75 Performers for 75 Years of WERS

A LOT, and we mean A LOT, of performers have played in the WERS studios throughout the last 75 years.

After all, WERS started broadcasting on November 2, 1949. Fun fact: WERS began broadcasting from 88.1 and moved to 88.9 in 1950 to increase power to 330 watts. WERS made its home at 130 Beacon Street until 1998, when the new WERS studio on Tremont Street was built in the Ansin Building.

Through the years, musicians of almost every genre imaginable came into the WERS studios to perform. From reggae artists like Shabba Ranks to folk/country singers like Willie Nelson, jazz musicians like Branford Marsalis and teen heartthrobs New Kids on the Block. Pick a genre, and someone has plucked strings, tickled the ivories, blew a horn, and sang their heart out for WERS listeners.

In celebration of 75 years of WERS, and Boston’s 617 Day, which spotlights local talent, we asked the Emerson community to provide who they enjoyed hearing perform at WERS. By no means is this an official list, and it’s in no particular order (we don’t even have dates for some acts), it’s just an amazing array of some of the musicians to grace WERS.

Who did we miss? Email david_ertischek@emerson.edu and we’ll make the list 75+ performers.

An * denotes the performer(s) are/were New England-based musician(s) or got their start in Boston.

1. Pixies * performed at WERS in 1987
2.  Willie Nelson performed with the acoustic duo Folk Uke (his daughter Amy, and Arlo Guthrie’s daughter, Cathy Guthrie)
3. Nirvana never played at WERS, but was interviewed on September 24, 1991 by Kerri Savage ’91 and David Gwiazdowski ’92
4. The Spin Doctors 
5. Dizzy Gillespie came in for an interview at WERS
6. Dave Matthews Band 
7. Branford Marsalis performed in 1997
8. Jewel
9. Vance Joy performed in 2014
10. Steve Earle performed in 2017
11. Ice Cube visited the WERS studios for an interview in 2013
12. Guster * performed in 2015
13. Bon Iver 
14. The Revivalists performed in 2012
15. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings 
16. Regina Spektor performed in 2008/2009
17. Belly* performed in 2018
18. The Kooks 
19. Daphne Willis 
20. Acoustic Junction
21. Blues Traveler
22. Widespread Panic
23. Little Stevie
24. Carlos Santana
25. Suzanne Vega
26. Letters to Cleo *
27. Mary Chapin Carpenter
28. Shawn Colvin
29. The Cars *
30. Tracy Bonham *
31. Bela Fleck & Paul McCandless
32. Alison Krauss
33. Aimee Mann*
34. Dar Williams*
35. Tracy Chapman*
36. New Kids on the Block *
37. Hootie & The Blowfish
38. Donny Osmond
39. Stanley Jordan
40. Tom Rush*
41. Jane Siberry
42. Yellowjackets
43. Bill Morrissey*
44. The Dillinger Escape Plan
45. Knut
46. Haste
47. Cephalic Carnage
48. Julianna Hatfield *
49. Jade Bird
50. Corinne Bailey Rae
51. Buffalo Tom *
52. Air Traffic Controller *
53. Lori McKenna *
54. Michael Hedges
55. Tom Chapin
56. David Clayton Thomas
57. Rory Block
58. Mary Lou Lord *
59. Ani DiFranco
60. Aztec Two Step *
61. The Lemonheads *
62. Human Sexual Response *
63. Shabba Ranks
64. Livingston Taylor*
65. Ellis Paul *
66. Shockra *
67. Our Lady Peace
68. Medeski Martin & Wood
69. Sam Kiniger
70. Onyx
71. Mr. Lif *
72. Gillian Welch
73. Kenny Hadley Big Band *
74. Vampire Weekend
75. Joshua Redman
76. Taj Mahal (former WERS Music Director and Program Director Joel Schwelling ’76 let us know about this one)