With Hurricane Ian moving on from its battering of Florida to fizzle into the Atlantic, we thought we'd present a reprise of Mark's 2017 audio celebration of some of the best songs from the Sunshine State - a very small consolation for our many listeners and readers currently camped out in temporary accommodations because of mandatory evacuation orders or, worse, the destruction of their homes.
Originally presented as a live stormwatch musical accompaniment, this show more or less follows the path of Hurricane Irma five years ago up through the state from the Florida Keys north to the panhandle and the banks of the Suwanee on the Georgia border. Along the way we'll hear songs about Key West, Fort Lauderdale, St Petersburg, Tampa, Apalachicola, Tallahassee and elsewhere performed by Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Fats Waller, the Andrews Sisters, the Beach Boys, the Village People and many more. And we'll reprise a special live performance from The Mark Steyn Show of the "Miami Beach Rhumba" - plus, from the Steyn archives, legendary lyricist Irving Caesar takes us back to 1918 and tells Mark how he wrote "Swanee" with George Gershwin.
Click above to listen - and, especially if you're on the Atlantic coast and still have an Internet connection, we hope you enjoy it.
On the Town is a special production for The Mark Steyn Club, for more on which see here.
~If you enjoy Mark's musical presentations, don't miss Steyn's Song of the Week on Serenade Radio in the UK. You can listen to the show from anywhere on the planet by clicking the button in the top right corner here. It airs thrice a week:
5.30pm London Sunday (12.30pm New York)
5.30am London Monday (2.30pm Sydney)
9pm London Thursday (1pm Vancouver)
Members of The Mark Steyn Club get to have at it in our comments section. So be as breezy or windy as you like, but get typing below.
