“The only thing that interests me is history – reviewing the past and making something out of it”. A man after our own heart here at Deeper Roots, shining bright like that old harvest moon. We lost Leon this past week and his family lovingly announced his passing with the following prose deserving of the mysterious Mr. Redbone: “It is with heavy hearts we announce that early this morning, May 30th 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127. He departed our world with his guitar, his trusty companion Rover, and a simple tip of his hat. He’s interested to see what Blind Blake, Emmett, and Jelly Roll have been up to in his absence.” We’ll take some time to honor the music that so inspired this delightful entertainer who elevated the blues, early century pop, and country into a form that extracted the joy of life and bottled like fine wine over the past 40 years. We’ll even reach into the Redbone bins for a handful of delightful covers. A simple tip of our hat to Leon as he crosses to the other shore…
Category Archives: Early Pop
That’s The Way The World Goes ‘Round
Friday morning fresh from the archives. We’ve got the classics today with a free form mix of vintage sounds from siblings The Mills Brothers and The Boswell Sisters as well as some folk, jubilee, soul, and rhythm from Sugar Pie De Santo, Andy Griffith, The New Christy Minstrels, and The Manhattan Transfer. If that’s not enough, we’ll share some Killer, Albert Ammons, and Creedence. You cannot go wrong on a Thursday evening…. particularly when we get cooking with a track from Maria Muldaur, Marcia Ball, and Angela Strehli in tribute to Sister Rosetta. Join Dave Stroud on Sonoma County Community Radio…88.1 FM, streaming at kwtf.net/live.
Diddy Wah Diddy
This morning’s show finds a festive free form summer set featuring the usual suspects and a whole lot of fine sounds from the deeper wells. We’ll be sharing country classics from George Jones, Floyd Tillman, and Pee Wee King as well as some sweet upbeat R&B from Clyde McPhatter, Big Maybelle, and Ivory Joe. Taj Mahal, some doo wop pioneers, and the great Ella Fitzgerald will round things out in a free form fest on Sonoma County Community Radio. Tune in at 9am Pacific at www.kows.fm/listen.
100 Years Ago
We’re taking this ‘Century of America’s Music’ theme quite serious this week. The tracks we’ll be playing are from the the first few decades of the 20th Century. Parlor music had lost its attraction by the turn of the century in favor of minstrel, vaudeville, and the emergence of Tin Pan Alley. Ragtime and jazz would evolve in an organic manner and blues would inform much of the jazz and band music that would become popular with the advent of the Victrola. Music today includes tracks from Vernon Dahlart, Billy Murray, Frank Crumit, and Ben Selvin & His Orchestra as we find the music of the teens and early 20s on a show that keeps our tagline strong. Tune in for this celebration of American popular music in its infancy.
Early Female Pop Vocals
Here’s to the pioneering pop mavens. Don’t think we won’t draw a little bit outside the lines as well in this show, bringing in flappers, jazz, and novelty sounds. The groups and solo acts are thoroughly represented with the likes of Marion Harris, Ruth Etting, Billie Holiday, Kate Smith, and The Andrews Sisters. We’ll go a little bit further and bring you songs to uplift in hard times, ring with a bit of jingoism in war time, and celebrate the good times in every way possible. West County radio will get a good dose of the best of the early and mid-century popular music…all from the ladies.
Free Form – Roll Like a Big Wheel
We mix it up once again. Nothing like ending the week on a high note, a low note, and just the right mix of jazz, pop, rock, country, bluegrass, and R&B. You know it won’t stop there because if it’s one thing we do well is find all that is good in between the boards. Join Dave Stroud for music featuring tracks from The Boswell Sisters, Red Foley, Julia Lee, The Prisonaires, Mose Allison, and John Prine. Friday mornings in West County … where we kick off the weekend on the stream our hearts out!
Free Form – Old Records
Old records are honored…as they are each week. The 33s, the 45s, and the 78s…all forms, all speeds. We’ll take a musical trip back to the dawn of doo wop, head to the border for an encounter with el toro relajo, visit the Big Broadcast sounds of early radio and hotel orchestras including Ted Weems and the Sunshine Boys. We’ll also gear up for a classic 1914 recording by the piano genius Felix Arndt. Arthur Alexander, Los Lobos, Tampa Red, and Left Frizzell also join in…just for you on a free form Friday morning on Deeper Roots.
A Dreamer’s Holiday
Sit back and relax. Today’s Deeper Roots takes on a quieter mood with easy and sweet pop melodies from the past century. Dreamy classics from the American Songbook featuring the likes of Ray Charles, Leon Redbone, Willie Nelson, Sam Cooke, The Pied Pipers, and many more. From the 1930s to the 2010s, this week’s show contains the polish of moonlight, the wisp of clouds against a blue sky, and a trip to the Isle of Golden Dreams. Something to ponder…a dream or two…adrift like smoke rings in low light. All for our West County fans on Community Radio.
Free Form – September 2017
Join Dave Stroud for a special edition of Deeper Roots: A Century of America’s Music. He’ll be sitting in for Steady Eddie’s Retro Music Archives, filling the airwaves with sounds you would expect to hear on either show. With a little blend of roots Americana stirred in. Hot rod sounds, killer diller Memphis Minnie blues, early century pop from Annette Hanshaw and Mae West, gospel from the Blind Boys of Alabama and Sam Cooke…and some sweet soul vocals from The Ravens and Barbara Lewis. You won’t go wrong on a Sunday afternoon in West County. Tune in.
The Year in Pop – 1932
We look back…even though we weren’t there. Our show this week will celebrate the American songbook and popular music in the darkest of times: the year 1932. The clouds were only starting to clear in the heart of the Great Depression and the music was hopeful, sometimes saccharine, and the songwriting talent abundant. The performances were not bad either. The Mills Brothers, Bing Crosby, The Boswell Sisters, Cab Calloway, Mildred Bailey, and many others contributed. Tune in on our morning look at the popular sounds of 1932.