Tag Archives: featured

Deeper Roots on KOWS, Oldies, Rhythm and Blues, Rock, Soul

Steve Cropper Tribute

December 13, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

Long before you ever knew his name, Steve Cropper’s music was a part of your life if you grew up with a radio tuned to soul, rock, or R&B. You were already absorbing his fingerwork: that clipped, chiming guitar on “Green Onions,” the taut groove that made Wilson Pickett sound ten feet tall, or the unmistakable snap of Stax rhythm sections he helped shape. We lost a giant who contributed to the Americana musical landscape this past week and our show this week will reflect on his body of work. He wasn’t just part of the soundtrack of our lives, he was part of the atmosphere, a presence whose playing taught you—quietly and consistently—what feel really meant. To grow up with Steve Cropper’s music is to realize, eventually, that he helped define not just a sound but a sensibility—one where the groove is tight, the soul runs deep, and the guitar part is always exactly what the song needs and not a note more.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Otis Redding	(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay	Stax Number Ones
3	Booker T. & The MG's	Green Onions	Let There Be Drums Vol 2: The 60's
4	Steve Cropper	Baby Don't Do It (Steve Cropper with B.B. King & Shemekia Copeland)	Dedicated – A Salute To The 5 Royales
5	The Tonettes	Teardrop Sea	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (2 of 9)
6	Carla Thomas	What a Fool I've Been	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (2 of 9)
7	Carla Thomas	Comfort Me	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (5 of 9)
8	Johnny Daye	What'll I Do for Satisfaction	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (8 of 9)
9	Steve Cropper, Pops Staples, Albert King	Tupelo[Pt. 1]	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (2 of 9)
10	Wilson Pickett	Don't Fight It [Unedited Single Master]	A Man & A Half: The Best Of Wilson Pickett [Disc 1]
11	Wilson Pickett	In the Midnight Hour	Red, White & Rock Disc 2
12	Barbara & the Browns	In My Heart	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (4 of 9)
13	Booker T. & The MG's	Time Is Tight	Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration [Disc 2]
14	Mable John	Wait You Dog	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (8 of 9)
15	Rufus Thomas	Can Your Monkey Do the Dog	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (3 of 9)
16	The Astors	Candy	Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration [Disc 1]
17	Bobby Marchan	You Won't Do Right	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (3 of 9)
18	Eddie Floyd	Knock on Wood	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (6 of 9)
19	Otis Redding	Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)	Dreams To Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology [Disc 1]
20	Otis Redding	That's How Strong My Love Is	Dreams To Remember: The Otis Redding Anthology [Disc 1]
21	Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour	Too Much Stress (feat. Brian May & Billy Gibbons)	Friendlytown
22	Steve Cropper	Two Wrongs	Fire It Up
23	Steve Cropper	Thirty Second Lover (Steve Cropper with Steve Winwood)	Dedicated – A Salute To The 5 Royales
24	Aretha Franklin	Think	The Definitive Collection
25	Booker T. & the MG's	Soul-Limbo	The Very Best of Booker T. & the MG's
26	Wendy Rene	What Will Tomorrow Bring?	Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Vol. 2
27	William Bell	Who Will It Be Tomorrow	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (3 of 9)
28	Eddie Floyd	Yum Yum Yum (I Want Some)	Stax 50th Anniversary Collection [Disc 3]
29	Wilson Pickett	Ninety-Nine & A Half (Won't Do)	A Man & A Half: The Best Of Wilson Pickett [Disc 1]
30	The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band and Dom Flemons featuring Steve Cropper	Shake Your Money Maker	Shake Your Money Maker (Single)
31	Steve Cropper	My Sugar Sugar (Steve Cropper with John Popper)	Dedicated – A Salute To The 5 Royales
32	Steve Cropper & Pops Staples	Water	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (2 of 9)
33	The Mad Lads	Patch My Heart	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (6 of 9)
34	Cheryl Johnson/Pam Johnson	That's My Guy	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (2 of 9)
35	The Blues Brothers	Soul Man	The Definitive Collection
36	Booker T. & the MG's	Slim Jenkin's Place	The Very Best of Booker T. & the MG's

Blues, Country Blues, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Oldies, Rhythm and Blues, Urban Blues

Down & Dirty Blues

December 6, 2025 Dave Leave a comment

This week’s show leans into the rougher side of the tradition: the places where bruised pride, bad decisions, and raw truth find their way into song. “The down and dirty blues” isn’t a stylistic claim so much as a shared attitude — the kind shaped by rent coming due, lovers turning cold, and the kind of trouble that sits heavy in the gut. Across the past century, singers and players have used these stories to put plainspoken feeling into motion, building grooves that don’t promise comfort so much as recognition. Across two hours, we’ll move through voices that carried this edge with conviction — men and women from the 1930s onward who weren’t at all shy about calling out mean mistreaters or confessing their own missteps. You’ll hear hard-driving cuts where guitars sting, pianos roll, and vocals land with a certain bruising weight. Tune in for the likes of Victoria Spivey, Lonnie Johnson, Dirty Red, Little Joe Blue, Howlin’ Wolf and a couple dozen others. The ‘dirty dozen’ doesn’t get much dirtier than this.

No.
1	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
2	Annisteen Allen	Down By The River	Get Hot Sleazy Rhythm & Blues Vol. 3
3	Howlin' Wolf	Down In The Bottom	Moanin' In The Moonlight
4	Victoria Spivey	Down Hill Pull	Moaning The Blues (The Blues Collection Vol.65)
5	Memphis Minnie	Dirty Mother For You	Blues Classics: '27_'69 [Disc 1]
6	Dirty Red	Mother Fuyer	Eat to The Beat: The Dirtiest of Them Dirty Blues
7	Little Junior Parker	Dirty Friend Blues	Abc of the Blues, Vol. 36
8	Little Joe Blue	Dirty Work Goin' On	Chess Blues Disc 4
9	Little Johnny Jones & The Chicago Hound Dogs	Dirty By The Dozen (Sweet Little Woman)	The Flair Story – Dust My Rhythm & Blues
10	Muddy Waters	Down South Blues	More Real Folk Blues
11	Smokey Hogg	Dirty Mistreater	The Mercury Blues Story (1945-1955) – Southwest Blues, Vol. 2
12	B.B. King	Every Day I Have the Blues	Pure R&B: Vol. 3- Let the Good Times Roll [Disc 1]
13	Amos Milburn	Hard Driving Blues	Eat to The Beat: The Dirtiest of Them Dirty Blues
14	T-Bone Walker	It's a Lowdown Dirty Deal	The Very Best of T-Bone Walker [Koch]
15	Piano Red – Dr. Feelgood	Don't Tell Me No Dirty	The Doctor's in – Disc 4
16	J.B. Lenoir	Low Down Dirty Shame	Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: J.B. Lenoir
17	Lonnie Johnson	The Dirty Dozen	Lonnie Johnson: Complete Recorded Works, Vol. 6 (1930-31)
18	Victoria Spivey	From 1 to 12 (Dirty Dozen)	The Victoria Spivey Collection 1926-1937
19	Little Milton	I Play Dirty	Living The Blues: The 70's Blues Classics
20	Jimmy Reed	Down The Road	You Dont Have To Go (The Blues Collection Vol.18)
21	Bobby Bland	Driftin' Blues	The Best Of Bobby Bland
22	Jimmy Witherspoon	Bar Fly Blues	Raw Blues
23	Wynonie Harris	Hard Luck Blues	Battle of the Blues – Volume 2
24	John Lee Hooker	Blues Before Sunrise	Don't Look Back
25	The Leap Frogs	Dirty Britches	No Jive: Authentic Southern Country Blues
26	George Harmonica Smith/Long Gone Miles	Low Down Dirty Shame [#]	Juke Joint Blues 1950's-1960's
27	Rory Block	Low Down Dirty Dog Blues	Blues Walkin' Like a Man: A Tribute To Son House
28	Amina Claudine Myers	Dirty No-Gooder's Blues	Oxford American 11th Edition Southern Music CD [Disc 2, "Arkansas Masters"]
29	Dinah Washington	Big Long Slidin' Thing	Eat to The Beat: The Dirtiest of Them Dirty Blues
30	Julia Lee & Her Boy Friends	Don't Come Too Soon	Eat to The Beat: The Dirtiest of Them Dirty Blues
31	Buddy Guy	First Time I Met the Blues	Chess Blues Disc 4
32	Geeshie Wiley	Last Kind Words Blues	Before The Blues: Early American Black Music Scene (Vol. 2)
33	Dave Bartholomew & His Orchestra	My Ding-A-Ling	Eat to The Beat: The Dirtiest of Them Dirty Blues

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]

A Century of America's Music