Steve Albini, esteemed record producer, audio engineer, musician and music journalist, has died at the age of 61 of an apparent heart attack. Although best known as part of the Chicago scene, Albini had strong ties to Minnesota.

A combination of factors helped Gully Boys to become one of Minneapolis’ most recognizable names in pop/rock music and a very familiar name to The Current’s airwaves — and now, they’re our local Artists of the Month.

The Beatles released 'Let It Be'; John Sebastian had a hit from a TV show; 'Chariots of Fire' raced up the charts; a whole bunch of drummers celebrate birthdays; and Eddy Arnold passed away, Today in Music History.

In the nominations for the 2024 Americana Honors and Awards, Sierra Ferrell and Tyler Childers received three nominations each for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Artist of the Year. Brandy Clark, Jason Isbell, Allison Russell, The War and Treaty, and Charley Crockett were also among the nominees.

New music from Nikki Lemire, ahem, MüLLET, Ava Levy, Odd Prospect, and more.

Buzzcocks' Steve Diggle was born; The Mamas and the Papas had a big hit; the Stones released a double album; Reginald Dwight legally changed his name to something we all recognize; Terence Trent D'Arby got his wish for a No. 1 hit; and Steve Perry left Journey, Today in Music History.

Elton John released “Rocket Man”; Simon toured without Garfunkel; Led Zeppelin broke their own attendance record; Keith and Mick worked out the opening riff to one of rock music's most iconic songs; and Pearl Jam filed charges against Ticketmaster, today in music history.

The Album of the Week is Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves.

For today’s 9:30 Coffee Break, what songs that reference bands in some way do you want to hear?

Every Friday around 11 a.m. on Radio Heartland, we pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song. This week, we spotlight the iconic Willie Nelson, who just turned 91 this past Monday.