Whether you find yourself with more time on your hands, or you simply need something to distract you from the constantly unfolding horror that is the news, podcasts are always a good bet.
Needless to say, there are a LOT of music-based podcasts out there – but fewer music history ones. Sometimes, you want to delve a little deeper into a genre or a musician or a particular story – so below, we've chosen eight music history-related pods for you to check out.
1. This Day in Music History
A perfect one to begin with – and to begin your day with, too. Ron from The Colorado Sound hosts this short (never usually longer than 90 seconds!) pod that gives a rundown of all the historically significant events – from birthdays to deaths to who topped the charts - that happened on today's date. We like to kick off our day with this little blast of info.
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2. Earfloss
Their mission statement declares: “You want to know about that one band or musician. We want to tell you” - and that's exactly what Earfloss does. Hosted by Kenny Erickson and with contributions from various guests, their eclectic list of musicians and bands include Joni Mitchell, A Tribe Called Quest, Otis Redding, Jeff Buckley and The Spice Girls.
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3. Cocaine & Rhinestones
Even if country music isn't necessarily your thing, you'll find something to enjoy and maybe even something that'll pique your interest on Cocaine & Rhinestones. Forget rock 'n' roll: some of the craziest tales of excess happened within the genre of country music. Hosted by Tyler Coe, it delves into the history of the genre, telling the stories behind well-known names like Merle Haggard and Bobbie Gentry, as well as lesser-know artists.
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4. Rock n' Roll Archaeology
A podcast that covers the history of both individual bands and artists, specific songs and even momentous years in rock 'n' roll music (their episode on 1969 is well worth a listen), Rock n' Roll Archaeology tells stories in an interesting, concise manner: everything from Simon & Garfunkel to the Stones and The Beatles are included here.
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5. The Vinyl Me, Please podcast – VMP Anthology
Vinyl Me, Please is a well-known vinyl subscription service, but they also hosted a podcast that ran in conjunction with a series of box sets they released (the VMP Anthology). Jazz, Motown and ambient music fans will find a lot to enjoy in these pods that promise to 'go beyond the liner notes'.
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6. My First Band
This is a really fun podcast that we definitely wish we'd had the idea for first. Hosted by Tyler Maas, it sees musicians who have gone on to bigger things talking about the first band they were in. Which counts as history, right? Whether you're familiar with them or not (and a lot of them will be mostly known to American audiences), their nostalgic stories are usually pretty entertaining and often really funny.
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7. Decomposed
Even if you're just a casual fan of classical music but want to know more about the stories behind the greats, this is the pod for you. Named as one of the best podcasts of 2019 by the likes of Time and Esquire, pianist Jade Simmons takes you through the lesser-known stories behind Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and one episode even tells a fascinating story of Gershwin's opera Porgy & Bess and how it played a role in the Cold War.
