her biggest hit single, the million-selling " Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)", and her duet " Let It Be Me" with Jerry Butle ...

(1964) # "Always Late with Your Kisses" –

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that char ...

(1951) # "Passionate Kisses" –

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

(1988) # "Kissing At Midnight" – Billy Boy Arnold (1957) # "

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

" –

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

(1986) # "Kissing in the Dark" – Memphis Minnie (1953) # "Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" –

Danny White Wilford Daniel White (born February 9, 1952) is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys and an American football coach in the Arena Football League. He has been the color commentator for Cowboys games on Compass Media Networks' ...

(1963) # "Pucker Paint" –

Huelyn Duvall Huelyn Wayne Duvall (August 18, 1939 – May 15, 2019) was an American rock and roll and rockabilly musician. Career Huelyn Duvall was born on August 18, 1939 in Garner, Texas to William Daniel Duvall and Ila Lee Measures Duvall. Duvall is k ...

(1960) # "Lipstick on Your Collar" –

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

(1959) # "(Till) I Kissed You" –

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

(1959) # "Let's Kiss and Make Up" – The Falcons (1963) # "Baby, Let Me Kiss You One More Time" – Roy Head and The Traits (1958) # "Last Kiss" –

J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers were an American 1960s group, best remembered for their 1964 million-selling record, " Last Kiss". Career The Cavaliers formed around 1955 with leader and guitarist Sid Holmes, bassist Lewis Elliott, saxopho ...

(1964) # "

A Kiss to Build a Dream On "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" is a song composed by Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby and Oscar Hammerstein II. In 1935, Kalmar and Ruby wrote a song called "Moonlight on the Meadow" for the Marx Brothers film '' A Night at the Opera'' (1935) but the song ...

" –

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

(1951)

The "Whiskey" episode, September 21, 2020

Dylan resurrected his ''Theme Time Radio Hour'' format when he broadcast a two-hour special on the theme of "Whiskey" on Sirius Radio on September 21, 2020. Show track listings: # "Quiet Whiskey" —

Wynonie Harris Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter and rhythm-and-blues singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...

(1953) # "If the River Was Whiskey" —

Charlie Poole Charles Cleveland Poole (March 22, 1892 – May 21, 1931) was an American musician, singer and banjo player, as well as the leader of the North Carolina Ramblers, which was a string band that recorded many popular songs between 1925 and 1930. ...

(1930) # " Whiskey River" —

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

(1973) # "Bottleneck Blues" (excerpt) — Sylvester Weaver and Walter Beasley (1927) # "Whiskey Sununu Odia" (aka "Whiskey Sonn Onuo Da") — Edmund Tagoe and Frank Essien (1929) # "He's Got All the Whiskey" — Bobby Charles (1972) # "Good Whiskey (And a Bad Woman)" —

Timmie Rogers Timmie Rogers (born Timothy Louis Ancrum July 4, 1915 – December 17, 2006) was an American comedian, singer-songwriter, bandleader and actor who appeared on many national TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Rogers was one of the first Black comed ...

(1946) # "The Whiskey Makes You Sweeter" —

Laura Cantrell Laura Cantrell (born July 16, 1967) is a country singer-songwriter and DJ from Nashville, Tennessee. Biography Cantrell moved to New York City from her native Nashville to study English at Columbia University. She briefly recorded songs with f ...

(2000) # "

Drinking Again "Drinking Again" is a 1962 torch song, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Doris Tauber. The song has been recorded by Frank Sinatra ('' The World We Knew''), Dinah Washington ('' Drinking Again''), Aretha Franklin ('' Unforgettable: A Tr ...

" —

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

(1967) # "I've Been Drinking" (excerpt) —

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

(1968) # "Corn Whiskey" —

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

(1952) # "Ain't That Whiskey Hot" — Billie Harbert (1954) # " One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer" — Alfred Brown (1968) # "Rye Whiskey" — Harry Choates (1948) # "Coming through the Rye" —

John C. Reilly John Christopher Reilly (born May 24, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer, and writer. After his film debut in '' Casualties of War'' (1989), he gained exposure through his supporting roles in '' Days of Thunder'' (1990), '' ...

(2020) # "Coming Through the Rye" —

Julie London Julie London (née Peck; September 26, 1926 – October 18, 2000) was an American singer and actress whose career spanned more than 40 years. A torch singer noted for her sultry, languid contralto vocals, London recorded over thirty album ...

(1959) # "Mountain Dew" —

The Stanley Brothers The Stanley Brothers were an American bluegrass duo of singer-songwriters and musicians, made up of brothers Carter Stanley (August 27, 1925 – December 1, 1966) and Ralph Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016). Ralph and Carter perfo ...

(1960) # " Moonshine Whiskey" —

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

(1971) # "Bourbon from Heaven" (excerpt) —

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

(1964?) # " Mack the Knife" (excerpt )—

(1955) # "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" — Lotte Lenya (1930) # "Jockey Full of Bourbon "—

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

(1985) # "Tennessee Whiskey" —

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

(1983) # " Whiskey in the Jar" —

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...

(1972) # " The Parting Glass" — The Clancy Brothers (1959) # "Hangover Blues" — Byllye Williams (1954) # "Tuff" (excerpt) — Ace Cannon (1962) # "Let's Go to the Liquor Store" — Tuff Green (1949) # "Top Cat" (underscore) — Hoyt Curtin (1961)

Credits

Although uncredited in the closing credits, actress

Ellen Barkin Ellen Rona Barkin (born April 16, 1954) is an American actress and a producer. Her breakthrough role was in the 1982 film '' Diner'', and in the following years, she had starring roles in films such as '' Tender Mercies'' (1983), '' Eddie and t ...

read the opening "Night/Night time in the Big City" introduction for each episode during the first two seasons of the show, with the exception of the Season 1 Halloween episode (read by comedian Steven Wright). Barkin read the "Big City" intro intermittently during Season 3. The production credits were usually read at the close of each show. The usual theme music played under the closing credits was "Top Cat (Underscore)" which can be found on the CD compilation ''Tunes from the Toons: The Best of Hanna-Barbera'', issued in 1996 and reissued in 2002. The music is an acoustic version of the theme song from the 1960s cartoon '' Top Cat''. The show's usual credits were as follows: * Host:

* Producer:

* Associate Producer: Season 1 – Sonny Webster. Season 2 – Ben Rollins. Season 3 – Nina Fitzgerald-Washington * Continuity: "Eats" (spelling unknown) Martin * Editor: Damian Rodriguez * Supervising Editor: Rob Macomber * Research Team: Diane Lapson, Bernie Bernstein * Additional Research: Season 1 – Lynne Sheridan, Kimberly Williams, Robert Bower. Seasons 2 and 3 – April Hayes, Callie Gladman, Terrence Michaels, Sean Patrick, and Lynne Sheridan * Librarian: Seasons 2 and 3 – Robert Bower * Production Coordinator: Seasons 2 and 3 – Debbie Sweeney * Production Assistance: Jim McBean * Special Thanks to: Randy Ezratty, Coco Shinomiya, Samson's Diner and Lee Abrams (Season 3) * Studio Engineer: Tex Carbone (changed to Director of Studio Operations midway through Season 2 and continuing through Season 3) * For XM Radio: Lee Abrams (Seasons 1 and 2) * Location: Announced as "Recorded in Studio B, the Abernathy Building" – a fictitious location. (Season 2 modified this to "Recorded in Studio B, in the ''historic'' Abernathy Building". Season 3 had several variations on the line including "take the tour", "crown jewel of the city skyline", and "on the 8th floor".) * A Greywater Park Production in Association with Big Red Tree *Announcer: "Pierre Mancini" (suspected to be the voice of Producer Eddie Gorodetsky)

Reception

The show received positive reviews. Terry Teachout wrote, for ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', that " olisten to ''Theme Time Radio Hour'' is to rediscover the sense of musical adventure that old-fashioned disc jockeys with strongly individual personalities offered in the days before big-money stations pinned their fiscal hopes to the rigid Top 40-style playlists that took the fun out of radio". Linton Weeks, writing for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', praised Dylan's hosting qualities, calling him "voluble, generous, articulate. He's liable to quote a poem, give tips on hanging drywall, pass along a recipe"."On XM Radio's 'Theme Time,' Freewheelin' Dylan Calls the Tune" by Linton Weeks, Sunday, October 7, 2007; Page M03 ''The Washington Post''.

References

External links

Deep Tracks
Sirius XM site featuring ''Theme Time Radio Hour''

Blog by Lee Abrams (XM Radio VP) who had the original idea for a Bob Dylan radio show.
BBC6 Music: ''Theme Time'' siteThe Dreamtime Podcast
Commentary on Bob Dylan's ''Theme Time Radio Hour''

The playlists (including release dates) of the tracks Bob Dylan chose to present, as well as the lyrics to some of the songs

Annotated ''Theme Time Radio Hour'' page from the Bob Dylan Fan Club website
DylanRadio.com
Internet webcast that airs episodes of ''Theme Time Radio Hour'' twice daily among other content related to Bob Dylan.
''Theme Time Radio Hour'' Archive
Contains podcasts and 'Singers and Songs' lists for all episodes {{Bob Dylan American music radio programs Bob Dylan Radio programs on XM Satellite Radio 2006 establishments in the United States 2009 disestablishments in the United States