This week on Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music we play a bunch of Detroit Stories for the Fourth of July! No city has contributed more stories that have become America’s stories than the Motor City!

See the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the media player above.

Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music Playlist for July 4, 2026

HOUR ONE:

• “Fingertips” – Little Stevie Wonder
• “Freeway Of Love” – Aretha Franklin
• “Ball Of Confusion” – The Temptations
• “Dancing In The Streets” – Martha Reeves & The Vandellas
• “Urge For Going (Detroit Demo)” – Joni Mitchell
• “Hotel Yorba” – White Stripes
• “Good Life” – Inner City
• “One Nation Under A Groove” – Funkadelic
• “Money” – Barrett Strong
• “What I Like About You” – The Romantics
• “Detroit, Michigan” – Andre Williams
• “1969” – The Stooges
• “Lose Yourself” – Eminem

HOUR TWO:

• “Boogie Chillen” – John Lee Hooker
• “Sunday Morning” – Thornetta Davis
• “I Wish” – Stevie Wonder
• “Jenny Take A Ride” – Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
• “Detroit Sunrise” – Dwele
• “Makin’ Thunderbirds” – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
• “Strings Of Life” – Derrick May
• “Motor City” – The Satintones
• “Inner City Blues” – Marvin Gaye
• “Anti-American Graffiti” – J Dilla
• “Be My Lover” – Alice Cooper
• “Eastern Market” – Yusef Lateef

Listen to Rob Reinhart’s Essential Music every Saturday from 2-4 p.m. ET on Detroit Public Radio 101.9 WDET and streaming on-demand at wdet.org

We start today off by spinning bright and dreamy melodies from The Marías, Wolf Alice, Kurt Vile and Divorce before easing into a run of Latin music from Rubén Blades, Willie Bobo, Orquesta Akokán, and Gabriel Rios. 

Along the way, award-winning author, poet, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib joins us live in the studio for a conversation. We also weave in a few of his personal selections, including Detroit-rooted favorites from Slum Village and J Dilla, alongside tracks from Fireworks, Detroit techno pioneer K. Hand, and Amp Fiddler. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for May 19, 2026 

• “Jealous Boy” – The Bug Club 

• “Julie’s Place” – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever 

• “Zoom 97” – Kurt Vile 

• “If You Were The Woman, And I Was The Man (Live)” – Cowboy Junkies 

• “I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND” – Ruti 

• “Hush” – The Marías 

• “Hit My Head All Day” – Dry Cleaning 

• “Angles Mortz” – Nightbus 

• “Enough” – PVA 

• “My Room” – Divorce 

• “White Horses” – Wolf Alice 

• “All My Freaks” – Divorce 

• “I Will Follow” – U2 

• “Zodiac Shit” – Flying Lotus 

• “Déjà Vu” – Ryan Porter 

• “Bunny” – Ashley Henry & The RE: Ensemble 

• “La Vie En Rose” – Grace Jones 

• “Pedro Navaja” – Ruben Blades 

• “Fried Neck Bones and Some Homefries” – Willie Bobo 

• “Con Altura” – Orquesta Akokán 

• “El diablo” – Gabriel Rios 

• “La torre (feat. Devendra Banhart)” – Gabriel Rios 

• “Coeur” – PPJ 

• “Spellbinder” – Gabor Szabo 

• “Reunion” – Slum Village & J Dilla 

• “I Want to Start a Religion With You” – Fireworks 

• “Work That Body” – K. Hand 

• “Dreamin’ (Radio Version)” – Amp Fiddler 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org.