This week we’ll take some time away for a celebration of Americana sounds from every corner. It’s a mixed bag of jazz, blues, country, rock, and everything in between in another of our free form eclectic romps here on Deeper Roots. Count on some wild swings and some quiet moments reserved for the corner booth in the show today. Aretha, Cat Power, Etta Jones and Gale Garnett are some of the female vocalists that we’ll feature this morning. We’ll also visit that ‘boulevard of broken dreams’ with Esquivel, some lighter instrumentals from Ethel Smith and Herb Alpert; classic softer side Americana from Chris Isaak and Pokey LaFarge and the polar opposite from Creedence and BB King. What a way to blast on into 2025. Join Dave Stroud as he begins yet another year with the promise of doing the right thing…always.
Category Archives: Free Form
Who We Lost 2024
It’s our annual look back paying respect to some of the greats who we lost this past year. We find ourselves saying goodbye to a number of artists who contributed in their own way to America’s popular culture…in music. I’ll be sharing the names of the many contributors from the halls of country, jazz, pop, rock, and beyond. Time demands a filter which is based on direct lines of roots descent; either by song selection, expression of a genre, or by Americana popular cultural influence. I’m going to try to keep the talk to a minimum so I can catch you up on many of the artists…and I’m also going to be limiting some of the music to 30 second clips because, frankly…this was another year of loss. ….and I’m sure there are more of the obscure that we just couldn’t fit into our roll call. Tune in for a journey through the past century of America’s music on community radio for West Sonoma Country, streaming to all of planet Earth at the same time on kowsfm.com/listen. We’d love to have you.
Time
Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future…and it’s tickin’ tickin’ tickin’, too. Steve Miller certainly summed it up and our theme this week is all about the passing of time, events that take place in time, biding our time, and recalling a time. We’ll be making a swing through a number of genres and performers including Little Joe, Booker T., Bobby Bare, Evie Sands, Tom Waits and Harry James. But there’s plenty more including classic country, mid-to-late century rock n’ roll, folkie business, and the sweet torch songs that take us back. We’ve chosen to forego the Christmas celebrations because, for the most part, we can hear it elsewhere and the season is a short one with some desperation on the doorstep. Tune in for a journey through the past century of America’s music on community radio for West Sonoma Country, streaming to all of planet Earth at the same time on kowsfm.com/listen. We’d love to have you.
The Rise of Soul Music
Soul music’s roots come from the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the late fifties and early sixties. Young black musicians, often nurtured in black churches, enjoyed and listened to R&B sounds and began a fusion of R&B, blues and gospel that would later take on the moniker “soul music”. The term “soul” had been used in African American culture, particularly among musicians, to emphasize the feelings of power, spirit and creativity found in its culture. Regional acts and labels took this genre into different directions that included, among other things, vocal interplay, gospel rhythms and themes that were translated from the sacred to the secular, all with mix heavy on standard rock or brass rhythm sections. The blend and variety brought out the contrasting tones of grit and pop-infused sounds. From Sam Cooke to James Brown and Etta James to Brenda Holloway…we’ll take a journey through the rise of soul music.
Big Blue Diamonds
There’s hope in music. And if we need something to carry us forward over the coming years it’s hope. So we’ll take all we can get with all the music we can get. This week’s Deeper Roots show takes us through a blend of genres, making a free form journey across the landscape of America’s music from the past century. We’ll bring you Cannonball Adderley right alongside Hank Thompson and The Neville Brothers, The Doors, Patsy Cline and Mink Deville to start. Dave Stroud’s done some scouring through those dusty digital archives for well- (and little-) known gems with stories and ballads. He’ll be taking you to where country meets soul, jazz meets boogie woogie and where there’s an unlikely fusion of reggae, folk, and zydeco. Topics include wedding days, jiggers of gin, honeydrippers, and the topic of Texas and some big blue diamonds. Tune in this week. Take your mind off the grifters and haters that have polluted the pond.
Feel So Good
This week it’s a rock-a-beatin’ boogie extravaganza. Vintage tracks from the rocking archives of the fifties and sixties, all meant to make you feel good. Hand-picked sizzlers and twenty flight scorchers set alongside some of the more familiar sounds of the Everlys, The Dixie Cups and Shirley & Lee. First, second and third helpings of some of the very best of the day including tributes to Kansas City, Caldonia, Peggu Sue, Jim Dandy and a host of others, all brought to you from the sock hop to the rent party. Tune in for some LaVern Baker, Elvis, Nappy Brown, Wynona Carr and Big Joe Turner. They’ve all got a place in this week’s show here on Sonoma County Community Radio in yet another Deeper Roots barn burner. Hope you can join us and spend two hours leading off with Boston’s favorite son, Freddy Cannon. All of this coming your way from the outskirts of the Cherry Street Historic District of downtown Santa Rosa. Will there be reason to celebrate? We’re countin’ on it.
Cheatin’ Country Tales
There are a handful of common story threads that run through classic country songs. I’m not talking about trucks, beer the ‘merica that seems to have overwhelmed modern so-called country with autotune and synth pop. The heartbreak of cheating situations that were among the most common storylines in the Golden Age of country at a time when family unity was of paramount importance. It was country music’s frank portrayal of infidelity that offered a counterpoint which was both relatable and controversial. Cheating songs became a central theme, reflecting the complexities and emotional intensity of love, betrayal, and heartbreak. Dave will share as many as will fit in two hours in this week’s episode with early tearjerkers from Kitty Wells, The Louvin Brothers, Billy Walker, Bonnie Owens and George Jones. There will also be the very best of the classics from Charley Pride, Dolly Parton, and Loretta Lynn to take us into the 70s and beyond. . .
Wake Up!
We’ll be sharing a Wake Up call with everyone out there…no…not election day. Although it’s just around the corner. There’s an alarm clock buzzing or ringing or chiming that is bent on a theme…that of ‘waking up’. That’s our theme in the show todays as we excavate the mines of rich Americana ore from the past century, sharing songs whose thematic tone demands that our eyes open to the brighter days ahead. Dave has a boatload of sounds that include the rockabilly sounds of Mac Curtis and some country bop from Billy Briggs. That’s not all…there’s the brothers Everly, Merle Haggard, Les Paul & Mary Ford, Richard Thompson, Nat King Cole, Bob Dorough and a couple dozen others. Join Dave for a thematic romp on Deeper Roots this Friday morning on KOWS Community Radio.
A Bucket Of Nuggets
The Bear Family label, headquartered in Germany, has long featured deep track dives into American music of the past century. Whether that be rock, country, rhythm and blues, or Americana; much of it is as far off the beaten track as you can imagine. Their selections and the high quality of the liner notes and ephemera have long been the top shelf standard for collectors and aficionados of American music. This week on Deeper Roots we’ll be diving into their delightful ‘theme’ universe prefaced with the perfect title of “Destination”. We’ll be digging into the themes of ‘freeway’, ‘outer space’, ‘beach parties’, ‘ocean cruise’, ‘lust’ and ‘sex’. The music you’ll be hearing is an unusual ‘bucket of nuggets’ representing some of the very best of camp pop and rock. Tune in for a raucous blend of ‘never heard’.
Rain Theme
Seven years after our community was ravaged by three different wildfires, we’re going to focus on the theme of rain in our show today. Call it a rain dance if you must but we’re hoping that not only will the weather give us one more year of respite from the flaming torrent of climate change-induced wildfires but also make it two years in a row with reservoir replenishment. So why not a theme that promotes rainy weather? We’ll go to every genre corner in the show today: gospel, jazz, country, rock ‘n roll, soul and rhythm & blues. Tune in for a themed collection this morning that includes the likes of Glenn Yarbrough, Percy Sledge, Leon Russell, Lonnie Johnson and Billy “The Kid” Emerson. There’s a whole lot more so join in and find out. A sunny September morning leads us to our rain dance…or whatever you call it.