This week’s show looks back at the year 2022 with a focus on the umbrella genre known as Americana. We’ll be digging deep into the releases that mattered last year, sharing some of the fresh new releases that made an impression. There are the singer/songwriters, the old hands with fresh perspectives, as well as those who have taken tradition and dressed it up fresh for the party. We’ll hear tracks from some of the very best albums of the year, including a few off the beaten one. Some great sounds coming your way from Aoife O’Donovan, The Black Keys, Tami Neilson, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Pour yourself a cup of your favorite fresh brew, put on the headphones, and find yourself some new favorites from under that big tent they call ‘Americana’ on KOWS Community Radio.
December’s arrived and we’re going to get ourselves warmed up for the Hot Stove League, New Year’s Eve, football playoffs, reindeer on the roof and all the rest of it. But our show today will take on a common thread: songs about ‘the street’ or streets or boulevards, avenues … only the surface streets, not the highways. Dave’s picked out a collection of songs that are sure to stir emotion bringing home music that take on the ‘street’ topics from the genres of country, early pop, rock, folk, blues and all the rest. We’ll hear from Dylan, The Ink Spots, Tony Rice, Charlie Spand, the Orlons and a couple dozen others taking on an eclectic blend of songs where the streets as the muse. Tune into Sonoma County Community Radio’s KOWS 92.5 FM, streaming to all of planet earth on kowsfm.com/listen. Deeper Roots brings you a morning of sounds from the locales of Easy Street, Lonely Street and 4th Street…directly from Orchard and 7th.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Various Artists
Wild In the Streets Trailer
1960s Psychedelic Radio Commercials
3
Garland Jeffreys
Wild in the Streets
Ghost Writer/One-Eyed Jack/American Boy & Girl [[Disc 1]]
4
Orlons
South Street
Cameo Parkway: The Greatest Hits
5
The Royals
Fifth Street Blues
The Very Best of the Royals & the Midnighters
6
Patti La Belle & The Blue Belles
Decatur Street
Patti La Belle & The Blue Belles
7
Eddie Floyd
Soul Street
Stax Profiles – Eddie Floyd
8
Glories
Dark End Of The Street
Memphis Boys: The Story Of American Studios
9
Bobby Womack
Across 110th Street
Jackie Brown OST
10
Clarence "Frogman" Henry
Lonely Street
Ain't Got No Home: The Best Of Clarence "Frogman" Henry
11
Little Ann
One Way Street
Funk Soul Sisters
12
Charlie Spand
Hastings Street
Black Swan Sampler
13
Jack Teagarden
Basin Street Blues
An Introduction To Jack Teagarden
14
Cab Calloway
Beale Street Mama
Best Of The Big Bands
15
The Ink Spots
Street Of Dreams
Greatest Hits
16
The Boswell Sisters
Forty-Second Street
The Boswell Sisters Volume 2
17
Julie London
Easy Street
Julie Is Her Name & Lonely Girl
18
Dean Martin
On the Street Where You Live
Swingin' with Dino
19
Keely Smith w. Billy May Orchestra
On The Sunny Side Of The Street
Summer Days And Summer Nights – 31 Beach Pearls
20
George Shearing Quintet Feat. Nancy Wilson
On Green Dolphin Street
The Swingin's Mutual!
21
T-Bone Walker
Street Walking Woman
Best Of Black & White & Imperial Years
22
Bob Dylan
Positively 4th Street
Biograph Disc 2
23
Bruce Springsteen
Streets of Philadelphia
Columbia Records' 125th Anniv.
24
The Doobie Brothers
Takin' It To The Streets
Takin' It To The Streets
25
Utah Phillips
Larimer Street
The Telling Takes Me Home
26
Gram Parsons
Streets Of Baltimore
Complete Reprise Sessions: [Disc 1] – GP
27
Buck Owens
Streets of Laredo
I've Got a Tiger by the Tail
28
Buck Owens
Streets Of Bakersfield
Buck 'Em! Volume Two: The Music Of Buck Owens (1967-1975)
When trying to put together a Deeper Roots episode that covered the great session masters from the past one hundred years it became exceedingly clear that the show would need to be broken up into multiple parts. Percussion, keyboards, brass, bass and all the rest will follow but this week we’re going to focus on the string masters; those guitar stars who account for the bulk of Top 30 hits that graced our lives over the second half of the 20th century. They include Hank Garland, Grady Martin, James Burton, Joe Messina, Glen Campbell, Jimmy Johnson and, of course, Tommy Tedesco. There are many others who deserve the recognition but our show is only a two hour show and, even at that, picking only three or four examples per performer doesn’t do it justice. We’re going to give credit where it’s due…those who stood in the shadows.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Brenda Lee
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Queen of Rock 'N' Roll
3
Jimmy Lloyd
I Got A Rocket In My Pocket
100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks
4
Elvis Presley
A Big Hunk O' Love
Elvis 30 #1 Hits
5
Little Jimmy Dickens
(I Got) A Hole In My Pocket
Four Classic Albums Plus Singles 1954-1962
6
Simon Crum
Stand Up, Sit Down, Shut Your Mouth
Country & Western Nuggets
7
Bobby Helms
Jingle Bell Rock
Making Merry
8
Dale Hawkins
Susie-Q
The Rock 'N' Roll Era: 1957
9
Ricky Nelson
Stood Up
Legacy [Disc 1]
10
Jim & Joe
Fireball Mail
James Burton – The Early Years 1957-1969
11
Gram Parsons
Return Of The Grievous Angel
G.P. / Grievous Angel
12
Buffalo Springfield
A Child's Claim To Fame
Buffalo Springfield Again
13
Elvis Presley
Please Don't Drag That String Around
Grady Martin
14
Johnny Horton
The Battle Of New Orleans
Classic Country
15
Brenda Lee
Little Jonah (Rock On Your Steel Guitar)
Grady Martin
16
Merle Haggard
Mama Tried
The Lonesome Fugitive: The Merle Haggard Anthology 1963-1977 [Disc 1]
This past October, we lost a couple of very important ties to two whose stars shone bright in both the Golden Age of Country and the Golden Age of Rock ‘n Roll. We’ll take on a dual tribute to the passing of Loretta Lynn and Jerry Lee Lewis. The torch has surely passed but their fire burned white hot as their stars rose, both sharing controversy and almost overnight fame. They also continued to perform into their later years, teaming up with songwriters and performers who were relevant to new generations, but true to their core calling. Our first hour take time to visit Loretta Lynn’s humble but no-nonsense storytelling and the second hour will take us into the whirlwind of unapologetic badassness that was Jerry Lee Lewis.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Loretta Lynn
You Ain't Woman Enough
Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection [Disc 1]
3
Loretta Lynn
Coal Miner's Daughter (Recitation)
Still Woman Enough
4
Loretta Lynn
Coal Miner's Daughter
Country Music: A Film By Ken Burns – The Soundtrack [Disc 1]
5
Loretta Lynn,Margo Price
One's On the Way (feat. Margo Price)
One's On the Way (feat. Margo Price)
6
Loretta Lynn & Jack White
Portland Oregon
Van Lear Rose
7
Loretta Lynn
The Pill
Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer
8
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty
After the Fire Is Gone
Decca Country Classics 1934-1973
9
Ernest Tubb & Loretta Lynn
Answer The Phone (w/ Loretta Lynn)
A Tribute To A Legend
10
Ernest Tubb/Loretta Lynn
Thanks a Lot
Legendary: It's Been So Long, Darling
11
Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty
You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly
Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection [Disc 3]
12
Loretta Lynn
She's Got You
Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer
13
Loretta Lynn
Success
I Got A Woman : Gems From The Decca Vaults [Disc 1]
14
Loretta Lynn
This Old House
Van Lear Rose
15
Loretta Lynn
First City
Loretta Lynn Legendery Country Singer
16
Loretta Lynn
Don't Come Home A-Drinkin' (With Lovin' On Your Mind)
Honky Tonk Girl: The Loretta Lynn Collection [Disc 1]
17
Loretta Lynn
In the Sweet Bye and Bye
All Time Gospel Favorites [Disc 1]
18
Jerry Lee Lewis/Jimmy Page
Rock and Roll
Last Man Standing
19
Jerry Lee Lewis
Crazy Arms
All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (Disc 1)
20
Jerry Lee Lewis
End Of The Road
Bob Dylan – Radio Radio – Theme Time Radio Hour Volume Four [Disc 4]
21
Jerry Lee Lewis
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
A Half Century Of Hits [Disc 1]
22
Jerry Lee Lewis
Great Balls of Fire
Red, White & Rock Disc 1
23
Jerry Lee Lewis
High School Confidential
Sun Recordings Greatest Hits
24
Jerry Lee Lewis
Breathless
All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (Disc 1)
25
Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins
I Saw The Light (With Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins)
The Survivors
26
Johnny Cash & Jerry Lee Lewis & Carl Perkins
Whole Lot Of Shakin' Going On (With Jerry Lee Lewis)
The Survivors
27
The Million Dollar Quartet
You're the Only Star in My Blue Heaven
The Million Dollar Quartet: 50th Anniversary Special Edition
28
Jerry Lee Lewis
What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me)
The 40s and 50s post-war migration brought tough working conditions in Chicago which offered stability over the miserable sharecropper existence of the Delta. Both were fodder for the some of the very best in classic blues. The production lines of Detroit and other cities on the Eastern seaboard were models of a different kind of work that the Industrial Age had to offer. But the West Coast wasn’t the place you’d expect to find the blues: shipyards, agriculture, and urban sprawl would aggregate so many different styles that rhythm and blues was a fusion of the many different sensibilities that were brought with both performer and listener alike westward from east of the Mississippi. Having the hub of the world of entertainment in the Southland didn’t hurt either. We’ll be browsing the sounds of some of the greats: McCracklin, Fulson, Otis, Mayfield, and (of course) T-Bone Walker in the Deeper Roots morning show today. West Coast Blues led to blues-based rock in large part because of the exposure to the many different styles of the mid-century blues bands and solo rockers. West Coast Blues Roots is the name of our show this morning on KOWS-LP Occidental.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Gangster Of Love
Living The Blues: 1957-1959 Blues Classics
3
Lowell Fulson
Blue Shadows
Chess Blues Disc 4
4
T-Bone Walker
T-Bone Shuffle
Living The Blues: Blues Greats
5
Ivory Joe Hunter
Boogin' In The Rain
The Chronological Ivory Joe Hunter 1947
6
Amos Milburn
One, Two, Three, Everybody
Amos Milburn Rocks
7
Amos Milburn
One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer
Amos Milburn Rocks
8
Floyd Dixon
Hey Bartender
Marshall Texas Is My Home
9
Big Jay McNeely
The Deacon's Hop
Living The Blues – Jump Blues & Boogie
10
Percy Mayfield
Please Send Me Someone To Love
Blues Masters Vol. 3: Texas Blues
11
Johnny Guitar Watson
Mortorhead Baby
So-Cal Speed Shop's Hot Rod Classics Disc 1
12
Little Esther And Willie Littlefield
Turn the Lights Down Low
Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll Vol 2 [Disc 13]
13
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
Gonna Send You Where I Got You From
Mercury B&R Story '45-'55 – [Disc 1]: Midwest Blues V1
14
Peppermint Harris
I Got Loaded
Loaded, Vol. 1
15
Jimmy McCracklin
The Walk
Pure R&B: Vol. 2- Somethings Got a Hold on Me [Disc 1]
16
Little Willie Littlefield
K. C. Loving
Roots Of Rock & Roll – Rough And Rowdy [Disc 10]
17
T-Bone Walker
Stormy Monday
The Very Best of T-Bone Walker [Koch]
18
Roy Milton
The Hucklebuck
Specialty Profiles: Roy Milton
19
Floyd Dixon
Call Operator 210
The Cocktail Combos [Disc 3]
20
Johnny Otis
Baby Baby Blues
Mercury Blues 'n' Rhythm Stars
21
Johnny Otis
Head Hunter
The Roots Of Frank Zappa
22
Etta James
Good Rockin Daddy
The Complete Modern & Kent Recordings 1
23
Pee Wee Crayton
Blues After Hours
ABC Of The Blues Vol 7
24
Johnny Moore's Three Blazers
Driftin' Blues
Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Piano Blues – A Film By Clint Eastwood
We’ll be spending two hours on a century of hard work, little pay, striking it rich as well as failing to do so. Songs about working the mines, panning in the mother lode, welfare and pittance wages, as well as the country sounds of Merle’s Working Man Blues. Plenty to keep us reflecting on a lifetime of keeping afloat knowing full well that you can’t take it with you. Not necessarily money for nothing and kicks for free but we’ve also got songs about blowing it all on a Saturday night. Join us for music from Johnny Horton, Wynn Stewart, Tex Ritter, Merle, Hazel Dickens, Roy Orbison and a cast of the very best of performances from the past century here on Sonoma County Community Radio.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Tex Williams
Money
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
3
Howard Vokes
The Miner
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
4
Tex Ritter
A Working Man's Prayer
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
5
Doc Watson
Dream of the Miner's Child
1964-1965 (Warped 6411F)
6
Loretta Lynn
Coal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter
7
Merle Haggard And The Strangers
Workin' Man Blues (2006 Digital Remaster)
Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard
8
Lyle Lovett
Working Too Hard
My Baby Don't Tolerate
9
Slaid Cleaves
Working Stiff
Unsung
10
Perry Tonightus And The Heart Burn
Living On The Welfare Check
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
11
Buck Owens
Waitin' In Your Welfare Line
The Very Best Of Buck Owens, Volume 1
12
Johnny Paycheck
Take This Job And Shove It
Superstars Of Country: Easy Loving [Disc 1]
13
Roy Orbison
Working for the Man
The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison [Monument]
14
Brennen Leigh
North To Alaska
Too Thin To Plow
15
Mudcrutch
Six Days On the Road
Mudcrutch
16
Wynn Stewart
Another Day, Another Dollar
California Country
17
The Westport Kids
You Kaint Take It With You
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
18
Billy Parker
It Takes A Lot Of Money
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
19
Bobby Barnett
Workin' Man
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
20
Arlie Duff
Money Hungry
Birth / Work / Death – Work, Money And Status In Country Music (1950-1974)
21
Faron Young
I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night
1953-1956 (Warped 5455)
22
Al Clauser & His Oklahoma Outlaws
I Ain't Lazy Baby I'm Just Tired
The Best Of Western Swing
23
Jim Nesbitt
Working All My Life
Cash-A-Likes
24
Marty Stuart
Hard Working Man
Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions
25
Dick Curless
I've Been Working On the Railroad
A Tombstone Every Mile (7CD Set) CD3 (1950-1969)
26
John Prine & Mac Wiseman
Saginaw Michigan
Standard Songs for Average People
27
Dolly Parton
9 To 5
Dolly [Disc 4]
28
Laurie Lewis And The Right Hands
Working Girl Blues (Featuring Andrew Conklin, Alice Gerrard, Tom Rozum & Patrick Sauber)
The Hazel and Alice Sessions
29
Tom Waits
Heigh Ho
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards [Disc 3]
30
Lee Dorsey
Working In A Coal Mine
Soul Mine
31
Johnny Horton
North To Alaska
Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 3: Americana
32
The Dwarf Chorus
Heigh-Ho
Classic Disney, Vol. II: 60 Years Of Music Magical
33
Adriana Caselotti
Whistle While You Work
Bob Dylan – Radio Radio – Theme Time Radio Hour Volume Four [Disc 2]
Welcome to a common theme we share on Deeper Roots: an eclectic blend of stories featuring grifters, the gallows, the law and prison time. Today we’ll be mixing current events with the rule of law and the focus takes on historic anthems of good versus evil. Playlists will feature topics of blind justice, the fate of liars and thieves, and stories of false prophets and demagogues. We’ll welcome them in their own words with pearls of justice that even the January 6th looters, traitors and thieves cannot escape. It’s a cult…and neither democracy nor faith abide much by the cult of personality that’s soiling our Constitution. We’ve got tracks from Dr. John, Three Dog Night, Hugh Laurie, Booker T and Ted Hawkins this week. Join us here on Deeper Roots for an expose about “Fear and Loathing at Mar-a-Lago”.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Booker T. & The MG's
Hang 'Em High
The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, Vol.2: 1968-1971 [Disc 1]
3
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Can't Tear It Up Enuff
T-Bird Rhythm
4
Ted Hawkins
The Constitution
Happy Hour
5
Laurie Lewis And The Right Hands
Let That Liar Alone (Featuring Tom Rozum, Patrick Sauber, Harley Eblen & Andrew Conklin)
The Hazel and Alice Sessions
6
The Louvin Brothers
Cash On The Barrelhead
Close Harmony [Disc 3]
7
Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
Call The Police
Jumpin' With the Big Swing Bands
8
Ray Lum
A Trader Is
Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris
9
Bill Phillips
The Yankee Trader
Bill Phillips 1958-1961
10
Dr. John
Trader John
The Blues Biography
11
Three Dog Night
Liar
The Complete Hit Singles
12
Julia Lee
Lies
Kansas City Star [Disc 2]
13
JD McPherson
Mother Of Lies
Let The Good Times Roll
14
Julie London
Little White Lies
36 All-Time Greatest Hits Disc 1
15
Jackie Greene
About Cell Block #9
Sweet Somewhere Bound
16
Bill Carter with The Cooper Brothers
Jailer Man
The Hangman's Blues: Prison Songs In Country Music (1956-1972)
17
Buck Owens
In the Jailhouse Now
Honky Tonk Man: Buck Sings Country Classics
18
Hugh Laurie
Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair
Didn't It Rain (Deluxe)
19
Elton Britt
Uranium Fever
Atomic Platters
20
Sam Hinton
Old Man Atom
Atomic Platters
21
Dan Reeder
2016 Election Song
Every Which Way (Deluxe Edition)
22
Fay Simmons
You Hit Me Baby Like An Atomic Bomb
Atomic Platters
23
Fred Kirby
When That Hell Bomb Falls
Atomic Platters
24
George Kent
I Always Did Like Leavenworth
The Hangman's Blues: Prison Songs In Country Music (1956-1972)
Break out the libations! Deeper Roots celebrates it’s ten year anniversary on Sonoma County Community Radio and today’s show takes some time to celebrate the blend of sounds we’ve featured with the focus being on our first ten shows. I’ll be grabbing some of my very favorites from those early playlists and sharing them with everyone this morning. Great sounds featured include a trip to Chickashay with Roy Rogers, gospel tradition from Fern Jones, jitterbugging with The Roosevelts, some Duke, Fats, The Louvins, and, of course, Miss Morse (Ella Mae, that is). I’ll look back at some of the shows featured, the many sites visited and the folks that dropped by along the way. A little nostalgia on a Friday morning on KOWS radio and Saturday morning on KRJF and KWTF.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Geraint Watkins
Go West
Dial 'W' for Watkins
3
Mae West
I'm An Occidental Woman In An Oriental Mood For Love
The Mae West Collection
4
Roy Rogers with Country Washburne
My Chickashay Girl
26 All-Time Country Classics
5
Patsy Montana
My Poncho Pony
Cowgirl's Best
6
Bob Wills
The Devil Ain't Lazy
Stompin' Singers & Western Swingers ([Disc 3] It Ain't Far To The Bar)
7
Doug Sahm
(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone
Complete Atlantic Recordings Disc 1
8
The Louvin Brothers
Cash On The Barrelhead
Capitol Country Music Classics
9
The Louvin Brothers
The Great Atomic Power
Hand-Picked
10
Kitty Wells
Amigo's Guitar
Greatest Songs
11
Lefty Frizzell
Saginaw, Michigan
Look What Thoughts Will Do
12
The Americans
Sweet and Low
Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys
13
The Ink Spots
Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees)
Greatest Hits
14
Julia Lee And Her Boyfriends
(Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It
Blues Classics 1945-1949
15
Duke Ellingtion
Take The "A" Train
Stompin' At The Savoy
16
The Roosevelts
Jitterbug Special
The Real Blues Brothers Vol. 2
17
Fats Waller & His Rhythm
Hey! Stop Kissin' My Sister
100 Ans De Jazz
18
Nina Simone
Children Go Where I Send You
The Best Of Nina Simone: The Colpix Years
19
Gospel Hebrews
Jesus Is All Over Me
Boddie Recording Company: Cleveland, Ohio
20
Fern Jones
Just A Little Talk With Jesus
The Glory Road
21
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Shout Sister Shout
Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Spirit of Gospel, Vol. 2
What a decade. The Sixties. There was, of course, the mainlining of rock that took place, The Beatles, The Stones, Dylan, folk-rock, a rediscovery of tradition and the blues…and then there was something that had been bubbling underneath the pop, gospel, jazz, and rock elements. It would come to be called ‘soul’ and the sixties urban explosion out of a post-war northern cities like Chicago and (especially) Detroit, gave us something uniquely American. And the sixties charts were brimming with Motown, funk, cold sweat, and brassy ballads with a back beat and synchronicity of voice that established itself for good. The Isley Brothers, The Four Tops, The Supremes, Chuck Jackson, Mary Wells, The Temptations, The Impressions…the list goes on…all of these acts and hundreds of others staked their claim to the charts, easily competing (if not comfortably sharing) with the British wave and psychedlic sounds that had stormed the gates. Join Dave Stroud for a taste of 60s soul.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
The Miracles
Shop Around [National Hit Version]
The 35th Anniversary Collection
3
Ike & Tina Turner
It's Gonna Work Out Fine
Birth Of Soul: 3
4
Sugar Pie DeSanto
A Little Taste of Soul
A Little Bit of Soul (1957-1962)
5
Chuck Jackson
Any Day Now (My Wild Beautiful Bird)
Pure R&B: Vol. 2- Somethings Got a Hold on Me [Disc 2]
6
Sam Cooke
Send Me Some Lovin'
The Man Who Invented Soul [Box Set] (3 of 4)
7
Mary Wells
Bye Bye Baby
Looking Back 1961-1964
8
The Impressions
I'm So Proud
Glory of Love: Sweet & Soulful Love Songs-'60s
9
The Supremes
Come See About Me
Gold Disc 1
10
Mary Wells
My Guy
Malt Shop Memories: All I Have To Do Is Dream (Disc 2)
11
Brenda Holloway
Every Little Bit Hurts
Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971 Disc 1
12
The Tams
What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)
Classic Rock: 1964 A Go Go
13
Jimmy Hughes
Steal Away
The Complete Fame Singles Volume 1
14
King Curtis
Soul Serenade
Instant Soul: The Legendary King Curtis
15
The Funk Brothers
Too Many Fish in the Sea
20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Funk Brothers
Country music started genre-life out as something different. Searching for a term more palatable than simply ‘folk’ or, more so, ‘hillbilly’, or ‘western’ music, music industry marketing found the term ‘country’ or ‘country and western’ a much smoother alternative. It softened the fiddle and accordion sounds and, at the same time, tempered the fears of human de-evolution through cultural disappropriation. Although what passes for country music today is more a caricature of itself, the Golden Age of country, running through the decades of the fifties, sixties and the early seventies built a solid foundation with some of the great songwriters and performers that weren’t from the big east and west coast hubs. And their music would often be heard ‘peeking through’ the pop charts in a big way, reinforcing the notion that it was, and always had been, a common cultural denominator. Our show this week features some of the very greatest of the latter. Join us!