Programming note: Join Mark at SteynOnline tomorrow, Sunday, for Part Four of the new audio serialisation of his highly prescient demographic bestseller, America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It.

~On this week's episode of Mark Steyn on the Town, Mark celebrates the centenary of a favourite Jerome Kern tune, plays songs for the season from the Continent and from the Commonwealth, and ponders the big questions, musically speaking. Featuring a range of performers from Sammy Davis Jr to Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - and that's on the same song.

To listen to the programme, simply click here and log-in.

~Thank you for your kind comments about last week's edition. Susie Roys says:

I absolutely love Mark Steyn on the Town! I've learnt so much from it – best crafted radio programme I've heard in a long time.

Thank you, Susie. Far too kind.

Otherwise, it was not a singer or songwriter who attracted most comment, but a railway engineer. Stefan Bucek, a California member of The Mark Steyn Club, writes:

I remember the song about Casey Jones being adapted as an advertisement for Good 'n' Plenty candy. I started to sing, 'Choo-choo Charlie was an engineer...'

Also, when Sinatra sang about sugar, I was wondering if he ever recorded 'When My Sugar Walks Down the Street.' If you find one, I'd love to hear it on a future Sextet. I sing that for my granddaughter all the time!

God bless you,Mark, and grant you health.

Alas, he never did, Stefan - and it would have been great. Forty years ago in Palm Springs, I once had it on a list of about twenty songs I wanted Sinatra to record. I showed it to Sammy Cahn and said I was going to give it to Frank the following night. And Sammy glanced over the list and said, "Don't do that. Everybody does it. He hates it. The only time it worked was with Bennett Cerf and 'Winchester Cathedral'. That's not a club you want to join."

Maryland Steyn Clubber Michael Smith, on the other hand, enjoyed our opening number:

I want to be happy too, and I will be if anyone knows who was on that solid walking bass line behind Tony Bennett on that absolute corker, indeed.

On the railroad front, Casey Jones also has been high on cocaine thanks to Jerry Garcia and others. If a dude's not copyrighted, he'll get around.

Thanks Mark for another excellent show.

As our West Coast music maven Gary Alexander correctly identified, that bassist would be Milt Hinton, Michael, whom you can also hear with Crosby, Sinatra, Streisand, Paul Anka, on and on... He was also a pretty good photographer.

~On the Town is my weekly music show on Serenade Radio every Saturday at 5pm British Summer Time - that's 6pm in western and central Europe or 12 noon North American Eastern. You can listen from almost anywhere in the world by clicking the button at top right here. We also post On the Town at SteynOnline every weekend as a bonus for Mark Steyn Club members. You can find all our previous shows here.

We do enjoy your comments on our weekend programming. Steyn Clubbers are welcome to leave them below. For more on The Mark Steyn Club, now in its ninth year, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership.

Mark Steyn on the Town can be heard on Serenade Radio at its regular times:

Saturday 5pm London time/12 noon New York

Sunday 5am London time/9pm Los Angeles