Leon Ware’s feel-good, lyrically-on point 1982 release “Why I Came to California'' sets the tone as we celebrate our gorgeous Golden State on California Public Radio Day alongside all the local news, programming, and, of course, music that make us proud to be here.
And since spinning tunes for you is the highest honor, a royal set is in order. In between the sounds of Elvis Presley’s 1956 release “Don’t Be Cruel” — selected today by our faithful weatherman David Lynch — and Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady,” we’ve got the the acoustic demo version of a track from Prince’s 1979 self-titled debut album. He allegedly wrote “I Feel for You” for his crush at the time, jazz pianist and R&B singer Patrice Rushen. As luck would have it, you can experience the timeless sounds of Patrice this Sunday at the Leimert Park Jazz Festival, hosted by KCRW’s very own jazz cat LeRoy Downs.
Plus, we’ve got a new episode of Global Beat Mexico. This week explores artists and instruments from the Gulf state of Veracruz alongside outputs from CDMX, courtesy of co-host and curator Betto Arcos. Thanks to your support, we can continue highlighting emerging artists from around the world!