First of all, my songs are basically co-dependent anthems. I write Ouch Mommy Pick Me Up and Love Me songs. -- Composer Paul Williams

Yeah, but Paul, they're great songs we can all sing (except maybe "Evergreen," written for Barbra) like "We've Only Just Begun," "An Old Fashioned Love Song," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "The Rainbow Connection." They make us happy. Heck, "The Love Boat" theme may have been the best part about the show.

Paul Williams, a longtime Long Beacher, emceed the Grammy Museum's 2010 Songwriters Hall of Fame concert, so in the past few episodes, we've heard him talking with other musicians about music. Now, he gets to tell his stories and sing his songs. 

Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

Next up in our Summer of Song and excerpts from the stage of the Grammy Museum in 2010 is Ashford and Simpson. Valerie Simpson and her late husband Nick Ashford wrote "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," and "I'm Every Woman," among many others.

They were awesome to see onstage, with Valerie at the piano vamping grandly as she and Nick told the stories behind their songs. 

Support for this podcast comes from Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live; and bythe Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.

Off-Ramp theme music by Fesliyan Studios.

Clint Eastwood Exclusive!; Eastwood on Directing; Eastwood on the Magic of Music; The Inner Life of Miranda July; The Big Cheese in Food; Trailblazing in The 'Bu; Skunk Be Gone; Invasive Recipes; A June Wedding; The Rock Fish Files; Music on Off-Ramp - Priscilla Ahn's "I Don't Think So"

Stay-At-Home Dad; MYOB; Dad's in Jail; Dad's in Jail - Part II; It's A Good Day to Be a Songwriter in L.A.; Retro Surf Photos; Alice in Puppetland; Father's Day Traditions; Decoding the Graduation Garb

This week we hit some of Southern California's most historic sites: Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach, Los Encinos State Historic Park, and the Palomares Adobe in Pomona (pictured).

The Voice of an Angel; Angel Gets her Wings; My Teacher Alma; Singin' on the Bus; Mateo Stoneman, White Mariachi; Mid-Century Chimes; From Face Paint To Real Paint; Throat Singing, Inuit Style; Art Tatum Rises...Again

Garrison Keilor Loves LA; Song: "California" by Joni Mitchell; A Way With Words; Song: "You and Onions" (Hidden Track) by Meiko; Straight Story; Creating Vintage Photos; Something Fishy; Song: "Frank's Wild Years" by Tom Waits; Bunker Hill Revisited; Sad Life, Great Writer; Tarzan of Tarzana; My Way on the Highway

Gay About Marriage!; Jazzing up the Classics; A Late Composer's Early Birthday Bash; Bike to Work Day; Aesthetes, Bohemians, and Craftsmen; Auctioning Art for AIDS Research; Ode To Teacher; Grade A Investigator; Gotcha!; Crime Buster; To Catch a Thief; Before Pimlico; 2008 Youth Film Fest; Letters

Emergency is Hottest Ticket; Tango the Night Away ...; Last Mother's Day?; New York Times adds to Off-Ramp story; Bus To Mom; Singin' on the Bus; Shining Hollywood Stars; Hep (Web) Cat ...; All Grown Up; Reservoir Memories; Bonaduce v Buddha?; Garden of Flowing Fragrance; Listener Sleuth; Classical Variations

Congratulations to John Rabe; Silver-No-Lake; In Search of Water; Sign of Life; A Map of LA; Fire Season Starts in Sierra Madre; Taco Trucks; A Family Affair; Pacific Islander Art; "Grandpa," the Revolutionary; The Dresser's Answer; Fight Fire with Lemonade; The LAPD unveils a new device for crowd control