Blogs

Few performers have ever been quite as instantly recognisable as Dolly Parton.

There was the voice, of course. There were the songs — an extraordinary catalogue spanning country, pop, gospel and bluegrass. There was the wit, the warmth, the larger-than-life image and that remarkable ability to laugh at herself before anyone else got the chance.

But behind all of that was one of the finest songwriters popular music has produced, a formidable businesswoman, and a philanthropist whose generosity changed millions of lives.

After you've enjoyed The Variety Vault with Paul Merrell, Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 4 PM, don't touch that dial, device, PC, Mac, smart speaker or tablet and join me for The Early Years, where and when you'll hear the best music from the first quarter century of Rock with nods to other decades and genres.

This week on Deep Dive we enjoy the talents of American singer and song writer Neil Diamond. He is now 85 years old.

We meet Sweet Caroline and Cracklin' Rosie, and discover that girl you'll be a woman soon.

Tune in at 4 PM Eastern Monday, which is Tuesday morning in Eastern Australia. Or at 6 am Eastern Wednesday, which is Wednesday evening in Eastern Australia. Tuning in is a snap! Just tell that SmartSpeaker of yours to play Mushroom FM, and you will be there faster than you can sing a song sung blue.

Only on Mushroom Escape:
http://www.mushroomfm.com/escape
From this Saturday at 12 AM Eastern—that’s 4 PM Saturday in NZ, 2 PM in Sydney, and 5 AM in the UK—and repeated every four hours throughout the day—we’re featuring the described movies Spectre (2015) and Burn After Reading (2008).
Got questions, comments, or ideas for future described movies?
Email me at anthony at mushroomfm dot com (written this way to reduce spam).
Enjoy the movies and check out the details below!

Hi there! Sara Hillis here to let you know that today, August 21, 2026, marks ten years since I spoke my first words on the air as a host on Mushroom FM! Technically, those words were voice-tracked and so pre-recorded, but when I tuned in to hear myself--a very surreal experience--I never dreamed that I would still be doing this ten years later! In fact, I had convinced myself that no one would like what I did and that I wouldn't be any good as a DJ and that I would be let go in short order with extreme prejudice, because of course I was a fool to start this crazy ride in the first place.

The "Juke In The Back" focuses on the " soul that came before rock n' roll," the records that inspired Elvis, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless others.
49 years ago this week, we lost the "King Of Rock n' Roll. Much has been written about Elvis' enormous impact and popularity over the years, but it's almost impossible to overstate the cultural shift that took place as he rose to fame in 1956.
Elvis was a musical sponge. He absorbed all the music that moved him and those around him, from Country and Hillbilly to Gospel, Pop, R&B and Blues.

After you've enjoyed The Variety Vault with Paul Merrell, Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 4 PM, don't touch that dial, device, PC, Mac, smart speaker or tablet and join me for The Early Years, where and when you'll hear the best music from the first quarter century of Rock with nods to other decades and genres.
A single year of Canadian music, 1969, is in the spotlight as I continue Canadiana, the theme I started six weeks ago. Some songs you'll know, others perhaps not.

This week on Deep Dive we enjoy the music and talents of American folk singer Joan Baez, still with us at the age of 85. We visit the house of the rising sun, let it be, and hear that love is just a four-letter word.

Tune in at 4 PAM Eastern monday, which is Tuesday morning in Eastern Australia. Or at 6 AM Eastern Wednesday, which is Wednesday evening in Eastern Australia. Tuning in is easy! Just tell that SmartSpeaker of yours to play Mushrom FM, and you will be there faster than you can say come the shadows.

Guess who? It's me, Sara Hillis, and I'm here to let you know bout this week's edition of Come by the Hills, the Folk and Celtic music show on Mushroom FM! Basically, it will be three hours of great music with a Folkish flavour: some traditional, some not-so-traditional, but all guaranteed to make you sit up and take notice, if, of course, you happen to be lying down at the time. Otherwise, it might just make you take notice. Anyway, I hope you'll join me, in whatever position you find yourself.

Ten years ago, Mushroom FM made the biggest and best decision in its history.
We stopped trying to be all things to all people. We decided that when you tuned to Mushroom FM, you should have a pretty good idea what sort of music you were going to hear and, just as importantly, what sort of radio station you were going to hear.
And so began the format that has defined us ever since: music from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Four decades of magic Mushroom memories.