Category Archives: Theme Time

Summer of Broken Hearts

The debate is over; what’s say we have ourselves another. There’s certainly no debating democracy at work. Today’s Deeper Roots show will find us circulating through the connective tissue of song: themes that connect with one another. A little bit of eclectic free form fused with all the delightful sounds of country, pop, rock and tradition. Our guiding light will be the truth and the American way. Yes, there’s always bubble gum, apple pie, and Sunday church but then we also have the bats**t crazies who will blame all the good, the bad and the ugly on those who don’t resemble themselves or their own views. So take a break with us on this summer of broken hearts and we’ll share country from Don Gibson to Rosanne Cash, rock and roll from The Stray Cats to Fats Domino, and a little bit of sass and blues from Etta James and Charles Brown. Summer’s almost over and election day is fast approaching. So make sure you vote. 

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Sarah Vaughan Broken Hearted Melody Ultimate Sarah Vaughan (Selected by Dee Dee Bridgewater) Amazon
3Chris Isaak Lonely With A Broken Heart San Francisco Days Amazon
4k.d. lang & the Reclines Trail of Broken Hearts Absolute Torch and Twang Amazon
5Rosanne Cash The Way We Make A Broken Heart [Album Version] King's Record Shop Amazon
6Al Green How Can You Mend A Broken Heart The Virgin Suicides Amazon
7Don Williams Some Broken Hearts Will Never Mend The Definitive Collection Amazon
8Don Gibson I Can Mend Your Broken Heart The Complete Recordings 1952-1962 Amazon
9Charles Brown & Johnny Moore's Three Blazers My Heart Is Mended Sunny Road Amazon
10Gram Parsons Hearts On Fire G.P. / Grievous Angel Amazon
11Kelly Dalton I'm On Fire Home – EP Amazon
12Nikki Lane Love's On Fire All or Nothin' (Deluxe) Amazon
13Chuck Mead & His Grassy Knoll Boys Settin' The Woods On Fire Back At The Quonset Hut Amazon
14Fats Domino I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire This Is Gold Disc 2 Amazon
15Leon Redbone Settin' By The Fire Whistling In The Wind Amazon
16Etta James Let's Burn Down The Cornfield Enduring Soul Amazon
17Etta James Jump Into My Fire Seven Year Itch Amazon
18The Brothers Four Greenfields Best Of The Folk Era Amazon
19Peter Wolf The Green Fields Of Summer [with Neko Case] Midnight Souvenirs Amazon
20Nanci Griffith Fields Of Summer Late Night Grande Hotel Amazon
21Stray Cats Lonely Summer Nights Runaway Boys: A Retrospective '81-'92 Amazon
22The Four Preps Lazy Summer Night Dancin' & Romancin' In The '50s And 60s [Disc 3] Amazon
23Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta Summer Nights Grease Amazon
24Steve Forbert Steve Forbert's Midsummer Night's Toast The Best of Steve Forbert: What Kinda Guy? Amazon
25The Beach Boys Your Summer Dream Surfer Girl Amazon
26Link Wray & The Wraymen Summer Dream Destination Beach: 30 Tunes For Dancing In The Sand Amazon
27Rodney Crowell Voila, An American Dream Collection Amazon
28Hayes Carll American Dream What It Is Amazon
29Elvis Presley An American Trilogy Fifty Years Of Hits Amazon
30Willie Nelson By the Rivers of Babylon Gospel Favorites Amazon

Americana Roundup

Looking back over the past fifty-or-so years, we find a large gathering assembled under a large, all-inclusive tent, called Americana. There’s hardly a definition that’s been assigned and it’s hardly what we’d term ‘a genre’. It is, rather, a mood of the music and a narrative of the storytelling defines it. Like the dozens of genres that line it’s walls, we’ve come to know what we’re listening to: blues, gospel, folk and tradition, jazz, and everything in between. This week we’ll be stepping into that tent to congregate and celebrate that ‘sound we know’ called Americana. The digital bins will take us only so far back, celebrating the music of Bob Dylan, Buddy Miller, Gillian Welch, Joe Ely, Old Crow Medicine Show and a couple dozen others. Just what’s needed and built on playlists worthy of the very best of the Americana Hours broadcast each morning here on KOWS Community Radio.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Old Crow Medicine Show Wagon Wheel O.C.M.S. Amazon
3Bob Dylan Hard Times Good As I Been To You Amazon
4Keb' Mo' I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute Amazon
5Sheryl Crow No Depression In Heaven The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family Amazon
6Rosanne Cash Motherless Children The List Amazon
7Ray Wylie Hubbard Tell The Devil I'm Gettin' There As Fast As I Can Tell The Devil I'm Getting There As Fast As I Can Amazon
8Buddy Miller & Julie Miller Forever Has Come To An End Buddy & Julie Miller Amazon
9Lyle Lovett If I Had a Boat Anthology, Vol. 1: Cowboy Man Amazon
10Guy Clark Fort Worth Blues Cold Dog Soup Amazon
11Lucinda Williams Lake Charles Car Wheels on a Gravel Road Amazon
12The Texas Tornados The Gardens 4 Aces Amazon
13Buddy Miller That's How I Got To Memphis Your Love And Other Lies Amazon
14The Flatlanders Dallas More a Legend Than a Band Amazon
15Joe Ely If You Were A Bluebird Joe Ely Amazon
16Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Killing The Blues Raising Sand Amazon
17Alison Krauss & Union Station The Lucky One New Favorite Amazon
18Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris All The Roadrunning All The Roadrunning Amazon
19Steve Earle Copperhead Road Copperhead Road Amazon
20Blaze Foley Clay Pigeons Wanted More Dead Than Alive Amazon
21Justin Townes Earle Harlem River Blues Harlem River Blues [Explicit] Amazon
22Gillian Welch Red Clay Halo Time (The Revelator) Amazon
23Gillian Welch Caleb Meyer Hell Among the Yearlings Amazon
24Van Morrison Till I Gain Control Again Pay The Devil Amazon
25First Aid Kit Emmylou The Lion's Roar (Bonus Track Version) Amazon
26John Hiatt Drive South Slow Turning Amazon

Tell Me a Story

Storytelling in song is not new. It’s mankind’s way of conveying, in both accuracy and reflection, the narrative from one perspective. Embellishments and hooks have long been the best way to make the story easy to digest and, if need be, to get a point (likely sociopolitical) across. We’ll be doing just that in this Friday’s episode: stories based in war, natural disasters, national tragedies and personal conflict. We’ll take a hundred year tour of storytelling from Bessie Smith to the Drive-by Truckers, from Memphis Minnie and The Tex-I-An Boys to Calexico, The Staple Singers and Marty Robbins. There are floods, murders, environmental catastrophes, bombings, and some wartime solemnity to be shared today. Tune into KOWS Community Radio every Friday morning for some fresh musical linens, curated by the outdoors and streaming to all of planet Earth on KOWSFM.COM/listen

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Mac Wiseman Wreck Of The Old '97 Sings Old Time Country Favorites Amazon
3Jimmie Driftwood The Battle of New Orleans Six Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles Amazon
4Marty Robbins Ballad Of The Alamo My Rifle, My Pony And Me Amazon
5Johnny Horton Sink The Bismark Classic Country Great Story Songs [Disc 2] Amazon
6Calexico Victor Jara's Hands Carried To Dust Amazon
7Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Ohio So Far Amazon
8Joni Mitchell Woodstock Hits Amazon
9Grateful Dead New, New Minglewood Blues What a Long Strange Trip It's Been Disc 1 Amazon
10Grateful Dead New Speedway Boogie What a Long Strange Trip It's Been Disc 1 Amazon
11Arlo Guthrie with The Dillards Ludlow Massacre Thirty Two Cents Postage Due Amazon
12Tom Petty Jefferson Jericho Blues Mojo (Extra Mojo Version) Amazon
13Randy Newman Burn On Sail Away Amazon
14Charlie Haden Is This America? (Katrina 2005) Charlie Haden Family & Friends – Rambling Boy Amazon
15Johnny Cash Five Feet High And Rising Songs Of Our Soil Amazon
16Kansas Joe And Memphis Minnie When the Levee Breaks People Take Warning [Disc 2] Man Vs. Nature Amazon
17Sin-Killer Griffin Wasn't That A Mighty Storm Field Recordings, Vol. 5: Louisiana, Texas, Bahamas (1933-1940) Amazon
18The Tex-I-An Boys Wasn't That A Mighty Storm? Classic American Ballads From Smithsonian Folkways Amazon
19Bessie Smith Backwater Blues Columbia Records' 125th Anniv. Amazon
20Rory Block Titanic (When That Great Ship Went Down) Confessions of A Blues Singer Amazon
21Chill Pill Dancers Zoot Suit Riot Swing: Next Generation Amazon
22Mimi & Richard Fariqa Birmingham Sunday Troubadours: Folk And The Roots Of American Music 4: 10 The West Coast Amazon
23Archie Shepp Blues for Brother George Jackson Verve Unmixed, Vol. 2 Amazon
24Drive-By Truckers What It Means American Band Amazon
25Will And Jehnean Trail of Tears Song of America Amazon
26Don McLean American Pie Songs For The Open Road [Platinum Legends] Amazon

Tex Mex Fest

We took a journey to the south in last week’s show and this week, we head further west where we’ll share a vibrant and dynamic genre that reflects the rich cultural fusion of its geographic origins, combining traditional Mexican folk music with contemporary American influences of country, rhythm and blues, and rock. With the accordion and bajo sexto, drums, bass and guitar punching a hefty rhythm whose lyrics are often filled with catchy hooks and danceable beats, it is prominently featured in festivals, celebrations and public events across the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. We’ll share some of the influentials from across the border like Lydia Mendoza as well as the mainstays and popular artists of the past half century including Freddy Fender, Doug Sahm, The Texas Tornados, Flaco Jimenez, The Mavericks and a dozen others in this week’s Deeper Roots fest.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Conjunto Sotavento de Nacho Fierro La Bamba Tex Mex Folk 1920s to 1950s Amazon
3Lydia Mendoza Jurame Lone Star Amazon
4Lydia Mendoza Mal Hombre American Roots Music [Disc 4] Amazon
5Las Hermanas Mendoza Mis pensamientos The Rough Guide to Tex-Mex Amazon
6Little Joe & La Familia Las Nubes American Roots Music [Disc 4] Amazon
7Conjunto Bernal Mi Unico Camino Lone Star Amazon
8Ritchie Valens La Bamba Southern California With Fond Memories Amazon
9Freddy Fender Before The Next Teardrop Falls Before The Next Teardrop Falls Amazon
10Los Super Seven Cupido (ft. Freddy Fender & Rick Trevino) Heard It On The X Amazon
11Freddy Fender Wasted Days And Wasted Nights Country Crossroads Amazon
12The Texas Tornados Who Were You Thinkin' Of Texas Tornados Amazon
13Doug Sahm Nuevo Laredo Best of Sir Douglas 68-75 Amazon
14Sir Douglas Quintet Dynamite Woman Mono Singles '68-'72 Amazon
15Sir Douglas Quintet She's About A Mover Sir Douglas Amazon
16Tejas Brothers (w/ Augie Meyers and Larry Joe Taylor) Rosa Live a Little More Amazon
17Los Lobos Will the Wolf Survive? El Cancionero: Mas y Mas (1 of 4) Amazon
18The Mavericks Volver, Volver Collection [2003] Amazon
19The Mavericks Ven Hacia Mi (Come Unto Me) [Conjunto Version] In Time (10th Anniversary Deluxe) Amazon
20Eddie "Lalo" Torres Y Su Conjunto Arriba San Antonio The Rough Guide to Tex-Mex Amazon
21Santiago Jimenez Jr. Alma de Tejas The Rough Guide to Tex-Mex Amazon
22Flaco Jimenez El Pesudo Flaco Jimenez Amazon
23Flaco Jiminez The Girls From Texas featuring Ry Cooder (Album Version) Partners Amazon
24Flaco Jimenez Por Una Mujer Bonita Flaco Jimenez Amazon
25Linda Ronstadt Mi Ranchito (My Little Ranch) Mas Canciones Amazon
26Ry Cooder w/Sam Samudio No Quiero The Border/Alamo Bay Amazon
27Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs Wooly Bully Memphis Celebrates 50 Years Of Rock 'n' Roll Amazon
28David Lindley & El Rayo-X Texas Tango Very Greasy Amazon
29Charley Pride Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone Country USA 1970 Amazon
30Marty Robbins El Paso All-Time Greatest Hits Amazon

Swamp Pop Fest

Swamp pop. What is it and where does Tex Mex begin and country blues end? Well, just listen for that Louisiana backbeat, a taste of torch song and rocking rhythm. We’ll take on the music of Tex Mex next week but this week we’ll be sampling some of the greats of that splinter genre referred to as ‘swamp pop’; music that was grafted from a number of different root source sounds. Swamp pop remains an important cultural expression of the Acadiana region, celebrated for its heartfelt and nostalgic qualities. While it never achieved the widespread commercial success of other genres, swamp pop has maintained a dedicated following and continues to be performed by contemporary musicians. We’ll share the sounds of some of the genre’s most popular:  Warren Storm, Tommy McLain, Rod Bernard, Clint West and so many others. Drop on by.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Cookie & the Cupcakes Mathilda Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
3Joe Barry I'm A Fool To Care Don't Do It: The Smash Record Story 1961-1962 [Disc 2] Amazon
4Joe Barry Teardrops in My Heart I'm a Fool to Care: The Complete Recordings 1958-1977, Vol. 1 Amazon
5Joe Barry Little Jewel of the Vieux Carre I'm a Fool to Care: The Complete Recordings 1958-1977, Vol. 1 Amazon
6Rockin' Sidney Shirley Jean Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
7John Fred Shirley The History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues [Disc 3] Amazon
8Rod Bernard This Should Go On Forever Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
9Rod Bernard Diggy Liggy Lo Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
10Rod Bernard Colinda Swamp Gold, Vol. 2 Amazon
11Warren Storm Prisoner's Song Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
12Warren Storm Hey Ma Ma Boppin' By The Bayou – Made In The Shade Amazon
13Lil' Band Of Gold/Warren Storm Please Mr. Sandman Americana Roots Songbook: Louisiana Amazon
14Little Bob & The Lollipops Nobody But You Oxford American 11th Edition Southern Music 2009 Amazon
15Lil' Bob & the Lollipops I Got Loaded Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
16Johnnie Allan Lonely Days & Lonely Nights Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
17Jivin' Gene Breaking Up Is Hard To Do Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
18Dale & Grace I'm Leaving It All Up to You Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
19Clint West Our Love Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
20Clint West Big Blue Diamonds Swamp Gold, Vol. 2 Amazon
21Cookie & His Cupcakes Breaking Up Is Hard To Do Rhythm 'n' Bluesin' By The Bayou – Vocal Groups Amazon
22Cookie And The Cupcakes Until Then Louisiana & The Old New Orleans Sound Amazon
23Cookie & The Cupcakes Got You on My Mind Swamp Gold, Vol. 2 Amazon
24Shelton Dunaway & The Cupcakes Mary Lou Doing The Popeye The History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues [Disc 5] Amazon
25Tommy McLain Sweet Dreams Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
26Tommy McLain Before I Grow Too Old The Essential Collection Amazon
27Tommy McLain Before I Grow Too Old I Ran Down Every Dream Amazon
28Tommy McLain Somebody (Radio Edit) I Ran Down Every Dream Amazon
29The Uniques All These Things Swamp Gold, Vol. 2 Amazon
30Randy & the Rockets Lets Do the Cajun Twist Swamp Gold, Volume 1 Amazon
31Joe Barry Just Because Don't Do It: The Smash Record Story 1961-1962 [Disc 2] Amazon
32Cookie & The Cupcakes I Cried Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio, Theme Time Radio Hour, Vol. 1 Amazon
33Tommy McLain I Ran Down Every Dream (feat. Elvis Costello) I Ran Down Every Dream Amazon
34Rockin' Sidney My Toot-Toot Alligator Stomp: Cajun Zydeco Classics Amazon

White Powder Muse

Cocaine is one of a few substances that have served as a muse, both in word and effect, in various forms of art throughout history, particularly in the 20th century. Its influence can be found repeatedly in the music industry, peaking in use during the 1980s when it was used by performer and listener as the disco and party-going atmosphere exploded, Contributing to this bacchanal were films depicting its use (and abuse) with plot themes embracing the white powder in storytelling. Cocaine’s impact is predominant in the genres of rock, jazz, and hip-hop and many performers have openly discussed their cocaine use, and its influence can be heard in lyrics, musical styles, and even album artwork. This week’s show looks at this muse with sounds from Margo Price, The Reverend Horton Heat, Lucille Bogan, Fred Neil and a host of others from 1929 to the present.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Roy Hogsed Cocaine Blues Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys Amazon
3Hank Williams III Cocaine Blues Risin' Outlaw Amazon
4Dick Justice Cocaine Old Time Music From West VI : Old-Time Music From West Virgi Amazon
5Carl Martin That New Kind Of Stuff Carl Martin, Tennessee Chocolate Drops, Louie Bluie & Ted Bogan, Willie "61" Blackwell — Complete Recorded Works Amazon
6Lucille Bogan Baking Powder Blues Cocaine Blues Amazon
7Johnny Cash Cocaine Blues Silver Amazon
8Billy Hughes Cocaine Blues Country & Western Hit Parade 1947 Amazon
9Son Volt Cocaine and Ashes American Central Dust Amazon
10The Reverend Horton Heat Bales of Cocaine Holy Roller Amazon
11Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys Cocaine Blues Dance Ranch Amazon
12Miss Marcy & Her Texas Sugardaddy's Whiskey And Cocaine Deep Ellum Amazon
13Grateful Dead Casey Jones Workingman's Dead Amazon
14The Byrds Take A Whiff On Me Untitled / Unissued [Disc 1] Amazon
15Fred Neil Sweet Cocaine The Many Sides Of Fred Neil [Disc 1] Amazon
16Woody Guthrie Take A Whiff On Me Muleskinner Blues (The Asch Recordings, Vol. 2) Amazon
17Woody Guthrie Bad Lee Brown (Cocaine Blues) (traditional, arr. Woody Guthrie and Cisco Houston) Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection [Disc 2] Amazon
18Jackson Browne Cocaine Running On Empty Amazon
19Dave Van Ronk Cocaine Two Sides of Dave Van Ronk Amazon
20Eric Clapton Cocaine Slowhand Amazon
21Margo Price Cocaine Cowboys All American Made Amazon
22Doc & Merle Watson Let the Cocaine Be Live & Pickin' Amazon
23The Manhattan Transfer That Cat Is High Anthology – Down In Birdland (Disc 2) Amazon
24Chick Webb & His Orchestra Wacky Dust Cocaine Blues Amazon
25Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra Kickin' The Gong Around Cocaine Blues Amazon
26Cab Calloway & His Cotton Club Orchestra Kickin' The Gong Around Chronological Cab Calloway (1932-1934) Amazon
27Mills Blue Rhythm Band Kokey Joe Cocaine Blues Amazon
28The Spirits of Rhythm Junk Man Cocaine Blues Amazon
29Curtis Mayfield Pusherman The Very Best Of Curtis Mayfield Amazon
30The Ink Spots That Cat Is High Cocaine Blues Amazon
31Memphis Jug Band Cocaine Habit Blues Cocaine Blues Amazon

Celebrating Smokey

The songs of Smokey Robinson have stood the test of time, remaining popular and relevant across generations. His compositions have been covered by artists from various genres, further cementing a legend as one of the greatest songwriters of his era. This week, we take a walk through a handful of the many classics he gave us, spanning three decades, focusing primarily on the Motown song machine classics from The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Mary Wells, and, of course, his own group The Miracles. There is no question that his songwriting style and lyrical finesse have influenced generations of musicians and, coupled with his ability to blend heartfelt lyrics with catchy melodies, standards were set for songwriters in the R&B and soul genres; not to mention the groundswell of the sixties sound of Berry Gordy’s Motown Records. A morning of pure soul and pop that will include some sweet contemporary covers (if we can squeeze them in). 

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Bonnie Bramlett You've Really Got A Hold On Me Lady's Choice Amazon
3Barrett Strong Misery Northern Soul – The Early Years – 100 Classic And Rare Tracks (CD2) Amazon
4The Miracles Bad Girl The 35th Anniversary Collection Amazon
5The Contours Whole Lotta Woman The Very Best of The Contours Amazon
6Smokey Robinson & the Miracles Shop Around Motown: The Classic Years Disc 1 Amazon
7Mary Wells/The Love-Tones You Beat Me to the Punch Motown: The Classic Years Disc 1 Amazon
8Gene Chandler You Threw A Lucky Punch Northern Soul – The Early Years – 100 Classic And Rare Tracks (CD2) Amazon
9Mary Wells The One Who Really Loves You Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 Disc 1 Amazon
10Mary Wells Two Lovers The Soul of Detroit – Disc 1 Amazon
11The Miracles Going to a Go-Go Motown: The Classic Years Disc 1 Amazon
12Brenda Holloway When I'm Gone Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 Disc 2 Amazon
13Carolyn Crawford My Smile Is Just a Frown (Turned Upside Down) Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 Disc 1 Amazon
14The Miracles Baby Don't You Go [Single Version] The 35th Anniversary Collection [Disc 2] Amazon
15The Temptations The Way You Do The Things You Do The Best Of The Temptations, Vol. 1: The 60s Amazon
16Marvelettes Way Over There Northern Soul – The Early Years – 100 Classic And Rare Tracks (CD3) Amazon
17Marvin Gaye Ain't That Peculiar Marvin Gaye Icon Amazon
18The Contours First I Look at the Purse The Very Best of The Contours Amazon
19The Temptations Get Ready The Best Of The Temptations, Vol. 1: The 60s Amazon
20Marvin Gaye One More Heartache Anthology [Disc 1] Amazon
21Marvin Gaye I'll Be Doggone 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Marvin Gaye, Vol. 1 Amazon
22Marvin Gaye Take This Heart Of Mine Anthology [Disc 1] Amazon
23The Contours Determination The Very Best of The Contours Amazon
24Chris Clark From Head To Toe Soul Sounds – Remaster Amazon
25The Marvelettes Don't Mess With Bill 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Marvelettes Amazon
26The Marvelettes The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best Of The Marvelettes Amazon
27Johnny Rivers The Tracks of My Tears Greatest Hits [Capitol] Amazon
28Smokey Robinson & the Miracles More Love Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 Disc 3 Amazon
29Tammi Terrell He's The One I Love Come On And See Me: The Complete Solo Collection Amazon
30Diana Ross & The Supremes The Composer The Best Of Diana Ross & The Supremes [Disc 2] Amazon
31The Four Tops Still Water (Love) The Ultimate Collection Amazon
32Smokey Robinson & the Miracles Tears of a Clown Motown: The Classic Years Disc 2 Amazon
33The Supremes Floy Joy Gold Disc 2 Amazon
34Rare Earth Get Ready Soundsavers – Old School No. 6 Amazon
35Rita Coolidge The Way You Do The Things You Do Delta Lady: The Rita Coolidge Anthology [Disc 2] Amazon
36Sylvester Ooo Baby Baby The Original Hits [1989 Fantasy] Amazon

420 Fun

It’s a topical theme…it’s a medicinal thing…it’s a blend of sounds celebrating vipers and jives from the past century.  We will join in the celebration (in spirit anyway) of the date and time that three Marin County teenagers are said to have inaugurated over a half century ago. There is no shortage of material to pull from the well of Americana…whether that be from the 1920s or from the 2010s. We’ll brighten up the playlist with music that will help us kick back. We’ll pour over a selected list of great sounds from the last 100 years that either directly or indirectly find us thinking about (or maybe imbibing in) the herb so many care about. There will be music from John Prine, Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves, Ray Charles and some early century jazz nuggets you will find hard to resist. Friday morning sounds from the Cherry Street Historic District of Santa Rosa, California, streaming to West County and the world on KOWS-LP, Occidental 92.5 FM and kowsfm.com/listen. 

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Johnny Price Marijuana, The Devil Flower Hillbillies In Hell (Country Music's Tormented Testament 1952-1974) Amazon
3Cordovas Stone Cold Stoned The Rose of Aces Amazon
4Yonder Mountain String Band Two Hits and the Joint Turned Brown Mountain Tracks, Vol. 2 Amazon
5Sam Bush Granny Wontcha Smoke Some Marijuana Radio John: Songs of John Hartford Amazon
6Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen Seeds And Stems (Again) Lost In The Ozone Amazon
7Jesse Dayton Dope Smokin' Song The Alternate Root 420 Sampler Amazon
8Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson It's All Going to Pot Django and Jimmie Amazon
9Willie Nelson/Snoop Dogg/Kris Kristofferson/Jamey Johnson Roll Me Up (Album version) Heroes Amazon
10k.d. lang Smoke Rings Drag Amazon
11Kacey Musgraves High Time Pageant Material Amazon
12Moonalice It's 420 Somewhere Dave's Way Vol 1 Amazon
13Chris Stapleton Might As Well Get Stoned Traveller Amazon
14Asleep At The Wheel Jack I'm Mellow New Routes Amazon
15Ashley Monroe Weed Instead Of Roses Like A Rose Amazon
16Brothers Osborne Weed Whiskey And Willie Port Saint Joe Amazon
17John Prine Illegal Smile Great Days: The John Prine Anthology Disc 1 Amazon
18Kacey Musgraves Burn One With John Prine Demos Amazon
19Tom Petty You Don't Know How It Feels Wildflowers Amazon
20Ben Harper Burn One Down Fight for Your Mind Amazon
21Julia Lee Marijuana Kansas City Star [Disc 4] Amazon
22The Ink Spots That Cat Is High Cocaine Blues Amazon
23Trixie Smith Jack I'm Mellow Trixie Smith Vol. 2 1925-1929 Amazon
24Buck Washington Save the Roach for Me [FCC Warning n word] When Hemp Was Hip Amazon
25Dave Van Ronk You's A Viper Dave Van Ronk And The Ragtime Jug Stompers Amazon
26Wayne Hancock Viper A-Town Blues Amazon
27Harlan Pepper Reefer The Alternate Root 420 Sampler Amazon
28Ray Charles Let's Go Get Stoned Ultimate Hits Collection [2 of 2] Amazon
29The Devil Makes Three Champagne And Reefer Redemption & Ruin Amazon
30Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin' Stay In or Stay Out – Pass the Dutchie Putomayo Presents Zydeco Amazon

Cuppa Joe

The history of coffee consumption in 20th century America takes hold in the small cafes, truck stops and coffeehouses which became venues and social spaces for the community. Like music, they helped with the congregation of like minds and served as hubs for intellectual exchange, artistic expression and social activism. And it was all because of the caffeine. Instant and decaf coffees were just an aberration; much like disco. This week’s Deeper Roots drives the theme of coffee home with tracks that span the century including Emmett Miller, the King Cole Trio, The Bobs, Ella Mae Morse and Merle Travis (among others) to tell us a cuppa tale or two. It’s one more Friday show ahead of next week’s 420 observation…one more libation to celebrate.

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Warren Barker Caper At The Coffee House (From '77 Sunset Strip') Jazz Noir Amazon
3The Manhattan Transfer Java Jive Anthology – Down in Birdland [Disc 1] Amazon
4King Cole Trio You're The Cream In My Coffee The Cocktail Combos [Disc 1] Amazon
5Ella Mae Morse Coffee Date Singles 3 Amazon
6Patricia Kaas Black Coffee Jazz a Saint Germain Amazon
7Jack Barlow Hot Cup Of Coffee I Live The Country Songs I Sing Amazon
8Merle Travis I Can't Afford The Coffee The Guitar Picker CD4 (1954-56) Amazon
9Tex Ritter 01 – Coffee Pot (2000) High Noon (CD 4) Amazon
10Claude Gray I4ll Have an Other Cup of Coffee Country & Western Nuggets Amazon
11Lefty Frizzell Make That One for the Road a Cup of Coffee 1962-1965 (Warped 6382) Amazon
12Curtis Gordon Caffeine And Nicotine Bob Dylan: Radio Radio [Disc 1] Amazon
13Jon Rauhouse Corn & Coffee Steel Guitar Rodeo Amazon
14Frank Sinatra The Coffee Song Radio Radio Vol.5 [Disc 1] Bob Dylan Amazon
15Enric Madriguera And His Hotel Biltmore Orchestra Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee American Dance Bands – Playing the Music of Irving Berlin Amazon
16Pancho Cantaneo y los Cubaztecas Moliendo Cafe Cuba. Por La Musica Amazon
17Terry Snyder / Earl Palmer Binga Banga Bongo-Percolator Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 8: Cocktail Capers Amazon
18Ella Mae Morse w/Big Dave and His Orchestra Forty Cups of Coffee Barrell House Boogie and the Blues Amazon
19The Modernaires Coffee Five, Doughnuts Five The Very Best of the Modernaires With Paula Kelly Amazon
20The Ink Spots Java Jive The Great Entertainers Amazon
21Atilla Coffee, Coffee Mo 33004 Amazon
22Greg Brown Good Morning Coffee If I Had Known Amazon
23Kim Lenz Percolate Slowly Speeding Amazon
24Julie London Black Coffee 36 All-Time Greatest Hits Disc 1 Amazon
25Ruth Etting You're The Cream In My Coffee Love Me or Leave Me CD1 Amazon
26Brook Benton Another Cup Of Coffee Best Of Brook Benton Amazon
27The Boswell Sisters Coffee In The Morning And Kisses In The Night [Album Version] That's How Rhythm Was Born Amazon
28Emmett Miller You're The Cream In My Coffee Minstrel Man From Georgia Amazon
29The Larks Coffee, Cigarettes And Tears Bob Dylan: Radio Radio [Disc 1] Amazon
30Bellevue Cadillac Cuppa Joe Hipsters, Zoots & Wingtips, Vol. 3 Amazon
31Lefty Frizzell Cigarettes and Coffee Blues Life's Like Poetry (Disc 5) Amazon
32Otis Redding Cigarettes And Coffee Oxford American Southern Music Issue Vol. 25 Amazon
33Neil Young + Promise of the Real A Rock Star Bucks A Coffee Shop The Monsanto Years Amazon

Don’t Wanna

Theme time and I’m going to break it to you slow…it’s all about the negative and those that refuse. If there’s something that’s more prevalent in our lives than saying that we ‘want to’…it’s when we don’t want to. The ‘desire not to’ seems to be winning over the ‘desire to’ in our show today. We’ve got a collection of songs that all begin with the phrase “I Don’t Want” in some form or another. We’ll bring you the early sounds of The Blue Sky Boys and some country sounds of Jimmy Wakely from the hayloft, blues and soul from Magic Sam and that firecracker Sugar Pie DeSanto, and plenty of Americana from The Blasters, Wanda Jackson and Doug Sahm in our show today. It’s going to be a romp because there’s a lot of fodder to choose from when stubbornness is the theme. Tune into community radio for Sonoma County to find out. I don’t want to spoil the theme…but not ‘wanting to’ isn’t always a bad thing…

No.
1Artist Title Album Buy
2Chuck Willis Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes I Remember Chuck Willis / The King Of The Stroll Amazon
3The Ravens Honey, I Don't Want You Rhythm 'N' Blues Early Doo Wop 1943-55, vol. 4 Amazon
4The Blasters I Don't Want To American Music Amazon
5Wanda Jackson I Don't Wanta Go Wonderful Wanda Amazon
6Doc Williams Don't Want To Work Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974) Amazon
7Tom Waits I Don't Wanna Grow Up Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years Amazon
8Hayes Carll I Don't Wanna Grow Up Trouble In Mind Amazon
9Tex Williams I Don't Want To Be Free Cowboy Crooners Sing Songs Of The West Cd 2 Amazon
10Jimmy Wakely w/Margaret Whiting I Don't Want to Be Free The Collection 1940-53 CD3 Amazon
11Sir Douglas Quintet I Don't Want To Go Home Mono Singles '68-'72 Amazon
12The Blue Sky Boys I Don't Want Your Greenback Dollar Presenting The Blue Sky Boys Amazon
13Iris DeMent I Don't Want To Get Adjusted Lifeline Amazon
14Carrie Rodriguez I Don't Want To Play House Anymore Seven Angels on a Bicycle Amazon
15Tammy Wynette I Don't Wanna Play House Super Hits Amazon
16Dr. John I Don't Wanna Know The Best Of The Parlophone Years Amazon
17Fernest Arceneaux & His Louisiana French Band I Don't Want Nobody Putumayo Presents: Blues Party Amazon
18Leonard Carbo I Don't Want To Lose Her The History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues [Disc 3] Amazon
19Slim Harpo I Don't Want No One The Scratch Amazon
20Barbara Lynn I Don't Want A Playboy A Good Woman: The Complete Tribe & Jet Stream Singles 1966-1979 Amazon
21Magic Sam I Don't Want No Woman West Side Soul Amazon
22Susan Tedeschi I Don't Want Nobody Better Days Amazon
23Buddy & Ella Johnson I Don't Want Nobody ( To Have My Love But You) Mercury R+B '46-'62 [Disc 2] Amazon
24Sugar Pie DeSanto I Don't Wanna Fuss Go Go Power: The Complete Chess Singles (1961-1966) Amazon
25Johnnie Taylor I Don't Wanna Lose You The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, Vol.2: 1968-1971 [Disc 7] Amazon
26Barbara & The Browns I Don't Want To Have To Wait Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures – Vol. 3 Amazon
27The Drifters I Don't Want To Go On Without You All-Time Greatest Hits & More: 1959-1965 [Disc 2] Amazon
28Sam Cooke And The Soul Stirrers I Don't Want To Cry The Complete Specialty Recordings [Disc 3] Amazon
29Pearlean Gray And The Passengers I Don't Want To Cry Rare Soul: Groove & Grind 1963-1973 [Disc 2] Amazon
30The Ink Spots I Don't Want The Set The World On Fire Your Hit Parade – 1941 Amazon
31Fats Domino I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire This Is Gold Disc 2 Amazon
32Billie Holiday I Don't Want To Cry Anymore Lady In Autumn: The Best Of The Verve Years [Disc 1] Amazon
33Big Maybelle I Don't Want To Cry Blues, Candy & Big Maybelle Amazon
34Ted Fio Rito & His Orchestra I Don't Want to Love You Spotlighting the Ted Fio Rito Orchestra Amazon