Swingin’ Out West

We’re going to take another journey through those dusty, neon-lit archives of Western swing, a genre that famously thumbed its nose at musical boundaries. While the “King” Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys rightly claim the throne, the true soul of the movement lives in the smaller, rowdier units that blurred the lines between Appalachian fiddling, big band jazz, and low-down blues. For our listeners, we’re looking past the “San Antonio Rose” to the grit of the lower Great Plains. We’ll be digging into the deep-cut recordings that highlight the genre’s technical audacity, exploring a sound that kept the dance halls jumping through the Depression proving that Western swing was always much more than just “hillbilly jazz”—it was a revolution you could dance to.

No.ArtistTitleAlbum
1Pee Wee KingBirmingham BounceRompin' Stompin' Singin' Swingin'
2Moon MullicanGrandpa Stole My BabyHillbilly Bop 'n' Boogie: King/Federal Roots of Rockabilly 1944 – 56
3Hank PennyWildcat MamaThe Western Swing: Doughboys Playboys and Cowboys – Oakie Boogie
4Bill HaleyRovin' EyesFrom Western Swing to R-O-C-K (1): Rocket 88
5The Hi-FlyersHi-Flyer StompWestern Swing: Hot Hillbilly Jazz & Blues – 1935-1947
6Milton Brown & His Musical BrowniesRight or WrongWestern Swing Chronicles Vol. 1: Milton Brown & His Musical Brownies
7Bob Wills & His Texas PlayboysNew San Antonio RoseThe King Of Western Swing-25 Hits 1935-1945
8Hank PennyYou Can't Pull The Wool Over My EyesStompin' Singers & Western Swingers ([Disc 4] Saturday Night Rag)
9Bob Wills & His Texas PlayboysSnatchin' and Grabbin'Boot Heel Drag: The MGM Years [Disc 2]
10Johnny Lee Wills And His BoysLet Me BeMore Ballroom Kings
11Tommy DuncanWho Drank The Beer (While I Was In The Rear)Swinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys: The West Coast Indies
12Skeets McDonaldScoot Git And BegoneSwinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys
13Sons Of The WestSally's Got A Wooden LegSteelin' It: The Steel Guitar Story
14Dickie McBride And The Villiage BoysTulsa TwistHillbilly Fever! Vol. 1: Legends Of Western Swing
15Roy HogsedCocaine BluesSwinging Hollywood Hillbilly Cowboys
16Johnny Lee WillsRag MopThe History Of Country & Western Music – Vol. 16
17Bill Haley with the SaddlemenDance with a Dolly (With a Hole in Her Stocking)From Western Swing to R-O-C-K (2): Rock the Joint
18Bill Boyd's Cowboy RamblersMama Don't Like No MusicSaturday Night Rag 1934-1936 Vol. 1
19Wade Ray with Noel BoggsIt's All Your FaultHeroes Of Country Music Vol 1: Legends Of Western Swing
20Speedy West & Jimmy BryantTwo Of A KindSwingin' On The Strings: The Speedy West & Jimmy Bryant Collection Volume 2
21Hal Lone Pine & His MountaineersHoney Honey MineMore Ballroom Kings
22Spade Cooley & His Orchestra feat. Tex WilliamsDetourThat's What I Like About The West
23Spade Cooley & the Western Swing Dance Gang Feat. Tex WilliamsOne Sweet Letter From YouShame On You
24Hank Penny & Jaye P. MorganYou Played On My PianoCrossroads In Cowtown
25Texas Jim Robertson & His Panhandle PunchersJaw Jaw Yap Yap YapMore Ballroom Kings
26Tex AtchinsonYou Don't Do Right By Me AnymoreKings Of Western Swing Vol. 2
27Moon MullicanBottom Of The GlassThe Very Best Of
28Billy Jack Wills & His Western Swing BandTroubles (Those Lonesome Kind)Hillbilly Fever! Vol. 1: Legends Of Western Swing
29Les PaulSan Antonio RoseSwing West – vol 2 – Guitar Slingers
30Asleep at the WheelIda RedA Tribute To The Music Of Bob Wills (Dance Versions)
31Asleep at the WheelMy Baby Thinks She's a TrainBack to the Future Now Live at Arizona Charlie's Las Vegas
32Buddy Emmons; Ray Pennington; Swing Shift BandI Built a WallSwingin' by Request
33Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite BoysMusic To Her EarsSwingin' West
34Kevin RussellMilk Cow BluesCountry Swing
35Freddy FenderPlease Mr. SandmanVoices of America

Heavenly Day

It’s a free form morning as Dave once again digs out some favorites and some deep tracks from the last century of America’s music. He’ll be paying his respects to Doug Sahm’s keyboard master, Augie Meyers, while at the same time picking on some thematic tones, including that of heaven, an early century legend by the name of Lulu, early rhythm and western from 1950 as well as a collection of soul tracks that glistened in the winds from 1967. Tune in for The Ink Spots, Jimmy Newman, John Prine, The Castaleers and Fats Waller…a sampler from the past one hundred years. Free form mornings here on KOWS occur only once in a blue moon so you’ll want to be tuning in for more music discovery from all genre corners. You’re invited to come on up to the house where we’re ready, willing and waiting to entertain, putting the madness of a wannabe king behind you for a two-hour joyful jaunt where you’ll find three chords and the truth.

Women’s History Month

This week we celebrate Women’s History Month the way we know best — by following the music. For more than a century, women have shaped the sound of America’s story. They didn’t just sing the songs — they wrote them, bent them, electrified them, sanctified them, and sometimes had to fight just to be heard over them. From the tent shows and juke joints of the 1920s to arena stages and global spotlights, women have carried rhythm, blues, gospel, country, rock, pop — and the truth — on their shoulders. Tune in this coming Friday morning for a journey that begins at the foundation. Before rock and roll. Before crossover radio. When the blues was still carving its name into shellac and history. We’ll then make our way into the genres of jazz, country, rock, and gospel where women’ influenced the deeper roots of American music and you find their fingerprints everywhere — in the blues phrasing, in the gospel shout, in the country confession, in the pop hook, in the rock-and-roll roar.

No.ArtistTitleAlbumBuy
1Ma RaineyMa Rainey's Black BottomMa RaineyAmazon
2Keb' Mo' Featuring Rosanne CashPut A Woman In ChargePut A Woman In ChargeAmazon
3Bessie Smith & Louis ArmstrongSt. Louis BluesI Heard It On NPR: Shake These BluesAmazon
4Memphis MinnieMe And My Chauffeur BluesBill Wyman's Blues Odyssey [Disc 2]Amazon
5Ethel WatersHeat WaveEthel Waters 1929 -1939 (feat. Duke Ellington & Benny Goodman)Amazon
6Billie HolidayGod Bless The ChildLady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday On Columbia 1933-1944 [Disc 10]Amazon
7Ella FitzgeraldGoody, Goody75th Birthday Celebration [Disc 2]Amazon
8Dinah WashingtonWhat a Diff'rence a Day MakesThe Essential Dinah Washington: The Great SongsAmazon
9Jimmie GrierThe Object Of My Affection50 #1 Hits Of The '20s & '30sAmazon
10Ivie AndersonIt Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)An Introduction To Ivie AndersonAmazon
11Tommy Dorsey, The Pied Pipers, Jo StaffordEmbraceable YouI Got Rhythm: The Music of George GershwinAmazon
12Sister Rosetta TharpeRock MeOxford American 10th Anniversary Southern Music CD [Disc 2] "Past Masters" [2008]Amazon
13Mahalia JacksonMove On Up A Little Higher, Pt. 1Good News (Vol 3) Get Away JordanAmazon
14Nina SimoneSee Line WomenThe Ultimate Nina SimoneAmazon
15Betty CarterOpen the DoorAmerican BeautyAmazon
16Judy GarlandZing Went The Strings Of My HeartYour Hit Parade – 1943Amazon
17Sarah VaughanI Feel So SmoochieSeptember SongAmazon
18Kay StarrRock and Roll WaltzYour Hit Parade – 1956Amazon
19Peggy LeeSugar (That Sugar Baby O' Mine)The Capitol Collector's SeriesAmazon
20Katie ShoreYou're From TexasIt's All Her Fault: A Tribute To Cindy WalkerAmazon
21Mother Maybelle CarterKeep on the Sunny SideAsh Grove (Live April 20, 1963)Amazon
22Patsy ClineWhy Can't He Be YouThe Patsy Cline CollectionAmazon
23Kitty WellsIt Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk AngelsAmerican Roots Music (Disc One-Country)Amazon
24Dolly PartonJoleneCountry Music: A Film By Ken Burns – The Soundtrack [Disc 2]Amazon
25Loretta LynnShe's Got YouClassic Country 1975-1979 [Disc 2]Amazon
26Wanda JacksonFunnel Of LoveQueen Of RockabillyAmazon
27Etta JamesCome What MayThe Complete Modern & Kent Recordings 1Amazon
28Aretha FranklinThink30 Greatest Hits [Disc 1]Amazon
29Ruth BrownMama, He Treats Your Daughter MeanRuth Brown: The Definitive Soul Collection [[Disc 1]]Amazon
30The CrystalsDa Doo Ron RonThe Best Of The CrystalsAmazon
31LaVern BakerJim Dandy (Japan 2012 Remaster)Atlantic Rock & RollAmazon
32Carole KingI Feel the Earth MoveA Natural Woman: The Ode Collection (1968-1976) (1 of 2)Amazon
33Joni MitchellChelsea MorningHitsAmazon
34Joan BaezFarewell, AngelinaBaez Sings DylanAmazon
35Emmylou HarrisIf I Could Only Win Your LoveFifty Years Of Hits – Vol 5Amazon

The Hijacked Jukebox

Join Dave Stroud for a look at a fascinating, if somewhat cringey, slice of music history, where white cover versions of black R&B nuggets were whitewashed across the pop charts in the 1950s. While the ‘cover version’ was a standard industry practice, so were the ‘sanitized’ versions of R&B hits by black artists that made them more ‘palatable’ for white radio audiences, spotlighting white artists while the original creators stayed in the shadows. It’s certainly something that could be the topic of numerous Deeper Roots episodes but we’ll limit our scope to a two hour exploration, measuring the original against the cover. On one side of the house we’ll hear from Fats Domino (a popular source for the practic), Big Joe Turner, The Moonglows and a handful of others. The other side of the house has the names of Pat Boone, Art Mooney, The Fontane Sisters and others among the dubious roster ‘favorites’. Radio and media helped to democratize the landscape but today’s parallels with the frothing ‘look over thereness’ of right wing hate is unmistakable and hard to ignore. It was George Santayana who observed that “those who do not learn from history, are bound to repeat it.“

No.ArtistTitleAlbumBuy
1The Fontane SistersHearts Of StoneVintage Music " Vols 3 & 4Amazon
2The JewelsHearts of StoneDoo Wop Box Disc 1Amazon
3The Fontane SistersRock LoveThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
4Lula ReedRock LoveRhythm & Western Volume 4 – I Hang My Head and CryAmazon
5Eileen BartonFujiyama MamaThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
6Annisteen AllenFujiyama MamaFrom the GhettoAmazon
7The Crew CutsSh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream)Magic Moments: Best Of 50's Pop (Disc 2)Amazon
8The ChordsSh-BoomGlory Days Of Rock 'N' Roll: Doo-Wop [Disc 1]Amazon
9The McGuire SistersSincerelyMagic Moments: Best Of 50's Pop (Disc 2)Amazon
10The MoonglowsSincerelyPure R&B: Vol. 1- Got My Mojo Workin [Disc 2]Amazon
11The Crew CutsDon't Be AngryHigh School FavoritesAmazon
12Nappy BrownDon't Be Angry [1955 Version]Down In The Alley – The Complete Savoy Singles A's & B'sAmazon
13The Fontane SistersPlease Don't Leave MeThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.3Amazon
14Fats DominoPlease Don't Leave MeRock And RollinAmazon
15Pat BooneThe Fat ManThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
16Fats DominoThe Fat ManMartin Scorsese Presents The Blues: Piano Blues – A Film By Clint EastwoodAmazon
17Pat BooneLong Tall SallyThe London American Story Disc 1Amazon
18Little RichardLong Tall SallySpecialty Profiles: Larry WilliamsAmazon
19Art MooneyTutti FruttiThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
20Little RichardTutti FruttiLoud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of the '50s [Box] Disc 3Amazon
21Johnnie RayFlip Flop And FlyThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
22Big Joe TurnerFlip Flop And FlyBig Joe Turner: The Definitive Blues Collection [[Disc 2]]Amazon
23Bill Haley & His CometsShake, Rattle and RollFrom The Original Master TapesAmazon
24Big Joe TurnerShake, Rattle & RollLoud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of the '50s [Box] Disc 1Amazon
25Teresa BrewerTweedle DeeThe Best Of Teresa BrewerAmazon
26LaVern BakerTweedlee DeePure R&B: Vol. 5- Pioneers [Disc 2]Amazon
27Gale StormWhy Do Fools Fall in LoveThe London American Story Disc 1Amazon
28Frankie Lymon & The TeenagersWhy Do Fools Fall in LoveGems from the Columbia Vaults, Pt. 1Amazon
29Georgia GibbsDance With Me HenryGeorgia Gibbs Greatest HitsAmazon
30Etta JamesThe WallflowerThe Best of Etta James [EMI-Capitol Special Markets]Amazon
31Jean DinningBo DiddleyThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
32Bo DiddleyBo DiddleyPure R&B: Vol. 2- Somethings Got a Hold on Me [Disc 2]Amazon
33The HilltoppersTeardrops From My EyesThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
34Ruth BrownTeardrops From My EyesRuth Brown: The Definitive Soul Collection [[Disc 1]]Amazon
35Jaye P MorganBaby Don't Do ItThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.3Amazon
36The 5 RoyalesBaby Don't Do ItThe Complete Singles 1952-1962Amazon
37Perry ComoKo Ko MoThey Tried To Rock – The Popsters Vol.4Amazon
38The FlamingosKo Ko MoThe Best Of The FlamingosAmazon
39Ricky NelsonI'm Walkin'Legacy [Disc 1]Amazon