On the monumental occasion of our 800th episode of Tell the Band to Go Home on UMFM, I decided to look back and see which artists, albums, and songs we’ve played the most. Below you can see the leaders in each category.
These statistics always come with a big disclaimer: A lot of episodes from the early days are missing. I make a lot of mistakes. The calculations are sometimes a little wonky. All of this is to say that these numbers are purely for fun and don’t accurately represent reality, but they’re a pretty accurate representation of what our first 800 episodes looked like.
Overall, I’ve kept track of 20293 songs
56.5% of those are Canadian artists
21.9% are local
Our most played songs:
| Rank | Artist | Plays | Song title |
| 1 | Willie P. Bennett | 39 | Willie’s Diamond Joe |
| 2 | Paul Kelly | 29 | How to Make Gravy |
| 3 | Oh Susanna | 24 | Home soon (the cherry song) |
| 4 | Geoff Berner | 23 | Light Enough to Travel |
| 5 | Townes Van Zandt | 21 | If I needed you |
| 6 | Blaze Foley | 20 | Clay Pigeons |
| 6 | NQ Arbuckle | 20 | Huntsville Affair |
| 7 | Lyle Lovett | 19 | Step inside this house |
| 7 | Nathan | 19 | Stone |
| 7 | Townes Van Zandt | 19 | Waitin’ Around to Die |
| 8 | Robert Earl Keen | 18 | Merry Christmas from the Family |
| 9 | JP Hoe | 17 | Fine |
| 9 | Guy Clark | 17 | Let Him Roll |
| 9 | The Warped 45s | 17 | Live Bait |
| 9 | Scott Nolan Band | 17 | Rosie |
| 9 | Guy Clark | 17 | The Cape |
| 10 | Jim Bryson | 16 | Feel much better |
| 10 | Willie P Bennett | 16 | Lace And Pretty Flowers |
| 10 | Greg Brown | 16 | Spring wind |
| 10 | Nathan | 16 | Sunset chaser |
| 10 | Willie P Bennett | 16 | The lucky ones |
| 10 | David Francey | 16 | The waking hour |
| 10 | Christina Martin | 16 | You Come Home |
| 11 | Julie Miller | 15 | All My Tears |
| 11 | Scott Nolan | 15 | Bad Liver / Broken Heart |
| 11 | Scott Nolan | 15 | Drive Day |
| 11 | Jim Bryson | 15 | Fleetwood |
| 11 | Townes Van Zandt | 15 | Pancho and Lefty |
| 11 | Jim Bryson | 15 | Somewhere else |
| 12 | James McMurtry | 14 | Choctaw Bingo |
| 12 | John Prine | 14 | Christmas in Prison |
| 12 | Blue Shadows | 14 | Deliver Me |
| 12 | Paul MacLeod | 14 | Giants |
| 12 | Neil Young | 14 | Old Man |
| 12 | The Weakerthans | 14 | Reconstruction Site |
| 12 | Townes Van Zandt | 14 | Tecumseh Valley |
| 12 | Greg Macpherson | 14 | Wide Turn |
| 12 | Jim Bryson | 14 | Without Piano |
| 13 | Lynn Miles | 13 | Black Flowers |
| 13 | Tom Waits | 13 | Christmas card from a hooker in Minneapolis |
| 13 | Willie P. Bennett | 13 | Country Squall |
| 13 | Paul Macleod | 13 | Cruelty |
| 13 | Blaze Foley | 13 | Election Day |
| 13 | Jill Barber | 13 | In perfect time |
| 13 | NQ Arbuckle | 13 | Mixkin Dancehall Blues |
| 13 | Brothers Cosmoline | 13 | Motel 6 |
| 13 | Carolyn Mark | 13 | Not a doll |
| 13 | Matt Epp | 13 | She’s High Water |
| 13 | Tom T. Hall | 13 | That’s How I Got to Memphis |
| 13 | Corin Raymond | 13 | Under the Belly of the Night |
| 13 | David Francey | 13 | Wind in the Wires |
| 14 | Willie P. Bennett | 12 | Blackie & the Rodeo King |
| 14 | David Francey | 12 | Border Line |
| 14 | Fred Eaglesmith | 12 | Codeine |
| 14 | Willie P Bennett | 12 | Come on Train |
| 14 | Dustin Bentall | 12 | Crash Hard |
| 14 | Skydiggers | 12 | Even when you fall |
| 14 | Sunparlour Players | 12 | If the Creeks Don’t Rise |
| 14 | John Prine | 12 | In Spite of Ourselves (w/ Iris DeMent) |
| 14 | Michael Johnston | 12 | Katie |
| 14 | Jon Dee Graham | 12 | Laredo ( Small Dark Something ) |
| 14 | The Weakerthans | 12 | My Favourite Chords |
| 14 | Ridley Bent | 12 | Nine Inch Nails |
| 14 | The Wailin’ Jennys | 12 | One Voice |
| 14 | Bruce Springsteen | 12 | Pay Me My Money Down |
| 14 | The Weakerthans | 12 | Plea from a cat named Virtute |
| 14 | Greg Brown | 12 | Sleeper |
| 14 | Michael Johnston | 12 | The country north of Peterborough |
| 14 | Fred Eaglesmith | 12 | Water in the fuel |
| 15 | Kathleen Edwards | 11 | 12 Bellevue |
| 15 | Blackie & The Rodeo Kings | 11 | 49 Tons |
| 15 | Darren Day | 11 | Anne |
| 15 | Jason Collett | 11 | Bitter beauty |
| 15 | Mary Gauthier | 11 | Christmas in paradise |
| 15 | Blackie & the Rodeo Kings | 11 | Driftin’ snow |
| 15 | Mary Gauthier | 11 | Good-Bye |
| 15 | Del Barber | 11 | If I Told You that I Loved You |
| 15 | Carolyn Mark | 11 | It’s All Just a Matter of (Where You Draw the Line) |
| 15 | Luke Doucet | 11 | It’s not the Liquor I Miss |
| 15 | Harry Manx | 11 | Long Black Veil |
| 15 | Stan Rogers | 11 | Northwest passage |
| 15 | Robert Earl Keen | 11 | Not a drop of rain |
| 15 | Melissa McClelland | 11 | O Holy Night |
| 15 | Dave Lang | 11 | She’s leaving town |
| 15 | The Handsome Family | 11 | So Much Wine |
| 15 | NQ Arbuckle | 11 | Sun’s Hangin’ Low |
| 15 | Geoff Berner | 11 | That’s What Keeps the Rent Down, Baby |
| 15 | Mike Plume | 11 | The Best Job I Ever Had |
| 15 | Kris Demeanor | 11 | This old house |
| 15 | Justin Rutledge and the Junction Forty | 11 | Too Sober to Sleep |
| 15 | D. Rangers | 11 | Trois Riveres |
| 15 | Kathleen Edwards | 11 | Westby |
| 15 | Kathleen Edwards | 11 | What Are You Waiting For? |
| 15 | Willie P Bennett | 11 | White Line |
Note that some songs have the added benefit of being covered by a number of people, so the plays are not necessarily all the original artist or writer. In fact, coming in at #12 is “Old Man” by Neil Young, but we’ve never ever played his version on the show! Those plays are almost all a cover by The Wailin’ Jennys, who came in to the studio and performed that song early on.
Our most played albums:
| Rank | Artist | Plays | Album name |
| 1 | Jim Bryson | 59 | The North Side Benches |
| 2 | Del Barber | 58 | Love Songs For The Last 20 |
| 3 | Nathan | 51 | Jimson Weed |
| 3 | David Francey | 51 | Torn Screen Door |
| 4 | Michael Johnston | 47 | Curious Heart |
| 5 | Willie P Bennett | 46 | Tryin’ to Start Out Clean |
| 6 | The Wailin’ Jennys | 44 | 40 Days |
| 6 | Del Barber | 44 | Headwaters |
| 7 | Matt Mays | 42 | Matt Mays |
| 7 | The Lowest of the Low | 42 | Shakespeare My Butt |
| 8 | Jim Bryson | 41 | The Occasionals |
| 9 | Kathleen Edwards | 39 | Failer |
| 9 | Christina Martin | 39 | Two Hearts |
| 10 | NQ Arbuckle | 38 | Hanging the Battle Scarred Pinata |
| 10 | Blackie & the Rodeo Kings | 38 | High or Hurtin’ |
| 11 | Lyle Lovett | 37 | Step Inside this House |
| 11 | NQ Arbuckle | 37 | XOK |
| 12 | Nathan | 36 | Key Principles |
| 12 | The Warped 45s | 36 | Matador Sunset |
| 12 | The Weakerthans | 36 | Reconstruction Site |
| 12 | Paul MacLeod | 36 | Tell the Band to Go Home |
| 12 | JP Hoe | 36 | The Here in Review |
| 13 | Reid Jamieson | 35 | The Unavoidable Truth |
| 13 | David Francey | 35 | The Waking Hour |
| 14 | Blackie & The Rodeo Kings | 34 | Kings of Love |
| 14 | The Weakerthans | 34 | Left & Leaving |
| 14 | Del Barber | 34 | Prairieography |
| 15 | Eliza Gilkyson | 33 | Land of Milk & Honey |
| 15 | Blue Shadows | 33 | On the Floor of Heaven |
And… our top artists of all time!
| Rank | Plays | Artist |
| 1 | 224 | Keri Latimer/Nathan/Leaf Rapids/Special Fancy |
| 2 | 220 | Fred Eaglesmith |
| 3 | 202 | Scott Nolan |
| 4 | 190 | Leeroy Stagger |
| 5 | 189 | Del Barber |
| 6 | 187 | David Francey |
| 7 | 186 | Jim Bryson |
| 8 | 181 | Willie P Bennet |
| 9 | 171 | Skydiggers |
| 10 | 164 | Mike Plume |
| 11 | 163 | Nathan |
| 12 | 160 | Steve Earle |
| 13 | 156 | Paul Kelly |
| 14 | 155 | Blackie & the Rodeo Kings |
| 14 | 155 | Shannon Lyon |
| 15 | 150 | NQ Arbuckle |
| 16 | 147 | JP Hoe |
| 17 | 135 | The Wailin Jennys |
| 18 | 123 | Guy Clark |
| 19 | 118 | Townes Van Zandt |
| 20 | 117 | Lyle Lovett |
| 21 | 116 | Kathleen Edwards |
| 22 | 110 | Oh Susanna |
| 23 | 107 | Stephen Fearing |
| 24 | 105 | Mary Gauther |
| 25 | 102 | Brock Zeman |
| 25 | 102 | Geoff Berner |
| 26 | 102 | John Prine |
| 27 | 100 | Martyn Joseph |