Liberty Records was founded in 1955 by Simon Waronker after his cousin, Herb Newman, suggested they go into the record business. The early years found the label in the deep end of easy listening pop with the likes of Julie London, novelty music featuring The Chipmunks, Patience and Prudence, Martin Denny, and Henry Mancini. But rock n’ roll was hitting its stride, and in the late fifties they released a blend of pure rock and rockabilly with Eddie Cochran. But the 60s found a more tame version with hitmakers like Bobby Vee, Johnny Burnette, Timi Yuro, Buddy Knox, and the post-Buddy Holly Crickets. At the peak of it’s hit-making machine the whole lot was sold to an umbrella company that also featured the catalogs of Imperial, Aladdin, Minit, and Dolton…we’ll share a host of Liberty releases with you in the show today. With the exception of Eddie Cochran, we’ll just call it rock ‘n roll ‘lite’.
| No. |
|---|
| 1 | Artist |
Title |
Album |
Buy |
| 2 | Eddie Cochran |
C'mon Everybody |
Eddie Cochran: 2 Classic Albums Plus Singles And Session Tracks [Disc 1] |
 |
| 3 | Eddie Cochran |
Hallelujah I Love Her So |
Eddie Cochran: 2 Classic Albums Plus Singles And Session Tracks [Disc 1] |
|
| 4 | Eddie Cochran |
Nervous Breakdown |
Eddie Cochran Singles Album |
|
| 5 | Shirley & Lee |
Hey Little Boy |
Shirley & Lee Rock |
|
| 6 | Rick Nelson |
Teenage Idol |
Greatest Love Songs |
|
| 7 | Sandy Nelson |
&And Then There Were Drums |
Their Greatest Misses |
|
| 8 | Buddy Knox |
Open (Your Lovin' Arms) |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 9 | Bobby Vee |
Sharing You |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 10 | Roosevelt Grier |
The Mail Must Go Through |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 11 | Jackie DeShannon |
Just Like In The Movies |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 12 | Warren Smith |
Book Of Broken Hearts |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 13 | The Rivingtons |
Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 14 | Gene McDaniels |
Chip Chip |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 15 | Johnny Burnette |
The Fool Of The Year |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 16 | Matt Monroe |
Softly As I Leave You |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 17 | Betty O' Brian |
Money Honey |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 18 | The Crickets |
Little Hollywood Girl |
Point Of No Return: The Liberty Records Story 1962 |
|
| 19 | Bobby Vee |
The Night Has A Thousand Eyes |
Easy Listening Gold 1962-1963 |
|
| 20 | Jackie DeShannon |
Needles And Pins |
The Brill Building Sound [Disc 3] |
|
| 21 | The Ventures |
Walk, Don't Run |
61* [Box Set] Disc 1 |
|
| 22 | Jan & Dean |
Linda |
Jan & Dean Anthology Album |
|
| 23 | Jan & Dean |
Honolulu Lulu |
Surf City + Folk 'n Roll |
|
| 24 | The Fleetwoods |
(Goodnight My Love) Pleasant Dreams |
Come Softly To Me: The Very Best Of The Fleetwoods |
|
| 25 | Wilson Pickett |
It's Too Late |
A Man & A Half: The Best Of Wilson Pickett [Disc 1] |
|
| 26 | Irma Thomas |
Break-A-Way |
Time Is on My Side: The Best of Irma Thomas, Vol. 1 |
|
| 27 | Johnny Rivers |
Memphis |
Greatest Hits [Capitol] |
|
| 28 | Johnny Rivers |
Seventh Son |
Best Of Johnny Rivers |
|
| 29 | Johnny Rivers |
Mountain Of Love |
Best Of Johnny Rivers |
|
| 30 | Gary Lewis & the Playboys |
This Diamond Ring |
Red, White & Rock Disc 2 |
|
| 31 | Cher |
All I Really Want To Do |
Yesterday's Gone [Disc 1] |
|
| 32 | Del Shannon |
The Big Hurt |
The Complete Recordings 1960-1970: Home and Away |
|
| 33 | Mel Carter |
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me |
Music to Shag By |
|
| 34 | Mel Carter |
Band of Gold |
The Best of Jukebox Rock – 1966 – Volume 2 |
|
| 35 | Johnny Rivers |
The Poor Side of Town |
Greatest Hits [Capitol] |
|
| 36 | Gene McDaniels |
Point of No Return |
The Liberty Records Story (Pt. 1) |
|
The Imperial label will be the subject of this week’s Deeper Roots show. Founded in 1947 by Lew Chudd, it’s early years featured some of the very best rhythm and blues and early rock you could find. Their lineup included some of the big names of early rock, not least of which was Roy Brown, Fats Domino, Frankie Ford and Ricky Nelson. They would dabble in country and jazz but also looked to strike while the iron was hot when Elvis hit with a blend of country and rhythm and blues in the mid-50s. They did so by looking for new names with ducktails and driving combos in the rockabilly era. This episode focuses primarily on the 1950s with a future episode taking us further into the label’s sale to Liberty Records in 1963 but not before Lew Chudd purchased Aladdin and Minit Records, bringing over even more of the R&B talent that they would be known for. It’s another Deeper Roots Friday morning on KOWS.
| No. |
|---|
| 1 | Artist |
Title |
Album |
Buy |
| 2 | Fats Domino |
The Fat Man |
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Piano Blues – A Film By Clint Eastwood |
|
| 3 | Smiley Lewis |
Tee-Nah-Nah |
I Hear You Knocking 1947-1962 Disc 1 |
|
| 4 | Guitar Slim and His Band |
Bad Luck Is On Me [Woman Troubles] |
Louisiana Swamp Blues |
|
| 5 | Big Jay McNeely |
All That Wine Is Gone |
Jumpin' Like Mad: Cool Cats & Hip Chicks Non-Stop Dancin' [Disc 1] |
|
| 6 | T-Bone Walker |
Cold Cold Feeling |
Best Of Black & White & Imperial Years |
|
| 7 | Fat Man Matthews & the Four Kittens |
Later Baby |
Rhythm 'N' Blues: Early Doo Wop 1943-55, vol. 3 |
|
| 8 | Fats Domino |
Goin' Home |
Rock And Rollin |
|
| 9 | Lil' Son Jackson |
Get High Everybody |
Vol. 2 1950-1952 |
|
| 10 | Smiley Lewis |
Big Mamou |
I Hear You Knocking 1947-1962 Disc 2 |
|
| 11 | Hawks |
I-Yi |
Money Honey – Rise of the Black Vocal Group 51-53 |
|
| 12 | Pee Wee Crayton |
Win-O |
Pee Wee's Blues – The Complete Aladdin And Imperial Recordings |
|
| 13 | Joe Houston Orchestra |
All Night Long |
Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of the '50s [Box] Disc 4 |
|
| 14 | The Pelicans |
Ain't Gonna Do It |
Rhythm 'N' Blues: Early Doo Wop 1943-55, vol. 2 |
|
| 15 | The Spiders |
I Didn't Want To Do It |
Sound Of The City, The – New Orleans [UK] Disc 1 |
|
| 16 | Dave Bartholomew |
Another Mule |
1952-1955 |
|
| 17 | James "Sugar Boy" Crawford |
She Gotta Wobble (When She Walks) (Imperial 5424) |
R&B Humdingers Volume 12 |
|
| 18 | Bobby Mitchell with Dave Bartholomew's Orch.' |
Try Rock And Roll |
Blowing The Fuse: 1956 |
|
| 19 | Lew Williams |
Cat Talk |
Classic Rockabilly-Cool Cats & Hot Chicks |
|
| 20 | Lew Williams |
Gone Ape Man |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 21 | Merle Kilgore |
Ernie |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 22 | The Strikes |
Baby I'm Sorry |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 23 | Bob Luman |
Red Hot |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 24 | Ricky Nelson |
Stood Up |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 25 | Ricky Nelson |
Boppin' The Blues |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 26 | Ricky Nelson |
Waitin' In School |
Legacy [Disc 1] |
|
| 27 | Dennis Herrold |
Hip Hip Baby |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 28 | Weldon Rogers |
So Long, Good Luck & Goodbye |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 29 | Dorsey & Johnny Burnette |
My Honey |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 30 | Dorsey & Johnny Burnette |
Warm Love |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 31 | Slick Slavin |
Speed Crazy |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 32 | Bill Allen |
Please Give Me Something |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 33 | Jackie Walker |
Only Teenagers Allowed |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 34 | Billy Eldridge |
Let's Go |
Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story |
|
| 35 | Faye Adams |
Keeper Of My Heart |
Crescent City Soul |
|
| 36 | Roy Brown |
Let the Four Winds Blow |
The Complete Imperial Recordings |
|
| 37 | Ricky Nelson |
My Bucket's Got A Hole In It |
Legacy [Disc 1] |
|
Another morning of covers, from country to soul and a little bit of rhythm and roll in store. This week’s show celebrates the songwriters and performers who found themselves honored with tributes and covers that honor the sense of a piece. We’ll hear covers of Tom T. Hall, Arthur Alexander, Robert Hunter, Derek Martin, Hank Snow and JJ Cale in the show today. The idea is to find a cover worth noting and put it up alongside the original. Just over a dozen songs to pick from in our two hours this morning featuring covers by Shannon McNally, Charley Crockett, Amy Black and Teddy Thompson. Join Dave Stroud for another episode from those dusty digital bins and turn up the volume for straight interpretations and a few wild takes in another covers show on a Friday morning from the KOWS studio in downtown Santa Rosa, California.
| No. |
|---|
| 1 | Artist |
Title |
Album |
Buy |
| 2 | The Everly Brothers |
Bowling Green |
Heartaches & Harmonies [Disc 3] |
|
| 3 | Neko Case |
Bowling Green |
The Virginian |
|
| 4 | Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels |
Devil With a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly |
Red, White & Rock Disc 3 |
|
| 5 | Bill Kirchen |
Devil With The Blue Dress (Album Version) |
Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods |
|
| 6 | Willie Nelson |
Busted |
I Don't Know A Thing About Love |
|
| 7 | Ray Charles |
Busted |
Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection Disc 3 |
|
| 8 | Red Foley |
Midnight |
Hillbilly Fever [Disc 3] |
|
| 9 | Kevin Russell |
Midnight |
Plain Dirt Fashion |
|
| 10 | Elvis Presley |
It's Now Or Never |
Elvis 30 #1 Hits |
|
| 11 | Chris Isaak |
It's Now or Never |
Beyond the Sun (Deluxe Version) |
|
| 12 | Elvis Presley |
Don't Be Cruel |
Elvis' Golden Records (Volume 1) |
|
| 13 | The Mavericks |
Don't Be Cruel |
Play the Hits |
|
| 14 | Derek Martin |
Daddy Rollin' Stone |
Birth Of Soul: 1 |
|
| 15 | The Blasters |
Daddy Rollin' Stone |
4-11-44 |
|
| 16 | Wilson Pickett |
In the Midnight Hour |
Red, White & Rock Disc 2 |
|
| 17 | James Taylor |
In The Midnight Hour |
Other Covers |
|
| 18 | Bob Luman |
Let's Think About Living |
Gems from the Warner Brothers Vault (Pt. 1) |
|
| 19 | Teddy Thompson |
Let's Think About Living |
Up Front And Down Low |
|
| 20 | Tom T. Hall |
I Hope It Rains At My Funeral |
Tom T. Hall – Storyteller, Poet, Philosopher |
|
| 21 | Charley Crockett |
I Hope It Rains At My Funeral |
Lil G.L. Presents: Jukebox Charley |
|
| 22 | The Impressions |
Gypsy Woman |
Birth Of Soul: 1 |
|
| 23 | Aaron Neville |
Gypsy Woman |
My True Story |
|
| 24 | Arthur Alexander |
You Better Move On |
The Greatest Hits |
|
| 25 | Amy Black |
You Better Move On |
The Muscle Shoals Sessions |
|
| 26 | Hank Snow |
I'm Moving On |
The Essential Hank Snow |
|
| 27 | Willie Nelson |
I'm Movin' On |
Remember Me, Vol. 1 |
|
| 28 | John Martyn |
Don't Want to Know |
Solid Air |
|
| 29 | Dr. John |
I Don't Wanna Know |
Anutha Zone |
|
| 30 | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys |
Sugar Moon |
Legends of Country Music Disc 4 |
|
| 31 | k.d. lang |
Sugar Moon |
Shadowland |
|
A Century of America's Music