We had so much fun with our first installment a few months back that we thought it was worth a second installment…well, that and the depth and breadth of the American Songbag certainly lends itself to doing so. It doesn’t hurt either that it fits our deeper roots sensibilities so well. This installment finds us meandering about those classic songs whose topics include mellow blues ballads, hobo songs, Mexican border songs (how appropriate), tarnished love tales, and the ‘road to heaven’. Helping us through our sets we’ll be featuring an interesting collection of performers: Dave Van Ronk, Dock Boggs, Rosanne Cash, and Peter Case. A host of others will join in the fun on Community Radio for Sonoma County.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Dave Van Ronk
Willie The Weeper
Down In Washington Square: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection
3
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Willie the Weeper
Dirt, Silver & Gold Disc 1
4
Dan Zanes
Roll The Chariot
Parades And Panoramas: 25 Songs Collected By Carl Sandburg For The American Songbag
5
Josh White
Barbara Allen
Best Of Josh White
6
Delmore Brothers
Frozen Girl
Brown's Ferry Blues
7
Dock Boggs
Pretty Polly
Country Blues
8
The Carter Family
My Sweetheart Is a Poor Working Girl/Waves of the Sea (Instrumental)
On Border Radio – 1939 – vol. 1
9
Tony Rice
House Carpenter
Church Street Blues
10
Hylo Brown
Pretty Fair Maiden
Legends & Tall Tales
11
Ola Belle Reed, John Miller, Burl Kilby
The Orphan Girl
Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line
12
David Rawlings
Midnight Train
Poor David's Almanack
13
Arlo Guthrie
Gypsy Davy
Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys (Remastered 2004)
14
Peter Case
Roving Gambler
Sings Like Hell
15
Rosanne Cash
Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
The List
16
Aaron Copland, London Symphony Orchestra & William Warfield
Old American Songs (Set One): Zion's Walls
Copland Conducts Copland (Expanded Edition)
17
Louis Armstrong
Ezekiel Saw De Wheel
Louis And The Good Book
18
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Things That I used to do (and I Don't Do No More)
The Gospel Truth
19
The Robinson Children
I Ain't Gwine Study About War No More
Swinging Gospel Sounds (1935-1942)
20
The Bronzemen
Dese Bones Gwine Rise Again
The Bronzemen – Radio Transcriptions (1939)
21
Septeto Habanero
Cielito Lindo
Cuba. Por La Musica
22
Los Panchos
La Cucaracha – La Adelita
Cattle Call-Early Cowboy Music And It's Roots
23
Dan Zanes
Lo Que Digo
Parades And Panoramas: 25 Songs Collected By Carl Sandburg For The American Songbag
24
Kathy Reid-Naiman
Pretty Betty Martin
Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie
25
Laurie Lewis
Weevily Wheat
Laurie Lewis & Her Bluegrass Pals
26
Dan Zanes
Cuckoo Waltz
Parades And Panoramas: 25 Songs Collected By Carl Sandburg For The American Songbag
27
Tom Paxton
Times A-Getting Hard, Boys
Seeds – The Songs Of Pete Seeger, Vol. 3 (Disc 2 Of 2 – Friends Of Pete)
Another Friday morning of sounds from the deeper wells, the archives of Americana, featuring the very best of early century pop, southern gospel, bluegrass, jazz, and swamp seasoned blues. Tune in at 9am for a fresh blend of performances that span the genres: Charles Sheffield to Ernest Tubb, The Dells to Mildred Bailey, and Jimmie Rodgers to John Prine. Dave Stroud will be sharing sounds from the Excello vaults, new Americana from recent years, classic gospel from The Soul Stirrers and the Southern Stars. You can only hear the variety and depth of selection on community radio. So be sure you listen in Friday mornings on KOWS and Friday evenings on KWTF.
The music of Albert E. Brumley resides in a shadowy corner of country gospel, but when it’s given the light of day, the glow is blinding. He was a shape note music composer and publisher whose southern gospel pieces are familiar to many. There’s not a lot of information about Albert but the musical legacy of his “I’ll Fly Away”, “Rank Strangers”, and “Turn Your Radio On” are masterpieces of the genre made popular by everyone from The Carters to Bill Monroe and Aretha Franklin to Alan Jackson and Kanye West. We’ll spend time with his music today, sharing numerous interpretations for you on a Friday morning in Sebastopol, live from KOWS studio at the UMC in the heart of town.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Chuck Wagon Gang/George Jones
Turn Your Radio On
70th Anniversary
3
The Dillards
Introduction
There Is A Time: 1963-70
4
The Dillards
I'll Fly Away
There Is A Time: 1963-70
5
The Humbard Family
I'll Fly Away [Album Version]
Roots 'N' Blues/The Retrospective 1925-1950
6
Stamps-Baxter Quartet
When We Sing Around The Throne Eternal
Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel Music
7
The Del McCoury Band
The Lord Is Writing Down Names
The Promised Land
8
The Del McCoury Band
It's Surprising What The Lord Can Do
The Promised Land
9
Clinch Mountain Boys/Jim Lauderdale/Ralph Stanley
This World Is Not My Home
I Feel Like Singing Today
10
Fern Jones
This World Is Not My Home
The Glory Road
11
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
The Prettiest Flowers Will Be Blooming
Ralph Stanley 1971-1973 Disc One
12
The Louvin Brothers
He Set Me Free
Close Harmony [Disc 6]
13
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
Standing By the River
Ralph Stanley 1971-1973 Disc 4
14
The Country Gentlemen
Rank Strangers To Me
The Early Rebel Recordings [Disc 3]
15
Ricky Skaggs
Rank Stranger
Bluegrass Rules!
16
Leon Redbone
If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven
Double Time
17
Elvis Presley
If We Never Meet Again
He Touched Me: The Gospel Music of Elvis Presley Disc 1
18
Doc Watson
I'll Meet You In The Morning
Milestones [Disc 2]
19
Albert E. Brumley, Jr./Merle Haggard
I'll Meet You in the Morning
Two Old Friends
20
Johnnie and Jack
I Heard My Name on the Radio
1947-1950 (Warped 4720)
21
Coon Creek Girls
Flowers Blooming In The Wildwood
Flowers In The Wildwood
22
Rangers Quartet
I've Found A Hiding Place
Close Harmony: A History of Southern Gospel Music
23
Marty Stuart
Lord, Give Me Just a Little More Time
Souls' Chapel
24
Mac Wiseman
By the Side of the Road
Voice of the Spirit, Gospel of the South
25
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
By The Side Of The Road
Beyond The Shadows
26
The Del McCoury Band
I'll Put On A Crown And Walk Around
The Promised Land
27
The Del McCoury Band
It's An Unfriendly World
The Promised Land
28
Merle Travis
If We Never Meet Again
Hot Pickin' [Disc 1]
29
The Kingsmen
I'd Rather Be An Old-Time Christian
Crossroads: Southern Roots
30
Jimmie Davis
'Twill Be Sweet When We Meet
Nobody's Darlin' But Mine
31
Carl Story
I've Found a Hiding Place
Country & Western Hit Parade 1947
32
Wade Bowen
I'll Fly Away
Then Sings My Soul: Songs for My Mother
33
Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch
I'll Fly Away
Down From The Mountain: Live Concert Performances By The Artists & Musicians Of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
It’s a time that followed the second World War and baked into its foundation were the sounds of Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Spade Cooley, Bob Wills among others. The music was inspired by bluegrass, folk, blues, and jazz with Country Swing and barn dances sparking a popularity that blanketed the American musical landscape from the Pacific to the southern Atlantic. It was a sound that solidified the title of “Country and Western” and he’ll be sharing some of the great performances in this week’s episode: Patsy Cline, Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, Ferlin Husky, and Webb Pierce…just to name a few. While the sound would fade away sometime around the turn of the seventies, when rock n’ roll would elbow it (more like steamroll it) out in popularity on the airwaves, it is revered and restated to this day as a cornerstone of what we recognize as Americana music.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Marty Robbins
Singing The Blues
Hillbilly Fever – Vol. 3: Legends Of Nashville
3
Webb Pierce
Why Baby Why Featuring Red Sovine
All Hits! [Disc 2]
4
Ray Price
Crazy Arms
Columbia Country Classics Volume 2: Honky Tonk Heroes
5
Elvis Presley
Heartbreak Hotel
Collections
6
The Everly Brothers
Wake Up Little Susie
The Complete Cadence Recordings 1957-1960 Disc 1
7
Little Jimmy Dickens
Hey Worm (You Wanna Wiggle)
Four Classic Albums Plus Singles 1954-1962
8
Ferlin Husky
Gone
Hillbilly Fever: Vol. 4 – Heroes Of Country Music – Vol. 4: Legends Of The West Coast
9
Marty Robbins
The White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)
Magic Moments
10
Bobby Helms
Fraulein
Classic Country
11
Patsy Cline
Walkin' After Midnight
12 Greatest Hits
12
Ray Price
My Shoes Keep Walking Back To You
The Essential Ray Price 1951-1962
13
Little Jimmy Dickens
A-Sleepin' At The Foot Of The Bed
The Old Country Church/Raisin' The Dickens
14
Marvin Rainwater
Gonna Find Me A Bluebird
Three Classic Albums Plus Singles 1955-1962
15
Johnny Cash
Ballad Of A Teenage Queen
His Sun Years
16
Johnny Cash
I Still Miss Someone
16 Biggest Hits
17
Lefty Frizzell
If You've Got The Money, I've Got The Time
Selected Sides – 1957-59
18
Little Jimmy Dickens
Me And My Big Loud Mouth
The Essential "Little" Jimmy Dickens
19
Don Gibson
Oh, Lonesome Me
RCA Country Legends
20
Charlie Walker
Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
Columbia Country Classics Volume 2: Honky Tonk Heroes
21
Jim Reeves
Billy Bayou
Country Roads – Ralph Emery Presents – For The Good Times
22
Patsy Cline
I Can See An Angel
The Patsy Cline Collection [Disc 2]
23
Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys
Drivin' Nails In My Coffin
Songs For Rounders
24
George Jones
White Lightning
The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country Disc 1
25
Johnny Horton
The Battle Of New Orleans
Classic Country
26
Stonewall Jackson
Waterloo
Columbia Country Classics, Vol. 3: Americana
27
The Browns
The Three Bells
Classic Country
28
Marty Robbins
El Paso
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
29
Buck Owens
Under Your Spell Again
The Very Best Of Buck Owens, Volume 1
30
Kitty Wells
Amigos Guitar
Queen of Country
31
Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley Boys
A Six Pack To Go
Vintage Collections
32
Wynn Stewart
Wishful Thinking
Hillbilly Fever: Vol. 4 – Heroes Of Country Music – Vol. 4: Legends Of The West Coast
It’s a free form collection that knows no boundaries. Dynamic sounds from the past century of America’s music including tracks from Kinky Friedman, Hank Snow, Clara Ward, The Charioteers, and a host of others from every corner. We’ll be sharing The Old Spinning Wheel, a parlor song; songs about a baseball and silver screen legend; and gospel from the deeper wells. Join Dave Stroud for another Deeper Roots evening on KOWS Community Radio.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Ella Fitzgerald
Beat Me, Daddy, Eight To The Bar
Get Happy
3
El Pauling & Royal Abbit
Send Me Somebody
The Complete Singles 1952-1962
4
Freddie King
Please Send Me Someone To Love
King Of The Blues
5
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
Gonna Send You Where I Got You From
Mercury B&R Story '45-'55 – [Disc 1]: Midwest Blues V1
6
Nina Simone
Children Go Where I Send You
The Amazing Nina Simone/Nina Simone At Town Hall
7
The Charioteers
Walk Together Children
Good News, Vol. 2: Wade In The Water
8
The Original Gospel Harmonettes
Just To Behold His Face
Good News (Vol 3) Get Away Jordan
9
Clara Ward And The Ward Sisters
You Must Have Good Religion
Golden Gospel Gals 1949-1959 [Disc 2]
10
Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue
Plastic Jesus
Set Two
11
Wanda Jackson
No Wedding Bells For Joe (2002 Digital Remaster)
Wanda Jackson
12
John Prine/Iris Dement
In Spite of Ourselves
In Spite of Ourselves
13
Laura Nyro
Wedding Bell Blues
Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best of Laura Nyro (1 of 2)
14
The Del-Vikings
I Hear Bells (Wedding Bells)
Hit The Road Jack- The ABC-Paramount Story
15
Kinky Friedman
Marilyn and Joe
Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman
16
Simon & Garfunkel
Mrs. Robinson
The Essential Simon & Garfunkel [Disc 2]
17
Blackjack Wayne
Holding Hands For Joe
I Got A Woman : Gems From The Decca Vaults [Disc 1]
18
Hank Williams
No, No Joe
Beyond The Sunset
19
Ernie K-Doe
Popeye Joe
Absolutely the Best
20
The Howlin' Brothers
World Spinning Round
Trouble
21
Hank Snow
The Old Spinning Wheel (Chet Atkins)
The Singing Ranger Disc 1 of 4
22
The Beau Hunks
The Old Spinning Wheel
The Beau Hunks Play The Original Laurel & Hardy Music [Disc 2]
23
C.W. Stoneking
I'm The Jungle Man
Gon' Boogaloo
24
Duke Ellington
Jungle Jamboree
The Jungle Band – The Brunswick Era Vol 2 (1929-31)
25
Eddie Cantor
Hungry Women
grimriper2u@yahoo.com
26
Dwight Yoakam
Send Me the Pillow
Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room
27
Fatso Bentley
June-teenth Jamboree
The Best Of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour Vol 2
28
Duke Ellington
Mood Indigo
The Jungle Band – The Brunswick Era Vol 2 (1929-31)
There are a handful of record labels that subscribe to the ‘deeper roots’ dogma. And our show tries to cover all of them. But East Bay’s own Arhoolie, whose catalog was recently acquired by Smithsonian Folkways is a very special example, maybe the premiere example, of what it means to dig deeper. Founded in 1960 by Chris Strachwitz, a German transplant who moved to the States in 1947, Arhoolie was founded on the principle that the best music could be found by traveling the backroads. And that is precisely how it got started, with a recording device in his trunk and an ear for the sublime. Join us this Friday evening as we explore just a hint of the music you’ll find on a landmark roots label.
We are remembering what happened here in Sonoma County last October when the firestorm hit, devastating communities and lives. Over 5000 homes and dozens of lives were lost. Disaster struck overnight and our music today reflects back with songs of disaster, songs of burning hell, and music that reminds us that Mother Nature will have its way. Blues from John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf, traditional country gospel from Bill Neely and Kitty Wells, and more in a Friday evening remembrance.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
The David Thom Band
California's Burning
That Old Familiar
3
Under The Radar
Ride These Flames
Beyond The Niche
4
Kitty Wells
He Will Set Your Fields on Fire
Dust on the Bible (1959)
5
Kilby Snow, Mike Seeger
He Will Set Your Fields On Fire
Close To Home: Old Time Music From Mike Seeger's Collection, 1952-1967
6
Clyde Moody
06 – Where There's Smoke (There's Bound to Be Fire)
The Hillbilly Waltz King
7
Bill Neely
Satan's Burning Hell
Texas Law & Justice
8
Howlin' Wolf
The Natchez Burning
Blues From Hell
9
John Lee Hooker
Burning Hell
The Ultimate Collection 1948-1990 [Disc 2]
10
John Lee Hooker
The Motor City Is Burning
The Definitive Collection
11
Otis Spann
Burning Fire
The Great Blues Men
12
Bob Brozman
American House Fire Blues
Fire in the Mind
13
Dave Alvin
Barn Burning
King Of California
14
Dave Alvin
California's Burning
Dave Alvin and The Guilty Women
15
John Mellencamp
Eden Is Burning
John Mellencamp
16
Dixon Brothers
The School House Fire
Down In The Basement: Joe Bussard's Treasure Trove Of Vintage 78s: 1926-1937
There’s a new tribute album out, celebrating the music of country renaissance troubadour Roger Miller. Produced by his son Dean it’s a fully formed varietal that, as Rolling Stone magazine critic Stephen Betts notes, features a dazzling lineup after being beset by repeated delays since 2015. Miller was an extraordinary songwriter with offbeat humor, part Hank Williams, part Will Rogers, and a poet of the uncommon whose song King of the Road “was positively average compared to his other oddball compositions, including Dang Me, Chug-a-Lug, and You Can’t Rollerskate in a Buffalo Herd” as Betts goes on to point out. Our show features tracks from the album, some other notable covers of Roger Miller’s music, and, of course, some wacky, some tame originals from Roger himself.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
Asleep at the Wheel
Chug-A-Lug (feat. Huey Lewis)
King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller
3
Roger Miller
Dad Blame Anything A Man Can't Quit
King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD2)
4
Doug Kershaw
You Don't Want My Love
The Best Of Doug Kershaw
5
Ernest Tubb
Half a Mind
Ernest Tubb: The Definitive Collection
6
Faron Young
A World So Full of Love
The Complete Capitol Hits of Faron Young (2 of 2)
7
Emmylou Harris; Rodney Crowell
Invitation to the Blues
Old Yellow Moon
8
George Jones
Tall Tall Trees
George Jones The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection
9
Roger Miller
Tall, Tall Trees
King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD3)
10
Roger Miller
My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died
The Complete Smash-Mercury Singles
11
Charley Pride
Billy Bayou
20 Classics
12
Jim Reeves
Home
Essential Jim Reeves
13
Roger Miller
Little Green Apples
All Time Greatest Hits
14
Bill Kirchen
Husbands and Wives (Album)
Word To The Wise
15
Roger Miller/Willie Nelson
Husbands and Wives
Old Friends/Funny How Time Slips Away
16
Willie Nelson
Old Friends
One Hell Of A Ride
17
Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson & Merle Haggard
Old Friends
King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller
18
Patsy Cline
When Your House Is Not A Home [Radio Transcription]
The Patsy Cline Collection [Disc 2]
19
Little Jimmy Dickens
When Your House Is Not A Home
Four Classic Albums Plus Singles 1954-1962
20
Merle Haggard
Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go
Chicago Wind
21
Ray Price
Invitation To The Blues
Columbia Country Classics Volume 2: Honky Tonk Heroes
22
Jon Rauhouse
Pardon This Coffin
The Executioners Last Songs, Volume 3
23
Roger Miller
King Of The Road
The Best Of : Vol 2
24
Dick Curless
King of the Road
A Tombstone Every Mile (7CD Set) CD4 (1950-1969)
25
Roger Miller
Kansas City Star
The Best Of : Vol 2
26
Kacey Musgraves
Kansas City Star
King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller
27
Roger Miller
Dang Me
King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD1)
28
Willie Nelson
When Two Worlds Collide
Old Friends/Funny How Time Slips Away
29
Alison Krauss
You Oughta Be Here With Me / I've Been a Long Time Leaving (feat. The Cox Family)
King of the Road: A Tribute to Roger Miller
30
Alison Krauss
River In The Rain
Windy City
31
Roger Miller
Where Have All The Average People Gone
King Of The Road – The Genius Of Roger Miller (CD3)
32
Roger Miller
Hoppy's Gone
The Best Of : Vol 2
33
The Dead South
One Dying And A Burying
King Of The Road: A Tribute To Roger Miller [Disc 2]
34
Nick Lowe
Old Toy Trains
Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection For All The Family
Yip Harburg was a songmaker. He was part of a select few in the early to mid-century who found their calling as lyricists, writing words that transformed music to story and story to film and Broadway spectacles. We could gloss over his contributions by simply saying “he’s the guy who wrote Over The Rainbow or April in Paris or Brother, Can You Spare a Dime”. But his career was more than that. It’s no secret that Yip’s politics were carefully crafted in song. The phrases “honky-tonk parade” and “Barnum and Bailey world” were veiled criticisms of the “phony as it can be” corporate and political leadership in America, written by a freethinking, socially conscious lyricist. Our show today will honor some of his best songs and include interview excerpts featuring both Yip and his son, Ernie.
No.
1
Artist
Title
Album
Buy
2
The George Shearing Quintet And Orchestra
What Is There To Say
White Satin Black Satin
3
Anita O'Day
Old Devil Moon
Anita Sings The Most
4
Frank Sinatra
It's Only A Paper Moon
Swing And Dance With Frank Sinatra
5
Peggy Lee
Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe
The Best of Miss Peggy Lee [Bonus DVD] Disc 1
6
Martha Tilton
How Are Things In Glocca Morra?
The Liltin' Miss Tilton [Disc 2]
7
Nellie Lutcher
April In Paris
Nellie Lutcher & Her Rhythm [Disc 2]
8
Lena Horne
Ain't It The Truth
Lena Horne: A Musical Anthology
9
Lena Horne
Then I'll Be Tired of You
Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981
10
Nat King Cole Trio
Then I'll Be Tired Of You
The Nat King Cole Trio: The Complete Capitol Transcription Sessions [Disc 3]
11
Ella Logan
How Are Things in Glocca Morra?
The Best of Broadway: The Late '40s
12
Ray Bolger
If I Only Had A Brain
The Wizard Of Oz
13
Groucho Marx & Bing Crosby
Lydia The Tattooed Lady
The Marx Brothers Greatest Hits
14
Ella Logan
When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich
Harburg, E.Y., 1896-1981
15
Judy Garland
Over The Rainbow
That's Entertainment! The Best Of The MGM Musicals
A few years back we celebrated the record, the radio, and disc jockeys on a couple of themed shows. We’re going to rev that theme up once again, but with a bit of a twist. This morning’s show pays tribute to that nickel, dime, and quarter evaporator known as the jukebox. We’ll also extend the music selections to include sounds of record hops, soda fountains, and the healthiest way to partake in any or all of the festivities. Tune in for new and old, including country sounds from Kitty Wells, Buck Owens, and Bill Walker; R&B from Shirley & Lee, Charles Bronw, and The Marigolds; and pop straightaways from Gale Storm, Dodie Stevens, and Brook Benton. All this on a Friday evening on KWTF community radio.
