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KKRN FM, is a volunteer-based, listener-supported radio station fostering positive social change and healthy communities by entertaining, informing and educating through diverse music, culture, news, and public affairs programming.
Swinging Down the Lane
- Saturdays, 6:00pm–7:00pm
- Sundays, 12:00am–1:00am
We're
dedicated to keeping the big band sound alive
and well. Big bands have been around since the 1920's, and the recent
interest in swing music has rekindled the flame. New generations are
thrilling to Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey,
Glenn Miller and of course the illustrious Duke Ellington.
I’ve been an ardent fan of the big bands all my life.
As a child growing up in New Jersey, I set my radio dial to WNEW, where "Make Believe
Ballroom" featured a constant stream of recordings by big bands and
their vocalists.
Swing music went into hibernation for a while, as
vocalists like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Rosemary Clooney and Perry Como stole the
spotlight away. Determined to keep the old sound alive, I accumulated a collection of over
9,000 recordings. With such a rich resource at my fingertips, it was a natural
next step to
inaugurate a weekly radio program, which went on the air in 1983 and is now carried by
over 40 National Public Radio stations
