While the lyrics and music of Robert Hunter took the Grateful Dead into remarkable directions, codifying their place among the bands of the latter half of the 20^th century, by the time they reached their peak their roots were already firmly established. Their early music was clearly anchored in the sounds of tradition, reaching from the Appalachians to the Texas Gulf Coast. We’ll hear early (and contemporary) performances that inspired the band with songs of Blind Willie Johnson, Red Allen, The Mississippi Sheiks, Henry Thomas and Obray Ramsey. The landscape we’ll traverse includes blues, gospel, hillbilly, and folk…no Dead music, only music that served to inspire. This week on Sonoma County Community radio.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Buy
1	David Grisman/Jerry Garcia	Been All Around This World	Been All Around This World
2	Dave Van Ronk	Hang Me, Oh Hang Me	Dave Van Ronk
3	Obray Ramsey	Rain And Snow	Best Of The Troubadours
4	Vince Martin & Fred Neil	I Know You Rider	Tear Down The Walls/Bleecker & MacDougal
5	Henry Thomas	Dont Ease Me In	Ragtime Texas Complete Recorded Works 1927-29
6	The Memphis Jug Band	On The Road Again	Times Ain't Like They Used To Be – Volume 1
7	The Memphis Jug Band	Stealin' Stealin'	Memphis Jug Band Vol. 2 (1928-1929)
8	Cannon's Jug Stompers	Viola Lee Blues	First Time I Met the Blues (When the Sun Goes Down series)
9	Hammie Nixon	Viola Lee Blues	Living Country Blues: An Anthology Disc 3
10	The Monroe Brothers	Rosa Lee McFall	Early Blue Grass Music
11	Prairie Ramblers	Deep Elem Blues	White Country Blues (1926-1938)
12	Mississippi Sheiks	Sittin' On Top of the World	Columbia Records' 125th Anniv.
13	Roscoe Holcomb	Sittin' On Top of the World	Classic Piedmont Blues from Smithsonian Folkways
14	Dillard Chandler	Rain and Snow	Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways
15	The Chieftains	Rain And Snow	Down The Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessions
16	Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers	Minglewood Blues	Bob Dylan Presents: Cover to Cover – The Originals
17	Jim Kweskin, Geoff Muldaur, et. al.	New Minglewood Blues	Jug Band Extravaganza
18	Blind Willie Johnson	Nobody's Fault But Mine	Various Artists: Bob Dylan – Cover To Cover – The Originals VOL. 2 [Disc 3]
19	Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Nobody's Fault But Mine	The Great Gospel Women
20	Rev. Pearly Brown	Nobody's Fault But Mine	You're Gonna Need That Pure Religion
21	Lightnin' Hopkins	See That My Grave Is Kept Clean	The Real Blues Brothers Vol. 2
22	Lightnin' Hopkins	One Kind Favor	Jake Head Boogie
23	Memphis Slim	Next Time You See Me	The Greatest Hits Of
24	Bob Dylan	Jack-A-Roe	World Gone Wrong
25	Joan Baez	Jack-A-Roe	Rare, Live & Classic [Box] (3 of 3)
26	The Sunshine Boys	What's the Matter With Deep Elem	The Western Swing: Doughboys, Playboys, and Cowboys – Oakie Boogie [Disc 4]
27	Red Allen	Deep Elem Blues	The Folkways Years 1964 – 1983
28	The Light Crust Doughboys	Sittin' On Top Of The World	1936-1941
29	Dock Walsh	In The Pines	In The Pines – Tar Heel Folk Songs And Fiddle Tunes – Old-Time Music Of North Carolina 1926-1936
30	John Sebastian	Minglewood Blues	Chasin' Gus' Ghost