Ben Franklin + Music = ?

Podcast-MicMy podcast is in development and I need your help. Presently, I am taking a month-long course with Jeff Brown to learn more about podcast intros, outros, and how to conduct interviews so that my listeners will feel like they are part of the conversation.

I am also finalizing the format of my show, which I am still tentatively calling “Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History.”

 

Segments for "Ben Franklin's World"

I have devised 4 different segments for the show outside of an introduction and concluding remarks.

1. Discovery: A brief segment where I will discuss any fascinating historical discoveries that I have made.

2. Interview/Historical Monologue: This will be the "meat" of the show. I will interview an historian who has conducted (or is conducting) fascinating research about important episodes and people in early American history.

Alternatively, some shows will feature me discussing a captivating story from my own historical research.

3. Time Warp: A post-interview segment where I will ask the interviewee a hypothetical history question for fun.

4. Ask the Historian: A segment where I will answer listener questions about early American history.

 

Music

One aspect of the show that has me befuddled is the music.

I want to have background music play during my intro and outro segments, which leads me to the question I posed in my title: Ben Franklin + Music = ?

Ben Franklin Equation

Questions

What kind of music do you associate with Ben Franklin or early American history in general?

What type of music would you expect to hear on a podcast about early American history?

What type of music would draw you into the podcast?

I want to find music that fits the subject of early American history and yet also proclaims that this is “not another boring history podcast.”

Please leave a comment, send an e-mail, or tweet me with your ideas about possible genres and artists or if you have general suggestions/comments/questions about "Ben Franklin's World."