Category Archives: Theme Time

New Beginnings

January 2, 2026 Dave Leave a comment

This week’s Deeper Roots, our first show of 2026, is most appropriately built for fresh starts and open horizons—a musical reset button for the soul. Our Friday morning journey will wind its way across gospel, folk, jazz, swing, and Americana, all tied together by the promise of new beginnings and the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. You’ll hear voices of resilience and joy including The Staple Singers, poetic reinvention from Bob Dylan, the irrepressible optimism and swing of Louis Prima, the elegant, forward-moving guitar lines of Herb Ellis, and the border-crossing storytelling of Carrie Rodriguez. Settle in as we welcome brand new days with music that lifts spirits, opens doors, and reminds us that hope is always worth tuning in for. And you can do just that this Friday morning on KOWS.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Aretha Franklin	A Change Is Gonna Come	I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
3	Bruce Cockburn	Sunrise on the Mississippi	Dart to the Heart
4	Norah Jones	Sunrise	Feels Like Home
5	Louis Prima	Until Sunrise	Beepin' & Boppin'
6	Frankie Newton & Orchestra	The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise	Swing Is Here / Small-Band Swing 1935-1939
7	The Midnight Minstrels	There's a New Day Coming	The Big Broadcast – Volume 5
8	Herb Ellis	Sunrise	Down Home
9	Luther Dickinson	Hurry up Sunrise	Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger's Songbook) Volumes I & II
10	Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes	Wake Up Everybody	Sweet Soul Of The 70s: The Sounds Of Philedelphia Disc 1
11	Keb' Mo'	Wake Up Everybody	Peace…Back By Popular Demand
12	Corinne Bailey Rae	Put Your Records On	2007 Grammy Nominees
13	Tracy Chapman	New Beginning	New Beginning
14	Ruthie Foster	Brand New Day	Promise of a Brand New Day
15	Esther Phillips With The Dixie Flyers	Brand New Day (LP Version)	Set Me Free
16	The Staple Singers	Brand New Day	The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, Vol.2: 1968-1971 [Disc 6]
17	Jackie Lomax	New Day	Come And Get It – The Best Of Apple Records
18	Pete Seeger	Keep Your Eyes On The Prize [Album Version]	Pete Seeger: A Link In The Chain
19	Bruce Springsteen	Eyes on the Prize	We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions [DualDisc] Disc 1
20	Mavis Staples	Eyes On The Prize (Cd)	We'll Never Turn Back
21	Carrie Rodriguez	Eyes On The Prize	Love and Circumstances
22	Flock Of Dimes	Awake For The Sunrise	Country Roots Oxford American Southern Music Issue Vol. 24
23	Bob Dylan	New Morning	Chronicles, Vol. 1
24	Florence + The Machine	Dog Days Are Over	Lungs
25	Carsie Blanton	Hope	After the Revolution
26	Dixie Chicks	Wide Open Spaces	Country: The American Tradition [Disc 2]
27	Elvis Presley	There's a Brand New Day On the Horizon	Elvis Double Features: Love in Las Vegas + Roustabout
28	Jackie DeShannon	Put A Little Love In Your Heart	It's My Party – The Great Girl Groups And Singers Of The 60's
29	Curtis Mayfield	We Got To Have Peace	The Very Best Of Curtis Mayfield

Who We Lost 2025 Pt 1

December 20, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

Another year turns, and once again we pause to honor the legacies that aren’t left behind so much as carried forward—alive in the music itself. Over the past century, American music has been shaped by rare combinations of talent, wit, wisdom, and deeply personal approaches to arrangement, rhythm, and delivery. This year we reflect on the contributions from artists and architects of sound whose work continues to resonate: voices and visionaries such as Raul Malo, Flaco Jiménez, Steve Cropper, Phil Upchurch, Jerry Butler, Brian Wilson, David Johansen, Tony Bennett, and Garth Hudson. Their influence spans genres, generations, and countless records that still speak loud and clear. With just two hours, hard choices have to be made—so this tribute begins as Part 1 of a two part reflection. We hope you’ll tune in for a thoughtful look back at the artists whose legacies defined the soundtrack of our lives.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Jerry Butler & The Impressions	For Your Precious Love	Pure R&B: Vol. 3- Let the Good Times Roll [Disc 1]
3	Deeper Roots Radio	Who We Lost 2025 Pt 1	Deeper Roots Radio
4	Sugar Pie DeSanto	I Want To Know	Down In The Basement
5	Steve Cropper	Tupelo[Pt. 1]	The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles
6	Wilson Pickett	In the Midnight Hour	Red, White & Rock Disc 2
7	The Turtles	It Ain't Me Babe	20 Greatest Hits
8	Little Anthony & The Imperials	Hurt So Bad	The Best Of Little Anthony And The I Mperials
9	April Stevens/Nino Tempo	Deep Purple	Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1963
10	Deeper Roots Radio	Who We Lost 2025 Pt 1	Deeper Roots Radio
11	Lenny Welch	Since I Fell For You	Lifetime Of Romance: Secret Rendezvous [Disc 2]
12	Tony Bennett	Put on a Happy Face	The Essential Tony Bennett [Columbia/Legacy] Disc 1
13	Connie Francis	Who's Sorry Now_	Your Hit Parade – 1958
14	Peter, Paul & Mary	Puff, The Magic Dragon	Moving
15	The Kingston Trio	Where Have All The Flowers Gone (JOE HICKERSON)	Tom Dooley And Other Folksong Hits
16	Melba Montgomery	We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds	The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country Disc 1
17	Deeper Roots Radio	Who We Lost 2025 Pt 1	Deeper Roots Radio
18	Roberta Flack	The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face	Artist's Choice: Johnny Cash
19	Marianne Faithfull	As Tears Go By	Marianne Faithfull's Greatest Hits
20	The Youngbloods	Get Together	Get Together: The Essential Youngbloods
21	The Standells	Dirty Water (LARRY TAMBLYN)	The Classic Sixties: 1966
22	The Electric Prunes	Get Me To The World On Time	Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The First Psychedelic Era, Vol. 4
23	The Crickets	I Fought the Law	Rockin' Originals: Original Versions of Famous Songs
24	Phil Upchurch Combo	You Can't Sit Down (Part 1	Teen Beat, Volume 3
25	Deeper Roots Radio	Who We Lost 2025 Pt 1	Deeper Roots Radio
26	Dave "Baby" Cortez	The Happy Organ	The 50's – A Decade to Remember: Do You Wanna Dance
27	The Beach Boys	In My Room	Classics: Selected By Brian Wilson
28	Brian Wilson	Lay Down Burden	Imagination
29	Barry Goldberg	Shady Hotel	Barry Goldberg
30	The Band	Chest Fever	Music From Big Pink
31	Brewer & Shipley	One Toke Over The Line	70s Music Explosion
32	Buster Poindexter	Hot Hot Hot	Buster Poindexter
33	Tommy McLain	Before I Grow Too Old	I Ran Down Every Dream
34	Flaco Jimenez With Toby Torres & Jose Morante	Victimas del Huracan Beulah	Bob Dylan – artist's choice
35	Todd Snider	Alright Guy	That Was Me: The Best Of Todd Snider 1994-1998
36	Deeper Roots Radio	Who We Lost 2025 Pt 1	Deeper Roots Radio
37	The Mavericks	Moon & Stars (with Sierra Ferrell)	Moon & Stars
38	The Mavericks	Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)	Hey! Merry Christmas!

Flour Power

November 29, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

What a show for the day after Thanksgiving! This week we roll out a two-hour celebration of bakery-inspired tunes—an irresistible mix of cakes, pies, donuts, cookies, and every sugary delight ever to find its way into a lyric. We’ll be mixing up a blend from a century’s worth of music, from early jazz confections and country-fried treats to soulful blues pastries, golden-era pop indulgences, and rock-and-roll slices served hot from the oven. It’s all about how bakery imagery has sweetened American music’s storytelling. Jazz bands swing like a spoon in batter; country artists offer homestyle wisdom baked into every verse; blues singers lean into the bittersweet with slow-cooked grooves; and rock outfits bring the heat with songs that crust, crackle, and pop. Whether it’s a dusty 78 from the 1920s or a modern track with sprinkles of retro charm, the playlist draws straight from the musical pantry of the past hundred years. This week’s highlights include performances from Dan Hicks, NRBQ, Curtis Salgado, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller and a whole lot more. Tune into community radio for West Sonoma County. KOWS-LP 92.5 FM Occidental, streaming to planet Earth at kowsfm.com/listen.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Paul Chaplain And His Emeralds	Shortnin' Bread	Radio Radio Vol.5 [Disc 3] Bob Dylan
3	Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks	Sweetheart (Waitress In A Donut Shop)	The Blue Thumb Years 1971-1973
4	Warren Smith	Singing the Blues (& Donut Ad)	At the Louisiana Hayride Tonight (Disc 18)
5	Johnny Cash	Give My Love to Rose (& Donut Ad)	At the Louisiana Hayride Tonight (Disc 20)
6	The Carolyn Sills Combo	That Doughnut Song	That Doughnut Song
7	Andy Kirk	Dunkin' A Doughnut	An Anthology Of Big Band Swing 1930-1955 [Disc 1]
8	The Modernaires	Coffee Five, Doughnuts Five	The Very Best of the Modernaires With Paula Kelly
9	Rosemary Clooney	Cherry Pies Ought To Be You	Tenderly
10	Eileen Barton & The New Yorkers	If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd've Baked a Cake)	Cookin' Choice Cuts from the Famous Fifties
11	Art Mooney & His Orchestra	If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake	Meet Me At The Candy Store: 31 Sweets For The Dentist's Joy
12	Nat Russell	Chocolata	Meet Me At The Candy Store: 31 Sweets For The Dentist's Joy
13	Galactic	Baker's Dozen	Late For The Future
14	Curtis Salgado	Cookie Dough	Americana Roots Songbook: Modern Blues
15	Jay & The Techniques	Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie	45's on CD, Vol. 4: 1967-1969
16	Linda Martell	The Wedding Cake (Remastered 2022)	Color Me Country (Sun Records 70th / Remastered 2022)
17	Fats Waller & His Rhythm	Shortnin' Bread	100 Ans De Jazz
18	Fats Waller	You Can't Have Your Cake (And Eat It)	The Definitive Fats Waller: His Rhythm, His Piano, Vol. 1 [Disc 2]
19	Frank Zappa	Muffin Man	The Best Of Frank Zappa
20	Chuck Cabot & His Orchestra	Chocolate Cha Cha	Meet Me At The Candy Store: 31 Sweets For The Dentist's Joy
21	Ella Mae Morse	The Patty Cake Man	Barrelhouse, Boogie, And The Blues [Disc 1]
22	Texas Top Hands	You Can't Have Your Cake	Country & Western, Vol.2 [Disc 9]
23	NRBQ	RC Cola And A Moon Pie	Peek-A-Boo: The Best Of NRBQ, 1969-1989 [Disc 1]
24	NRBQ	Hot Biscuits and Sweet Marie	Kick Me Hard
25	Mamie Bradley	The Patty Cake	Meet Me At The Candy Store: 31 Sweets For The Dentist's Joy
26	Marvin & Johnny	Cherry Pie	Art Laboe's Memories Of El Monte/The Roots Of L.A.'s Rock And Roll
27	The Four Clefs	I Like Pie, I Like Cake	Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio, Theme Time Radio Hour, Vol. 1
28	The Newbeats	Bread and Butter	Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1964
29	Ella Fitzgerald	The Muffin Man	Chronological Classics: Ella Fitzgerald 1940-41
30	Louis Jordan	Beans and Corn Bread	Number Ones
31	Billy Hughes Buckaroos	Take Your Hands Off It (Birthday Cake)	Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys: The West Coast Indies
32	Johnny Cash & The Light Crust Doughboys	W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)	Johnny Cash is Coming To Town
33	Lonnie Johnson	He's A Jelly Roll Baker	RCA Record Label: The 1st Note In Black Music [Disc 1]

Americana, Country Blues, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Folk and Tradition, Oldies, Rhythm and Blues, Theme Time

Rhythm & Bayou Romp

November 9, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

The sounds of New Orleans carry a mood that’s both jubilant and deeply human; it dances and mourns in the same breath. It’s the sound of the street parade meeting the juke joint: syncopated, earthy, and alive with horns, piano rolls, and that unmistakable backbeat shuffle. Unlike the more urban polish of Chicago blues or the rural cry of the Delta, New Orleans R&B has always felt like a conversation between the sacred and the profane, where gospel chords meet barroom swagger. Just beyond the Crescent City’s lights, where the waters of the bayou take form, we’ve got the accordians and fiddles of the swamp, where there’s humor, head and heartbreak woven into the DNA of the deep South. It is joyous and haunted, elegant and raw, as well as endlessly resilient. The music of New Orleans inspired an ethos — that music could be communal, unrestrained, and celebratory no matter the hardship. It taught America how to dance through its troubles, to find rhythm in resilience, and to turn sorrow into sound that still shakes the rafters and demands a communal dance to this day. This week’s show raises the flag of the Crescent City and her environs with a rhythm and bayou romp!

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Roomful Of Blues	New Orleans	Best of Roomful of Blues The Alligator Records Years
3	Rusty & Doug Kershaw	Louisiana Man	Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound
4	Jimmy Newman	A Fallen Star	Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound
5	Alvin Robinson	Down Home Girl	Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound
6	Joe Barry	I'm a Fool to Care	Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound
7	Rod Bernard	Pardon Mr. Gordon	Chess New Orleans [Disc 2]
8	Barbara George	I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)	Highlights From Crescent City Soul: Sound Of New Orleans 1947-1974
9	Irma Thomas & Marcia Ball	I Just Can't Get New Orleans Off My Mind	Goin' Home: A Tribute To Fats Domino [Disc 2]
10	The Hawketts	Your Time's Up	Chess New Orleans [Disc 1]
11	Sugar Boy Crawford	No More Heartaches	Chess New Orleans [Disc 1]
12	Clifton Chenier	The Big Wheel (Squeeze Box Shuffle)	Chess New Orleans [Disc 1]
13	Clifton Chenier	Calinda	Destination New Orleans
14	Bobby Mitchell	I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday	The History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues [Disc 2]
15	Fats Domino	The Big Beat	Fats Domino Out of New Orleans
16	Dr. John	Blue Monday	Goin' Back To New Orleans
17	Fats Domino	What's Wrong	Fats Domino Out of New Orleans
18	Theryl De Clouet	I Get Lifted	A Celebration Of New Orleans Music To Benefit MusiCares Hurrincane Relief 2005
19	Sammy Naquin	New Orleans Waltz	Best of Cajun Instrumentals
20	Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie	Canaille	Doctors Professors Kings & Queens: Box New Orleans
21	Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys	La Crhve De Faim (Starvation 2-Step)	Doctors Professors Kings & Queens: Box New Orleans
22	Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys	New Orleans Beat	La Toussaint
23	Lil' Queenie & The Percolators	My Darlin' New Orleans	Doctors Professors Kings & Queens: Box New Orleans
24	Sunpie And The Louisiana Sunspots	Bunny Bread	Destination New Orleans
25	Johnny Adams	Release Me	Doctors Professors Kings & Queens: Box New Orleans
26	Jimmy Clanton	Another Sleepless Night	Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound
27	Jewel King	3X7=21	New Orleans R&B Outbreak
28	Charles "Hungry" Williams	So Glad You're Mine	The History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues [Disc 1]
29	Archibald	Stack O Lee	Sound Of The City, The – New Orleans [UK] Disc 1
30	Great Day of New Orleans Singers	You've Got To Be Modernistic	Black American Choirs 1926-31
31	Great Day of New Orleans Singers	Shout On	Black American Choirs 1926-31
32	The Red Stick Ramblers	Main Street Blues	Doctors Professors Kings & Queens: Box New Orleans
33	Dirty Dozen Brass Band	Mardi Gras In New Orleans	A Celebration Of New Orleans Music To Benefit MusiCares Hurrincane Relief 2005

Blues, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Oldies, Rock, Theme Time

Halloween 2025

November 1, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

Halloween in America, on the anniversary of the first quarter century of the millennium. We celebrate the night by wearing masks, by flirting with fear, by turning the grotesque into entertainment. But here in 2025, you can’t help but feel like the masks didn’t come off this year. The trick-or-treaters will return home tonight, but the parade of make-believe monsters marched straight into the daylight this past January — and some of them are occupying the most important offices in our fragile democracy. What used to be a night for play-acting power, for pretending to be the villain, has turned into a movement that’s forgotten the difference between costume and conviction. The slogans sound patriotic, the anger sounds righteous, and the cruelty wears the grin of normalcy. Halloween, at least, has an ending — sunrise, candy wrappers, a hangover of sugar and smoke. But America’s current masquerade? The lights came on, and the masks stayed put.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	David & Roselyn	Marie Lavaux	The Mississippi River of Song: A Musical Journey Down the Mississippi
3	Dr. John	Marie Laveau	The Best Of The Parlophone Years
4	Mississippi John Hurt	Spider Spider	Concord Music Halloween Eclectic 2020
5	Memphis Minnie	Black Cat Blues – Take 1	Queen Of Country Blues [Disc 5] (1936-1937)
6	Bob Dunn	Graveyard Blues	1939-1940 (Warped 3921)
7	Tampa Red	Witchin' Hour Blues	Blues, Blues, Hoodoo, Halloween – Scary Blues & Jazz 1925-1961
8	Memphis Minnie	Hoodoo Lady	Blues, Blues, Hoodoo, Halloween – Scary Blues & Jazz 1925-1961
9	Robert Johnson	Me And The Devil Blues	ABC Of The Blues Vol 18
10	Rev. Emmett Dickinson	A Black Cat Has Crossed Your Path	Apple Bobbing Mix Vol. 2
11	Charles Sheffield	It's Your Voodoo Working	100 Northern Soul Classics
12	St. Louis Bessie (Mae Smith)	Ghost Creepin' Blues	Blues, Blues, Hoodoo, Halloween – Scary Blues & Jazz 1925-1961
13	The Hollywood Flames	Frankenstein's Den	The Hollywood Flames
14	Eels	Fresh Blood	Hombre Lobo
15	AC DC	Hells Bells	Back in Black
16	Original London Cast recording	In The Air Tonight American Psycho	Concord Music Halloween Eclectic 2020
17	The Frantics	Werewolf	The Roots Of Psychobilly
18	Redbone	The Witch Queen Of New Orleans	Rockin' 70s [Disc 2]
19	Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs	I've Got a Voodoo Doll	1963-1968 – The Complete Wooly Bully Years vol.1
20	Ike Turner & His Kings Of Rhythm	She Made My Blood Run Cold	Apple Bobbing Mix Vol. 2
21	Louis Armstrong	Spooks!	A Very Vintage Halloween
22	The Duponts	Screamin' Ball (At Dracula Hall)	Roulette Rock & Roll, Vol. 2
23	John Carpenter	Halloween Theme	Halloween: 20th Anniversary
24	Dr. John	Witchy Red	Television
25	Bettye LaVette	Witchcraft in the Air	Motor City Soul
26	The Deep River Boys	Swinging at the Siance	The Ultimate Rockin' Halloween Party (American Horror Songs 1930s – 1950s)
27	Parham-Pickett Apollo Syncopaters (W/"Tiny" Parham & Junie C. Cobb)	Mojo Strut	A Very Vintage Halloween
28	Truett & George	Ghost Dance	Diabolical Hoodoo: Vintage Songs Of Devilry, Doom & Hellfire 1920-1952
29	Nina Simone	I Put a Spell on You	Anthology Disc 1
30	Screamin' Jay Hawkins	I Put a Spell on You	Blues, Blues, Hoodoo, Halloween – Scary Blues & Jazz 1925-1961
31	Roy Buchanan	Haunted House	Roy Buchanan
32	Tom Waits	Whistlin' Past The Graveyard	Used Songs 1973-1980
33	Dinah Washington / Max Richter	This Bitter Earth / On The Nature Of Daylight	Shutter Island [Disc 2]

Americana, Country, Country Swing, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Fifties Country, Theme Time

High On The Hog!

October 17, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

We’ll be rolling back our Hillbilly Wayback Machine to the year 1950 for romance in high pants at the barn dance. Country music really hadn’t yet caught on as a genre so a lot of the music we’ll share today had the misfortune of being coined “hillbilly music”; a blend of silver screen cowboy nostalgia for the lone prairie alongside swinging arrangements and occasional ballads of the heart. You even had yourself some down-home novelty and syncopated vocals that looked out at that land beyond the sun where the tumbleweeds bounced across the horizon. Without further waxing of the poetic, we’ll let you know that you’ll be treated to some very best from under the blanket of the prairie sky including the likes of Smiley Burnette, Jimmy Wakely, Tin Ear Tanner, Zeb Turner and Leon Chappel. These weren’t necessarily the big hits but they were honky tonk and jukebox favorites. Drop in and find out.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Gene Autry	Dear Heart and Gentle People	Sing Cowboy Sing [Disc 3]
3	Hank Penny	Wham! Bam! Thank You Ma'am	King Of Hillbilly Bebop [Disc 2]
4	The Sons Of The Pioneers	Land Beyond The Sun	My Saddle Pals And I ([Disc 4] – Riders In The Sky)
5	Smiley Burnette and The Ewing Sisters	It's My Lazy Day	The Singing Cowboys Collection
6	Ella Mae Morse	The Blacksmith Blues	Time-Life – Your Hit Parade: The Early '50S
7	Tex Williams	I Lost My Gal From Memphis	Vintage Collections
8	Hank Snow	I'm Movin' On (Mono)	Snow Country
9	Jimmy Wakely	Dust	The Melody Kid – 1940-51
10	Audrey Williams	I'm Telling You	1948-1951 (Warped 5021)
11	Hank Williams	Lovesick Blues	24 Greatest
12	Leon Chappel	You Hear Me Talkin'	Automatic Mama
13	Red Foley	Choc'late Ice Cream Cone	Hillbilly Fever [Disc 2]
14	Tennesee Ernie Ford	Anticipation Blues	Southern Belle [Disc 2]
15	Jimmie Dolan	It Had To Come Someday	Juke Box Boogie
16	Bill Haley	Susan Van Dusan	Rock 'N' Roll Arrives CD1
17	Tennessee Ernie Ford	Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own	Masters 1949-1976 [Disc 1]
18	Red Foley	Don't Be Ashamed Of Your Age	Tennessee Saturday Night
19	Ernest Tubb	The Lovebug Itch	Ernest Tubb – The Texas Troubadour – Writers Galore [Disc 4]
20	Zeb Turner	Boogie Woogie Lou	I've Got The Boogie Blues
21	Al Dexter	Hi-De-Ho Boogie On A Saturday Night	Stompin' Singers & Western Swingers ([Disc 4] Saturday Night Rag)
22	Casey Simmons	Juke Box Boogie	Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys: The West Coast Indies
23	Johnny Bond	Mean Mama Boogie	Hillibilly Boogie!
24	Hank Penny	Bloodshot Eyes	King Of Hillbilly Bebop [Disc 2]
25	Hank Penny	What You've Got	King Of Hillbilly Bebop [Disc 2]
26	Tin Ear Tanner	I Used To Work In Chicago	Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio, Theme Time Radio Hour, Vol. 1
27	Shot Jackson & Webb Pierce	I Need You Like A Hole In The Head	Steelin' It: Steeling The Mood
28	Oakie Jones	Love Fever	Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys
29	Jimmie Davis	The Poodle Dog Song	Doggone Country
30	Roy Rogers & Dale Evans with Foy Willing & The Riders Of The Purple Sage	May the Good Lord Take a Likin' to You (Dale Evans Foy Willing Riders of the PS)	The Roy Rogers Collection [Disc 3]
31	Red Kirk	It's Raining In My Heart	Red Kirk "The Voice of The Country"
32	Hank Snow	Breakfast With the Blues (Stereo)	Snow Country
33	Little Jimmy Dickens	Out Of Business	The Essential "Little" Jimmy Dickens
34	Lefty Frizzell	My Baby's Just Like Money	Hillibilly Boogie!
35	Spade Cooley (voc. Ginny Jackson & Les Anderson)	Hillbilly Fever	Crossroads In Cowtown
36	Johnny Bond	It Ain't Gonna Happen To Me	Put Me To Bed
37	Red Foley	Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy	The Essential Recordings
38	Hank Williams	Cold, Cold Heart	24 Greatest

Americana, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Folk and Tradition, Theme Time

John Prine 79

October 10, 2025 Dave

We lost John Prine to COVID in 2020. We’re going to celebrate his 79th birthday along with the rest of his fans this morning as two new movies are on the horizon at just the right time. The two movies differ in their angles: one being a new tribute produced by his wife Fiona Whelan Prine called “You Got Gold” and the other is one produced by the Hello In There Foundation called “How Lucky Can One Man Get” which has its first screening this month in Denver. With today being his birth date, we’ll be doing a few different takes on John’s career in music including a couple reminiscences from Todd Snider and Steve Poltz who delivers a delightful memory of a trip to the Disney Store with John. There’s a reason that John is considered an American music treasure: as a songwriter he has few peers with his straight-ahead and simple sensibility. He delivered the goods as well as any of the legendary humorists , and that includes Mark Twain. Drop on in for something special this Friday morning.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Sturgill Simpson	Paradise	Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2
3	John Prine	My Old Kentucky Home, Goodnight	Beautiful Dreamer: the Songs of Stephen Foster
4	The Brother Brothers	Dear John	The January Album
5	Kacey Musgraves	Burn One With John Prine	Demos
6	John Prine	Fish and Whistle	Great Days: The John Prine Anthology Disc 1
7	Carsie Blanton	Fishin' with You	Fishin' with You – Single
8	Brandi Carlile	I Remember Everything	Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine, Vol. 2
9	Steve Poltz	A Trip To The Disney Store	Steve Poltz Remembers
10	John Prine	Souvenirs	Troubadours: Folk And The Roots Of American Music 4: 12 The Heartland And Canada
11	John Prine/Iris Dement	In Spite of Ourselves	In Spite of Ourselves
12	Justin Townes Earle	Far From Me	Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs of John Prine
13	Donnie Fritts	The Oldest Baby in the World	Lucky 13
14	John Prine	Color of the Blues (feat. Susa	For Better, Or Worse
15	Tommy Prine	Ships in the Harbor	Ships in the Harbor – Single
16	Tommy Prine	Cash Carter Hill	This Far South
17	Todd Snider	John Prine (Live)	Live: Return of the Storyteller
18	John Prine with Peter Cooper	I Sang The Song	Mac Wiseman – I Sang The Song
19	Tammy Wynette	Unwed Fathers	Tears Of Fire: The 25th Anniversary Collection [Disc 3]
20	Holly Williams/John Prine	I'm Telling You	For Better, Or Worse
21	John Prine Kelsey Waldon	Love At The Five & Dime	More Than A Whisper: Celebrating the Music of Nanci Griffith
22	John Prine	Summers End	The Tree of Forgiveness
23	Swamp Dogg	Please Let Me Go Round Again (feat. John Prine)	Sorry You Couldn't Make It
24	Laurie Lewis	Why'd You Have to Break My Heart_ (for John Prine)	Trees
25	John Prine	That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round	Great Days: The John Prine Anthology Disc 1
26	John Prine	Hey Ah Nothin'	Lost Dogs & Mixed Blessings (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)
27	John Prine	I Remember Everything	I Remember Everything
28	Kris Kristofferson	Jesus Was a Capricorn (Owed to John Prine)	The Essential Kris Kristofferson Disc 2

Mean Old Frisco

October 4, 2025 Dave

It’s a City (with a capital ‘C’ to locals) whose cultural history practically hums with musical possibilities. This is due in large part to how the city has always been a meeting point for restless ideas and diverse communities. From the Gold Rush boomtown that lured fortune-seekers from every continent, to the Beat poets of North Beach and the psychedelic counterculture that turned Haight-Ashbury into a world stage, it’s been an easy mark for songwriters. This week’s show will visit that blend of beauty, grit and idealism with performances for and about San Francisco. Join us for a whole batch of vintage sounds covering any old genre we care to share with the likes of Harry “The Hipster” Gibson, Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Linda Martell, and, of course, Tony Bennett. We’ll celebrate from a short distance away with memories of Broadway, the fog rolling through the Golden Gate, and that endless palette of imagery and mood that is a living chorus always ready to be set to music.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	The Sound Of The City	KSFO 560 – San Francisco	78s
3	Tony Bennett	I Left My Heart in San Francisco	The Essential Tony Bennett [Columbia/Legacy] Disc 1
4	Logan Ledger	The Lights Of San Francisco	Logan Ledger
5	Chris Isaak	San Francisco Days	San Francisco Days
6	Journey	Lights	Journey's Greatest Hits
7	Eric Clapton	San Francisco Bay Blues	Unplugged
8	Linda Martell	San Francisco is a Lonely Town (Remastered 2022)	Color Me Country (Sun Records 70th / Remastered 2022)
9	Sugar Pie DeSanto	Hello, San Francisco (Part I)	Putumayo Presents: American Blues
10	The Teskey Brothers	San Francisco	Run Home Slow
11	Otis Redding	(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay	The Dock of the Bay
12	Little Walter	Mean Old Frisco	Blues With A Feeling [Disc 2]
13	Charlie Musselwhite	When The Frisco Left The Shed	Mississippi Son
14	Richie Havens	San Francisco Bay Blues	Mixed Bag
15	Eric Lindell	Here In Frisco	Matters Of The Heart
16	Mark Spoelstra	San Francisco Zoo Song	Out Of My Hands
17	Marty Robbins	San Francisco Teardrops	San Francisco With Fond Memories
18	Dom Flemons	San Francisco Baby	Prospect Hill
19	Jimmy Martin	Fly Me To Frisco – 1973	Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys 1954-1974 [Disc 5]
20	Johnny Paycheck	The Ballad Of Frisco Bay	Nowhere to Run: the Little Darlin' Years 1966-1970
21	Merle Haggard	Return to San Francisco	Like Never Before
22	Harry "The Hipster" Gibson	I Flipped My Wig In San Francisco	Who Put The Benzedrine In Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?
23	Connie Russell	Foggy Night In San Francisco	San Francisco – With Fond Memories
24	Ramblin' Jack Elliott	San Francisco Bay Blues	South Coast
25	Jeanette McDonald – San Francisco O.S.T.	San Francisco (Soundtrack Version)	The 30s: Hollywood's Best
26	Tee Vee Toons	Streets Of San Francisco	Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3: 70's & 80's
27	Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup	Mean Ole Frisco	That's All Right (Mama)
28	Tom Darby & Jimmie Tarlton	Lonesome Frisco Line [Album Version]	Roots 'N' Blues/The Retrospective 1925-1950
29	Memphis Minnie	'Frisco Town	Queen Of Country Blues
30	Scott McKenzie	San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)	San Francisco – With Fond Memories
31	Cab Calloway & His Orchestra	San Francisco Fan	Jazz Noire (Darktown Sleaze of 1940s L.A.)

Sixties Songbirds

September 20, 2025 Dave

From the cool and sultry lounge sounds smothered in smoke to the soul venues that celebrated love and all its pitfalls, we bring you the songbirds this week. We’ll be exploring vocalists, known and unknown, that delivered the goods in the first few years of the 1960s. Rock ‘n roll was finding its foothold at the same time as soul music was beginning to bust out in a big way. You’ll be hearing some you know and some you don’t in this week’s Deeper Roots. Yeah, we’ve got The Chordettes, Brenda Lee and The Shirelles but we’ve also got some very special gems from Helen Shapiro, Judy Thomas, Kitty Ford and Betty O’Brian this week. We’ll run a chronological marathon from 1960 to 1963, ignoring the genre guardrails as we make our way along. Hope you can join in on the fun.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Ruth Brown with Howard Biggs Orchestra	Takin' Care Of Business	Wail Man Wail!: The Best Of King Curtis 1952-1961 (Disc 3)
3	Connie Francis	My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own	Your Hit Parade – Into the '60S
4	The Shirelles	Welcome Home Baby	The Shirelles 1958-1962 As, Bs, Hits and Rarities
5	Shirley Bassey	The Party's Over	We Love Pirate Radio – 60s Favourites
6	The Chordettes	Never On Sunday	American Music Library: The Hits Of 1961
7	The Marvelettes	Way Over There	100 Northern Soul Classics
8	Diana Ross & The Supremes	Those D.J. Shows	25th Anniversary [Disc 2]
9	Tammy Montgomery	It's Mine	100 Northern Soul Classics
10	Ann-Margret	I Just Don't Understand	American Music Library: The Hits Of 1961
11	Kitty Ford	Don't Play No. 9	Don't Do It: The Smash Record Story 1961-1962 [Disc 2]
12	Sarah Vaughan	True Believer	Rhythm & Western Volume 4 – I Hang My Head and Cry
13	Betty O' Brian	She'll Be Gone	100 Northern Soul Classics
14	Brenda Lee	You Can Depend On Me	American Music Library: The Hits Of 1961
15	Helen Shapiro	Little Miss Lonely	Halfway To Paradise_ The Epic Records Story
16	Helen Shapiro	Tell Me What He Said	Girl Power – Vol. 3
17	The Pips	Every Beat Of My Heart	American Music Library: The Hits Of 1961
18	The Shirelles	A Teardrop and a Lollipop	The Shirelles 1958-1962 As, Bs, Hits and Rarities
19	Timi Yuro	Count Everything	I'm So Hurt
20	Barbara George	I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)	Highlights From Crescent City Soul: Sound Of New Orleans 1947-1974
21	Sugar Pie DeSanto	Open Your Heart	Go Go Power: The Complete Chess Singles (1961-1966)
22	Aretha Franklin	Just For A Thrill	Jazz To Soul [Disc 1]
23	Cathy Carroll	Young Ones	New Discgems From Warner Brothers
24	Judy Thomas	Never Say Devil Woman	Stampede! The United Artists Story
25	Barbara Stephens	Wait a Minute	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (1 of 9)
26	Linda Hopkins	Mama's Doin' The Twist	The Forgotten 45's 1960-1962
27	Christine Quaite	Your Nose Is Gonna Grow	The Forgotten 45's 1960-1962
28	Timi Yuro	What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)	The Liberty Records Story (Pt. 1)
29	Joy Dawn	Hang It Up	Ask The Girl Who Knows – Best 1958-1969 – Remaster
30	Claudine Clark	Who Will You Hurt?	Ask The Girl Who Knows – Best 1958-1969 – Remaster
31	Ann-Margret	Let Me Entertain You	Destination Lust – The World Of Love, Sex And Violence
32	Miss X	Christine	Destination Lust – The World Of Love, Sex And Violence
33	Barbara & the Boys	Hooty Sapperticker	Las Vegas Grind Part 1
34	Glenda & Glen	Voodoo Doll	Songs From The Crazy Cramps Collection Disc 01
35	Betty Harris	Cry To Me	Birth Of Soul: 2

Deeper Roots on KOWS, Early Rock, Oldies, Rhythm and Blues, Rock, Theme Time, Urban Blues

Deeper Roots of Rock

August 10, 2025 Dave

Deeper Roots means just that…and this week we’re spinning some blues, gospel, r&b, and swing … all music that introduced the rhythm that would become known as rock ‘n roll. We’ll go as far back as the late 1930s with Joe Turner and Pete Johnson and make the picaresque journey across the alleys, juke joints, and house parties where tradition and urban electric blues became the foundation of a sound. We’ll share blues from Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and a handful of others. Also on tap, Goree Carter, Sticks McGhee, Amos Milburn and Julia Lee with some rhythm and blues and jump whose beat and attitude would influence many a rock ‘n roll musician and songwriter. Also on board: Hadda Brooks, Ray Charles, Louis Jordan and Tiny Bradshaw. Don’t miss a wailin’, rockin’ morning here on KOWS Community Radio.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Big Joe Turner	Roll 'em Pete	Malcolm X: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
3	Champion Jack Dupree	Junker's Blues	Junker's Blues (The Blues Collection Vol.59)
4	Joe Liggins	The Honeydripper Part 1	The R&B Years – 1942-45 [Disc 3]
5	Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Strange Things Happening Every Day	Gospel Blues – the Very Best Of
6	Charles Brown	Driftin' Blues	Ray Charles – Music that Matters to Him
7	Hadda Brooks	Swingin' The Boogie	I've Got News For You [Disc 2]
8	The Ravens	Write Me A Letter	Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio, Theme Time Radio Hour, Vol. 3
9	T-Bone Walker	Call It Stormy Monday	Raw Blues
10	Julia Lee & Her Boyfriends	Snatch It And Grab It	Kuties And Krooners
11	Roy Brown	Good Rockin' Tonight	Sound Of The City, The – New Orleans [UK] Disc 1
12	John Lee Hooker	Boogie Chillen	The Definitive Collection
13	Amos Milburn	Chicken Shack Boogie	Devil in a Blue Dress
14	Goree Carter & His Hepcats	Rock Awhile	Electric BluesPart 1: Beginnings 1939-1954
15	Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup	My Baby Left Me [Remastered 2002]	That's All Right (When the Sun Goes Down series)
16	Percy Mayfield	Please Send Me Someone To Love	Blues Masters Vol. 3: Texas Blues
17	Tiny Bradshaw	The Train Kept a-Rollin'	Breaking Up the House [Disc 2]
18	Sticks McGhee	Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-o-Dee	The Atlantic Story [UK]
19	Lloyd Price	Lawdy Miss Clawdy	Pure R&B: Vol. 5- Pioneers [Disc 1]
20	Little Junior Parker	Mystery Train	MOJO: Rock! Rock! Rock!
21	Jimmy Liggins And His Drops Of Joy	Drunk	Vintage Songs of Sex, Drugs & Cigarettes
22	Muddy Waters	Got My Mojo Workin	Pure R&B: Vol. 1- Got My Mojo Workin [Disc 1]
23	Little Walter	My Babe	Pure R&B: Vol. 2- Somethings Got a Hold on Me [Disc 1]
24	Sonny Boy Williamson II	Don't Start Me Talkin'	Blues Masters, Vol. 2: Postwar Chicago Blues
25	Howlin' Wolf	Smokestack Lightnin'	Roots Of Rock & Roll – Rough And Rowdy [Disc 7]
26	Louis Jordan	Caldonia	Number Ones
27	John Lee Hooker	Dimples	The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 [Disc 1]
28	Slim Harpo	I Got Love If You Want It	Roll Your Moneymaker
29	Lazy Lester	I'm a Lover, Not a Fighter	Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound
30	Ray Charles	Night Time Is the Right Time	Genius & Soul: The 50th Anniversary Collection Disc 1
31	Bo Diddley	Say Man	20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection – The Best Of Bo Diddley
32	Billy Boy Arnold	I Ain't Got You	Roots Of Rock & Roll – Rough And Rowdy [Disc 2]
33	Sonny Boy Williamson	Good Morning Little Schoolgirl	The History of Rhythm & Blues 1925-1942

A Century of America's Music