Category Archives: American Popular

Summer’s Last Stand

September 5, 2026 Dave Leave a comment

Labor Day weekend may mark the unofficial end of summer, but around here, summer isn’t going quietly. In this week’s show, we’re giving the season one last fling with a free-form romp through songs of summer nights, summer rain, summer romance, warm breezes and those memories that seem to linger long after the days begin getting shorter. And, as is the common theme, we’ll be traveling all over the musical map. There’s the timeless “Summertime” alongside the cool breeze of Sinatra, some summer soul from Stevie Wonder and War, and plenty of pop memories from Johnny Rivers, Rick Nelson and the Beach Boys. We’ll also wander off the beaten path for some country, rockabilly and Americana from Roger Miller, Dale Hawkins, and the Desert Rose Band. There are lazy nights, lost loves, blackberry summers and even a few reminders that summer isn’t always sunshine and good times. So before we put away the lawn chairs and start thinking about autumn, we’re squeezing every last drop out of the season. Join us for Summer’s Last Stand, Friday morning at 9 Pacific on Deeper Roots—two hours of American music from across the decades, right here on KOWS Community Radio.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	Sam Cooke	Summertime Pt. 1	The Man Who Invented Soul [Box Set] (1 of 4)	0	00:00
2	The Percy Faith Orchestra	Theme From A Summer Place	Lifetime Of Romance: Secret Rendezvous [Disc 1]	1959	04:41
3	Nick Perito	The Green Leaves Of Summer (Album Version)	Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds Motion Picture Soundtrack	1960	06:56
4	The Brothers Four	The Green Leaves Of Summer [Remastered 2017]	Greatest Hits	1960	08:43
5	Desert Rose Band	Summer Wind	A Dozen Roses (Greatest Hits)	1992	11:33
6	Michael Martin Murphey	Summer Ranges	Cowboy Songs Four	1998	14:52
7	Johnny Rivers	Summer Rain	Johnny Rivers Greatest Hits	2007	18:21
8	Stan Kenton	The Things We Did Last Summer	The Ballad Style Of Stan Kenton	1958	27:25
9	Ricky Nelson	That Warm Summer Night	Rick Is 21	2001	30:40
10	The Melodears	Summer Romance	From The Vaults of Gone Vol. 2	0	32:47
11	Joanie Sommers	(Theme From) A Summer Place	Another Banana Split Please	1962	35:01
12	Stevie Wonder	Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer	Greatest Hits Vol. 2	1971	37:15
13	Debbie Reynolds	Summer Romance	Good Old Summertime	1960	46:06
14	The Four Preps	Lazy Summer Night	Dancin' & Romancin' In The '50s And 60s [Disc 3]	0	48:15
15	Jerry Keller	Here Comes Summer	Another Banana Split Please	1959	50:24
16	Dale Hawkins	Summertime Down South	Wildcat Tamer	1999	52:33
17	Dale Ann Bradley	Blackberry Summer	Dale Ann Bradley	2017	55:43
18	The Band of Heathens	Single In The Same Summer	Simple Things	2023	59:19
19	Frank Sinatra	Summer Wind	Fly Me To The Moon	1966	1:09:12
20	Walter Wanderley	Summer Samba	Instrumental Favorites- Latin Rhythms	1966	1:12:04
21	Dakota Staton	Summertime	The Late Late Show	1957	1:15:07
22	Nat King Cole	That Sunday That Summer	30 Greatest Hits Disc 1	0	1:17:12
23	Seals & Crofts	Summer Breeze	AM Gold 1972	1972	1:22:57
24	Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta	Summer Nights	Grease	1978	1:26:16
25	Foggy Otis	Summertime Summertime	When life hands you lemons play the ukulele. (Deluxe Edition)	2026	1:29:50
26	Myron Lee & The Caddies	Magic In A Summer Night	Destination Summer Sea Cruise: 33 Ocean Steamers For Your Vacation	1959	1:33:56
27	Roger Miller	In The Summertime (You Don't Want My Love)	Super Hits	1960	1:35:37
28	Stray Cats	Lonely Summer Nights	Runaway Boys: A Retrospective '81-'92	1981	1:37:22
29	The Beach Boys	Summer Means New Love	Today! / Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)	1965	1:40:36
30	Googie Ren‚	Swingin' Summer Love	Summer Days And Summer Nights – 31 Beach Pearls	1958	1:42:32
31	War	Summer	The Best of War and More	1991	1:44:36
32	Lou Rawls	Summer Wind	Rawls Sings Sinatra	2003	1:52:56
33	The Sandals	Theme From Endless Summer	Cowabunga	0	1:55:38

Blues, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Early Pop, Playlists, Theme Time

1925 Songs

September 4, 2026 Dave Leave a comment

What did America sound like in 1925? Join us for a special episode of Deeper Roots as Dave welcomes Josh Rosenthal, founder of Tompkins Square Records, into the studio for an extraordinary musical deep dive. Josh takes us inside the newly minted anthology, Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present…1925 Songs. This 32-track collection spotlights a pivotal, watershed year in American music history—the moment electrical recording began replacing acoustic horns, allowing the vibrant, raw sounds of early jazz, country blues, and hillbilly music to reach a coast-to-coast audience for the very first time. Deeper Roots may be about a century of America’s music… but this week, we’re taking you back a century plus one! Don’t miss it.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	Dora Carr	Cow Cow Blues	Roots 'N' Blues/The Retrospective 1925-1950	1925	00:00
2	Wheat Street Female Quartet	Go Down Moses	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	16:31
3	Rosa Lee Carson	The Drinker's Child	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	19:17
4	Bascom Lamar Lunsford	Sherman Valley	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	44:11
5	Tweedy Brothers	Cripple Creek	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	46:47
6	Clifford's Louisville Jug Band	Struttin' The Blues	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	1:00:42
7	Dr. James Roach	Gue Gue Solingae	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	1:18:24
8	Brownlee's Orchestra of New Orleans	Peculiar	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	1:21:25
9	Papa Charlie Jackson	Drop That Sack	Papa Charlie Done Sung That Song – [Disc 2]	1925	1:26:18
10	Ma Rainey	Chain Gang Blues	Ma Rainey	1925	1:29:38
11	Blind Lemon Jefferson	All I Want Is That Pure Religion	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	1:32:49
12	Bennie Moten's Kansas Cityÿ Orchestra	Kater Street Rag	The Real Kansas City Of The '20s '30s & '40s	1925	1:35:58
13	Butterbeans & Susie	Brown Skin Gal	Butterbeans & Susie Vol. 1-(1924-25)	1925	1:38:29
14	Cliff Edwards	Paddlin' Madelaine Home	Fascinating Rhythm 1922-1935	1925	1:41:38
15	Ida Cox	Coffin Blues	The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records Volume 1 (1917-1927)	1925	1:49:16
16	Seminole Syncopators	Sailing on Lake Pontchartrain	Dick Spottswood & Tompkins Square Present 1925 Songs	1925	1:52:30
17	Kelly Harrell	The Wreck On The Southern Old 97	Lonesome Whistle	1925	1:55:23

Deeper Roots on KOWS, Early Rock, Jazz, Oldies, Rhythm and Blues, Urban Blues

Heartland R&B

June 28, 2026 Dave Leave a comment

We revisit a show from ten years back that focused on R&B, sax, and a time before rock ‘n’ roll shook the world. A time of honkers and shouters. This week on Deeper Roots, we dig into the wild, joyful, and groundbreaking world of mid-century rhythm and blues through the lens of Arnold Shaw’s classic book Honkers and Shouters: The Golden Years of Rhythm and Blues. From the jump bands and saxophone blowouts to the gospel-fueled vocalists and hard-driving dance records that packed juke joints and ballrooms, we’ll explore the artists, producers, and cultural forces that gave birth to modern popular music. Join us for two hours of the sounds and stories that laid the foundation for rock ‘n’ roll and changed American music forever. We’ve got a wild one in store for you, one that we first tackled a decade ago here on Deeper Roots.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	Ivory Joe Hunter	I Got Your Water On	The Chronological Ivory Joe Hunter : 1947 – 1950	1949	00:00
2	Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra	Harlem Shout	Swingsation: Jimmie Lunceford	1998	05:56
3	Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra	Intro 1	Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions [Disc 3]	1945	08:47
4	Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra	Three Bones	Big Band Jazz Jubilee Sessions [Disc 3]	1945	10:01
5	Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Shout Sister Shout	Shout Sister Shout [[Disc 1]] The Original Soul Sister	1941	19:00
6	Lucky Millinder; Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Trouble in Mind	The Gospel of Blues	2003	21:40
7	Lucky Millinder; Sister Rosetta Tharpe	I Want a Tall Skinny Papa	The Gospel of Blues	2003	24:05
8	Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra w/Myra Johnson	Silent George	Risque Rhythm: Nasty 50s R&B	1950	26:54
9	Wynonie Harris; Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra	Teardrops From My Eyes	All She Wants To Do Is Rock	1950	29:29
10	Wynonie Harris	Hard Ridin? Mama	Playful Baby	1947	37:12
11	Wynonie Harris	I Don't Know Where to Go	Women Whiskey & Fish Tails	0	39:42
12	Eddie Durham	Swingin' the Blues	King Cole Trio: Legendary 1941-44 Broadcast Transcriptions (The)	2011	41:57
13	Count Basie	Topsy	Ken Burns Jazz: Count Basie	1937	43:57
14	Count Basie	Swingin' The Blues	Ken Burns Jazz: Count Basie	1938	47:07
15	Joe Liggins	Daddy on My Mind	Joe Liggins 1948-1950	1950	53:54
16	Joe Liggins	Rag Mop	The Chronological Joe Liggins 1948 – 1950	1950	56:35
17	Bull Moose Jackson	Shorty's Got To Go	Bad Man Jackson	1946	59:56
18	Bull Moose Jackson	If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')	Badman Jackson Thats Me	1955	1:02:35
19	Bull Moose Jackson	Why Don't You Haul Off and Love Me	Badman Jackson Thats Me	1949	1:04:57
20	Big Jay McNeely & His Blue Jays	Deacon's Hop	Jump Jive & Swing	1948	1:13:30
21	Big Jay McNeely	All That Wine Is Gone	Jumpin' Like Mad: Cool Cats & Hip Chicks Non-Stop Dancin' [Disc 1]	1951	1:16:16
22	Big Mcneely Jay	Willie And The Cool Cat	Swing-O-Rama : Beautiful Babies	1949	1:19:08
23	The Swallows	It Ain't the Meat	Rhythm 'N' Blues: Early Doo Wop 1943-55 vol. 2	2005	1:21:50
24	Tiny Bradshaw	The Train Kept A-Rollin'	Sentimental Journey	1951	1:26:26
25	Tiny Bradshaw	Intro 2	Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions	1944	1:29:08
26	Tiny Bradshaw	It's Sand Man	Big Band Jazz: The Jubilee Sessions	1944	1:29:26
27	Freddie Slack & His Orchestra w; T-Bone Walker	Rifette	R&B Jukebox Hits 1943	1943	1:32:05
28	Freddie Slack With The Will Bradley Trio	Down The Road A Piece	Juke Joint Jump: A Boogie Woogie Celebration	1940	1:35:05
29	Ivory Joe Hunter	Stop Rockin' That Train	The Chronological Ivory Joe Hunter : 1947 – 1950	1947	1:38:09
30	Earl Bostic	Flamingo	Artist's Choice: Rolling Stones	1946	1:40:52
31	Earl Bostic	Always	The E.P. Collection	1999	1:43:31
32	Big Joe Turner	Sun Risin' Blues	Big Bad & Blue: Anthology [Disc 1]	1940	1:46:26
33	The Cab Calloway Orchestra	Cab Calloway Introducing Illinois Jacquet	Carnegie Hall 7/6/1973	1973	1:54:40
34	The Cab Calloway Orchestra w; Illinois Jacqauet	Jumpin' Jacquet	Carnegie Hall 7/6/1973	1973	1:54:58

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

Let’s Do It!

June 13, 2026 Dave

This week on Deeper Roots, the records come with instructions. From dance crazes and rhythm commands to songs about not knowing what comes next, we’re asking — and answering — ‘Let’s Do It!.’ Two hours of blues, rock ’n’ roll, soul, and jukebox rhythm from the past century, all with a demand that we get our booties moving or our bodies boogie’n. From Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King to The Dovells, Chubby Checker and Rosco Gordon, we’re digging deep with some classic blues and rare soul. But we’ve also got some rockin’, stompin’, rompin’, swingin’ to do with dances like the swim, the twist, the slop, and the boomerang…and we’ve even got Bobby Dunn pleading that we “Do The Bobby Dunn”. Nothing’s off limits and it’s nothing but fun on this week’s show as we explore something thematic that we’re excited to share with you. Whether it’s a party you’re hosting or you’re just out there in the yard prepping for the coming summer, turn it up. That’s right…do it!

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	The Four Blazes	Do The Do	Mary Jo	1954	00:00
2	Howlin' Wolf	Do The Do	Muddy & The Wolf	1969	05:13
3	Mabel Franklin	Let's Do The Wiggle	Stompin' 2	1965	07:22
4	Lightnin' Hopkins	Do The Boogie	Lightnin' Sam Hopkins	1962	09:37
5	B.B. King	Let's Do the Boogie	Do the Boogie! B.B. King's Early '50s Classics	1994	14:00
6	Rufus Thomas	Can Your Monkey Do the Dog	The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (3 of 9)	1964	16:23
7	Rufus Thomas	(Do the) Push and Pull (Part 1)	Stax Number Ones	2010	18:44
8	Junior Walker & The All Stars	Do The Boomerang	The Ultimate Collection	1965	27:55
9	Sugar Pie DeSanto	Do The Whoopie	Brunswick Lost Soul – Volume 1	1967	30:13
10	Sugar Sweet	Do the Dive	Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll Vol 2 [Disc 12]	1963	32:36
11	Dee Dee Sharp	Do The Bird	Girls Of Rock & Roll	0	34:56
12	Bobby Dunn	Do The Bobby Dunn	Rare Soul: Groove & Grind 1963-1973 [Disc 4]	2015	37:08
13	The Olympics	Baby Do The Philly Dog	Northern Soul Originals	1999	40:15
14	Jackie Lee	Do The Temptation Walk	All Nighter Hits	0	47:19
15	Dave Baby Cortez	Do the Slop	Happy Organs Wild Guitars	1994	49:46
16	Little Joe Cook	Let's Do the Slop	Peanuts and Other Delicacies: The Little Joe Cook Story (1951-1962)	1956	52:58
17	March Wind	Do The Sweetback	Stax 50th Anniversary Collection [Disc 3]	1994	55:21
18	The Matta Baby	Do the Pearl Girl (Part 2)	All Night Long: Northern Soul Floor Fillers	2016	58:34
19	The 5 Royales	Do the Cha Cha Cherry	The Complete Singles 1952-1962	1958	1:05:58
20	The Hilltoppers	Do The Bop	Chills & Fever: The Dot Records Story 1955-1962	1955	1:08:10
21	Isaac Clark	Do The Dog Funk	Rare Soul: Groove & Grind 1963-1973 [Disc 4]	2015	1:10:16
22	Rosco Gordon	Do The Chicken (Dance With You)	Rockin' Memphis [Disc 1]	1956	1:13:14
23	The Isley Brothers	Do The Twist [Remastered 1991]	Complete United Artists Sessions	1963	1:15:45
24	The Staple Singers	Do The Cissy [Stingers]	The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2: 1968-1971 [Disc 2]	1969	1:18:27
25	The Meters	Do The Dirt	Cabbage Alley	1972	1:21:12
26	Bill Doggett	Lets Do The Continetal	New Discgems From Warner Brothers	1961	1:27:21
27	The Dovells	Do the New Continental	Cameo Parkway 1957-1967 Disc 2	2005	1:30:00
28	Fox Hall	Do The Rock And Roll	Sugar Jump	2019	1:32:36
29	Johnny Thunder	Everybody Do The Sloopy	The Very Best Of Johnny Thunder	1965	1:35:11
30	Bobby Freeman	(I Do The) Shimmy Shimmy	American Music Library: The Hits Of 1960	1960	1:37:49
31	Gary U.S. Bonds	Do The Bumpsie	Gary U.S Bonds – 30 Original Greatest Hits	1965	1:40:19
32	Chubby Checker	Do The Freddy	Classic Rock 1965	1965	1:42:43
33	Little Bobby Moore	Do The Ginger Snap	The King Records Story Part2	1962	1:44:56
34	Randy & the Rockets	Lets Do the Cajun Twist	Swamp Gold Volume 1	1991	1:47:33
35	Dee Dee Sharp	Mashed Potato Time	Rare Soul: Groove & Grind 1963-1973 [Disc 4]	1967	1:54:15
36	Chubby Checker	Let's Twist Again	Oldies But Goodies	2022	1:56:44

Americana, Country, Deeper Roots on KOWS, Early Rock, Oldies, Rockabilly

Rockabilly Shakin’ Goin’ On

May 22, 2026 Dave

Roll down the windows and put that pedal to the metal because we’ve got two hours of wild rhythms and deep cuts this coming Friday. We’ll be digging into those slap-back echo, train-beat rhythms and wild-eyed energy of rockabilly music — that explosive blend of country, blues, boogie and early rock ’n’ roll that rattled America in the 1950s and helped redraw the cultural map for a generation of teenagers looking for something loud, fast and a little dangerous. Now sure, everybody knows the giants — Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis — but tonight’s show leans into the side roads and back highways of rockabilly history. Alongside a few familiar names, we’ll spend two hours with the obscure cats, regional stars, one-hit wonders and forgotten firebrands producing some of the wildest sounds ever pressed onto vinyl. From Sonny Fisher and Ronnie Self to Roy Duke, Sonny Burgess, Johnny Garner and Laura Lee Perkins, this is the sound of American youth culture before it was polished, corporate or safe.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	Louie Innis	Sing Your Song Baby	Hillbilly Bop 'n' Boogie: King/Federal Roots of Rockabilly 1944 – 56	2002	00:10
2	Tex Williams	Let's Go Rockabilly	The Hillbillies – They Tried to Rock Vol.2	1957	05:28
3	Johnny Garner	DidiDidi	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1958	07:30
4	Lew Williams	Cat Walk	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1956	09:32
5	Gene Vincent	Cat Man	Bluejean Bop-And His Blue Caps	0	11:40
6	Sonny Fisher	Pink And Black	Classic Rockabilly-Cool Cats & Hot Chicks	1956	13:56
7	Ronnie Self	Rocky Road Blues	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	15:53
8	Ronnie Dawson	Action Packed	Rockin' Bones: The Legendary Masters [Disc 1]	0	24:29
9	The Strikes	If You Can't Rock Me	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1957	26:36
10	Bob Luman	Make Up Your Mind	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1957	29:03
11	Dave Rich	Red Sweater	Grady Martin	1957	31:29
12	Laura Lee Perkins	I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Lovin'	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1958	33:40
13	Dave Rich	Burn On Love Fire	Country & Western Nuggets	1958	35:27
14	Sid King & The Five Strings	Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	37:15
15	Wanda Jackson	Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On	Queen Of Rockabilly	1964	45:25
16	Ricky Nelson	Stood Up	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1957	48:05
17	Johnny Burnette Rock n Roll Trio	Please Don't Leave Me	Tear It Up	1956	49:53
18	Roy Duke	Behave Be Quiet Or Be Gone	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	52:05
19	The Collins Kids	I'm In My Teens	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	54:05
20	Billy & Don Hart	Rock-A-Bop-A-Lina	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	56:20
21	Johnny Horton	I'm Coming Home	American Originals	1956	1:02:45
22	Johnny Horton	Honky Tonk Mind (The Woman I Need)	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	1:04:48
23	Jerry Lee Lewis	Real Wild Child (Wild One)	A Half Century Of Hits [Disc 1]	1958	1:06:58
24	Warren Smith	Got Love If You Want It	The Best of Sun Rockabilly Vol. 2	1958	1:08:49
25	Sonny Burgess	Itchy	The Best of Sun Rockabilly Vol. 2	1999	1:10:53
26	Johnny Cash	Rockabilly Blues (Texas 1955)	The Essential Johnny Cash 1955-1983 Disc 3	1992	1:13:09
27	Johnny Burnette Rock n Roll Trio	Honey Hush	Tear It Up	1956	1:16:26
28	Carl Perkins	Hambone	Grady Martin	1962	1:22:33
29	Carl Perkins	Where The Rio De Rosa Flows	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2010	1:24:51
30	Charlie Feathers	Matchbox	Good Rockin' Tonight	0	1:27:51
31	Tommy Blake	You Better Believe It	Sun Rockabilly Meltdown [Disc 2]	2009	1:30:20
32	Tommy Blake	You Better Believe It	Koolit: The Sun Years Plus	1958	1:32:05
33	Unknown Rockabilly Band	Zynnin'	Boppin' By The Bayou – Baby Dolls & Drive-Ins	0	1:34:36
34	Conway Twitty	I Vibrate (From My Head to My Feet)	The Rock 'N' Roll Years CD2	1997	1:36:03
35	Conway Twitty	Don't Cry No More	Grady Martin	1963	1:38:03
36	Mac Curtis	Grandaddy's Rockin'	Classic Rockabilly	1956	1:40:33
37	Skeets McDonald	You Oughta See Grandma Rock	Classic Rockabilly	1956	1:42:31
38	Gene Henslee	Rockin Baby	Essential Rockabilly The Imperial Story	1954	1:44:27
39	Johnny Burnette Rock n Roll Trio	Your Baby Blue Eyes	Tear It Up	1956	1:46:25
40	Joe Clay	Ducktail	Classic Rockabilly-Cool Cats & Hot Chicks	1956	1:53:26
41	Johnny Burnette	Do Baby Do	The Train Kept a-Rollin' Memphis to Hollywood – CD2	0	1:55:50
42	The Collins Kids	Whistle Bait	100 Rare '50s Rockabilly Tracks	2026	1:57:33

Burning Love Letters

May 16, 2026 Dave

From rocking celebrations to hard-earned reflections, this week’s episode of Deeper Roots turns its attention to the man they called “The King.” We’ve got two hours with songs about Elvis Presley — musical tributes, name-drops, eulogies, and love letters from artists across the past century. Some are playful, some reverent, and some wrestle with the contradictions that made Elvis both larger than life and painfully human. Together, they form a kind of American scrapbook around a figure who never really left the cultural conversation. From the wide-eyed devotion of artists like George Jones, Janis Martin, and Bobby Bare, to later songs reflecting on the strange and tragic arc that carried Elvis from hip-shaking revolutionary to Vegas spectacle, from the Nixon White House photo-op to a lonely and frightening decline, these recordings trace the many ways America mythologized him. Whether delivered as tribute, cautionary tale, obituary, or heartfelt fan letter, the songs on this morning’s show reveal just how deeply Elvis worked his way into the DNA of rock ’n’ roll mythology — and into the imagination of generations that followed.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	Elvis Presley	Elvis [Excerpt From Interview Held Sept.22 1958]	Elvis: A Legendary Performer Vol. 1	1958	00:00
2	Pat Smith	Elvis Elvis	Gals of the Big D Jamboree	1958	00:25
3	Billy Boyle	My Baby's Crazy 'Bout Elvis	The Greatest Novelty Songs	1962	05:31
4	Nervous Norvus	Elvis You're A G.I. Now	Stone Age Woo	1958	08:03
5	Bobby Bare	All American Boy	All American Boy – CD 1	1963	10:14
6	The Hunt Sisters	Elvis Is Rocking Again	Dirty Boogie:The Fortune Records Story	1960	13:09
7	Janis Martin	My Boy Elvis	Loud Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of the '50s [Box] Disc 1	1999	14:40
8	George Jones	The King Is Gone (So Are You)	One Woman Man	1989	23:33
9	Steve Goodman	Elvis Imitators	Artistic Hair	1983	26:47
10	Syd Straw & The Del Lords	Listening To Elvis	200 Cadillacs	2003	29:36
11	Horace Logan	Announcements (& Elvis Has Left the Building)	At the Louisiana Hayride Tonight (Disc 7)	2017	33:19
12	Gillian Welch	Elvis Presley Blues	Artist's Choice: Emmylou Harris	0	33:52
13	Dan Reeder	Clean Elvis	Oh Boy! A Sampler	0	43:56
14	Cris Cuddy	Dear Elvis	Dear Elvis	2015	46:31
15	Greg Brown	Jesus and Elvis	Poet Game	1994	49:49
16	John Stewart	I Want To Be Elvis	Havana	2003	53:17
17	Loudon Wainwright III	Happy Birthday Elvis	Career Moves	1993	56:39
18	Leon Russell	Elvis and Marilyn	Americana	1978	1:00:37
19	Sonny Burgess	Bigger Than Elvis	Sonny Burgess	1996	1:09:05
20	Stray Cats	Elvis on Velvet	Runaway Boys: A Retrospective '81-'92	1997	1:11:43
21	Mojo Nixon	Elvis Is Everywhere	Bo-Day-Shus!!!	1986	1:15:59
22	Derailers	I Love Me Some Elvis	Genuine	2003	1:20:50
23	Hayes Carll	Jesus and Elvis	What It Is	2019	1:27:07
24	The Tractors	The Elvis Thing	Farmers in a Changing World	1998	1:30:25
25	Alannah Myles	Black Velvet	The Atlantic Story [UK] Disc 2	0	1:35:42
26	Kacey Musgraves	Velvet Elvis	Golden Hour	2018	1:39:38
27	Marc Cohn	Walking in Memphis	VH1 Classic: The Cuts	2003	1:42:07
28	Paul Simon	Graceland	Graceland	1986	1:46:11
29	Cowboy Junkies	Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)	The Trinity Session	1988	1:54:27

Deeper Roots on KOWS, Early Rock, Jazz, Oldies, Rhythm and Blues, Rock, Theme Time, Urban Blues

Backbeat ’50

May 2, 2026 Dave

It’s a 1950 heatwave of rhythm and blues sounds this morning on Deeper Roots. We’ll move away from anything that might be polite or polished and turn our attention to the sweat-soaked, neon-lit world of rhythm and blues, a sound that was the early morning thunder and lightning just ahead of the dawn of rock ‘n roll. We’re focusing on the year 1950 where jump blues started to grow teeth — where the saxophones were honking, the backbeats hitting harder, and indie labels from Memphis to LA were capturing lightning in a bottle. From the smoky corners of the Delta to the high voltage clubs of the North, we’re digging deep into the crates for the some pounding rhythms from Dave Bartholomew, Julia Lee, Bull Moose Jackson, Jimmy McCracklin as well as Buddy and Ella Johnson…oh, and some Tiny Bradshaw’s Breaking Up The House. As Chuck Berry pointed out: “…it’s got a backbeat, you can’t lose it, any old time you use it”.

No.	Artist	Title	Album	Year	Start At
1	Sister Wynona Carr	Don't Miss That Train	Dragnet For Jesus	1950	00:00
2	Buddy & Ella Johnson	Walk the Chalk Line	Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll/Volume 2 [Disc 7]	1950	05:22
3	Ella Johnson	No More Love	Voodoo Voodoo: Feisty Fifties Females	1950	07:56
4	Jimmy McCracklin	Rockin? All Day (a/k/a Rockin? and Reelin?)	Electric Blues?Part 1: Beginnings 1939-1954	1950	10:56
5	Bull Moose Jackson	Big Fat Mamas Are Back In Style Again	Bull Moose Jackson 1947-1950	1950	13:34
6	Cleo Brown	Roll It Boogie	Boogie Woogie Gals – 1939-57	1950	15:54
7	Eunice Davis	Rock Little Daddy	Boogie Woogie Gals – 1939-57	1950	25:17
8	Austin McCoy	Happy Pay Day Part 1	More Mellow Cats & Kittens	1950	27:46
9	Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra w/Myra Johnson	Silent George	Risque Rhythm: Nasty 50s R&B	1950	30:56
10	Jewel King	3×7=21	Get Hot Sleazy Rhythm & Blues Vol. 3	1950	33:32
11	Jewel King	I Broke My Mother's Rule	Gettin' Funky [Disc 4]	1950	36:04
12	Julia Lee	Can't Get Enough Of That Stuff	Kansas City Star [Disc 5]	1950	38:17
13	Violet Hall	He's An Ivory Beating Baby (On The Baby Grand)	Boogie Woogie Gals – 1939-57	1950	41:16
14	Johnnie Brown	I'm Gonna Stop (Foolin' Around)	Jumpin' The Blues:MCA Label(ACE CD)	1950	48:49
15	Tiny Bradshaw	Breaking Up the House	Breaking Up the House [Disc 2]	1950	51:12
16	Tiny Bradshaw	Well Oh Well	Breaking Up the House [Disc 2]	1950	53:51
17	Wynonie Harris	I Want To Love You Baby	All She Wants To Do Is Rock	1950	56:29
18	Dave Bartholomew	Ain't Gonna Do It (Rest Of My Life)	Gettin' Funky [Disc 2]	1950	59:21
19	Connie Jordan	I'm Gonna Rock (Till My Rocker Breaks Down)	Jumpin' The Blues:MCA Label(ACE CD)	1950	1:07:07
20	Ruth Brown	I'll Wait For You	Miss Rhythm Greatest Hits And More Disc 1	1950	1:09:52
21	Ivory Joe Hunter	We're Going to Boogie	Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll Vol 2 [Disc 13]	1950	1:12:25
22	King Perry	Everything's Gonna Be Alright Tonight	Various Artists: Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll/Volume 2/[Disc 1]	1950	1:15:25
23	Gene Phillips	Women Women Women	Hot R&B and Cool Blues 1946-52	1950	1:17:46
24	Erline Harris	Jump And Shout	Get Hot Sleazy Rhythm & Blues Vol. 3	1950	1:20:35
25	Percy Mayfield	Strange Things Happening	Poet of the Blues	1950	1:25:26
26	The Robins	If It's So	The Dawn Of Doo-Wop Vol. 4: Doo-Wop Dancin'	1950	1:28:12
27	The Dominoes	Chicken Blues	The Dawn Of Doo-Wop Vol. 4: Doo-Wop Dancin'	1950	1:31:14
28	H-Bomb Ferguson	Rock H-Bomb Rock	Stompin' 14	1950	1:34:02
29	Roy Brown & His Mighty Mighty Men	Love Don't Love Nobody	Original Blues/Greatest Hits	1950	1:36:10
30	Little Esther & Mel Walker w; Johnny Otis Orchestra	Cupid's Boogie	Roots of Rock 'n' Roll – Rough and Rowdy Vol. 3	1950	1:38:51
31	The Ravens	My Baby's Gone	OKeh Rhythm & Blues	1950	1:41:24
32	The Three Riffs	Cherry In My Lemon And Lime	Hot Harmony Groups 1932-1951: Vol 1: That's the Rhythm	1950	1:44:09
33	Harry Van Walls	Tee-nah-nah	Atlantic Rhythm & Blues: 1947-1974 [Disc 1]	1950	1:46:34
34	Fats Domino	Hey La Bas Boogie	Gettin' Funky [Disc 3] – The Hitmakers	1950	1:53:53
35	Fats Domino	The Fat Man	Gettin' Funky [Disc 3] – The Hitmakers	1950	1:56:14

King Cole Covers

April 11, 2026 Dave

Nat King Cole’s transition from a respected jazz pianist to a mainstream icon was a perfect storm of technical brilliance, a groundbreaking vocal style, and a persona that radiated “suave sophistication.” While jazz purists sometimes lamented his move toward pop, it was his ability to blend jazz’s complexity with pop’s accessibility that made him a household name. He delivered hit after hit with a penchant for candidates (or entries from) the Great American Songbook. With this in mind, we’ll take this week’s show in an direction that honors the songs he became most famous for…from Bobby Troup’s Route 66 to Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life…covered by others including some rocking tributes, some ballads in the style of country and bluesy soul numbers from Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. We don’t stop there. Join Dave Stroud for another celebration from a hundred years of America’s music

No.	Artist	Title	Album
1	Tiny Bradshaw	Straighten Up and Fly Right	Breaking Up the House [Disc 1]
2	The Andrews Sisters	Straighten Up and Fly Right	Golden Age of the Andrews Sisters [Disc 1]
3	Oscar Brown Jr.	Straighten Up And Fly Right [Album Version]	Sin & Soul… And Then Some
4	Bobby Darin	Nature Boy	As Long As I'm Singing: The Bobby Darin Collection [Disc 2]
5	Aaron Neville	Nature Boy	Nature Boy: The Standards Album
6	Madeleine Peyroux	Smile	Half The Perfect World
7	Jimmy Durante	Smile	As Time Goes By: Best of
8	Chuck Berry	Route 66	Cars
9	Asleep at the Wheel	Route 66	The Best of Asleep at the Wheel
10	Wayne Newton	L-O-V-E	Wild Cool & Swingin'
11	Natalie Cole	L-O-V-E	Unforgettable: With Love
12	Charley Pride	Ramblin' Rose	20 Classics
13	Slim Whitman	Ramblin' Rose	All-Time Greatest Hits Vol 2
14	Raul Malo	Ramblin' Rose	Quarantunes
15	Brenda Lee	Pretend	This Is Brenda
16	Carl Mann	Pretend	The Forgotten 45s 1957-1959 (CD3)
17	Dinah Washington	Unforgettable	Jazz 'Round Midnight: Dinah Washington
18	Peggy Lee	Unforgettable	Peggy Lee – The Marvelous Miss Lee
19	Jimmy Wakely	Mona Lisa	The Collection 1940-53 CD2
20	Carl Mann	Mona Lisa	Where Rock Was Born
21	The Neville Brothers	Mona Lisa	Fiyo on the Bayou
22	Marvin Gaye	Too Young	Ballads
23	Frankie Laine	Too Young	I Hear Music
24	Linda Ronstadt	Lush Life	Round Midnight [Disc 2]
25	Sammy Davis Jr.	Lush Life	I've Gotta Be Me: The Best Of Sammy Davis Jr.
26	Little Joe Cook	I Love You for Sentimental Reasons	Peanuts and Other Delicacies: The Little Joe Cook Story (1951-1962)
27	Sam Cooke	(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons	Greatest Hits
28	Raul Malo	(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons	The Nashville Acoustic Sessions
29	Ray Noble	The Very Thought of You	Love Is the Sweetest Thing(Disc 2)
30	Nancy Wilson	The Very Thought Of You	Lady Sings The Blues [Disc 1]
31	Leon Redbone	Sweet Lorraine	Any Time
32	Frank Sinatra	Sweet Lorraine	Reprise Collection [Disc 4]
33	Nat King Cole	The Frim Fram Sauce	Jumpin' Like Mad: Cool Cats & Hip Chicks Non-Stop Dancin' [Disc 1]
34	Nat King Cole	Paradise	The Very Thought Of You

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

Berry Covers

April 3, 2026 Dave

This week’s episode finds the heart of rock ‘n roll; that recipe of a rhythm and blues with just the right pinch of just about everything else. Chuck Berry’s legacy stands as one of the most important stories in rock ‘n roll’s 75 or so years. His music, particularly in those early years, was covered ad nauseum but it was always done best in an artist’s own voice. Why? Because the music speaks for itself. We’ll share music from Sleepy Labeef to Nina Simone, Linda Ronstadt to Peter Gammons (!), and Conway Twitty to the late, great John Hammond. Covers include You Never Can Tell, Sweet Little Sixteen, Nadine, and No Money down with another dozen, all honoring the King (or is it the Prime Minister) of Rock ‘n Roll whose 100th birthday will be celebrated later this year.

No.	Artist	Title
1	Aaron Neville	You Never Can Tell
2	Peter Gammons	Carol
3	Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers	Around and Around (Live at the Fillmore 1997)
4	Nina Simone	Brown Eyed Handsome Man
5	Lyle Lovett	Brown Eyed Handsome Man
6	Elvis Presley	Maybelline
7	Marty Robbins	Maybelline
8	Hard Working Americans	School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)
9	Elvis Presley	Memphis Tennessee
10	George Benson	Memphis Tennessee
11	Angela Strehli	You Never Can Tell
12	Emmylou Harris	You Never Can Tell
13	George Thorogood & The Destroyers	No Particular Place To Go
14	Jerry Lee Lewis	Roll Over Beethoven
15	Sleepy Labeef	Roll Over Beethoven
16	Buck Owens	Johnny B. Goode
17	Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers	Johnny B. Goode (Live at the Fillmore 1997)
18	Arlen Roth	Sweet Little Sixteen
19	Jerry Lee Lewis; Ringo Starr	Sweet Little Sixteen
20	Ronnie Wood with his Wild Five	Rock 'n' Roll Music (featuring Imelda May)
21	Linda Ronstadt	Back In The U.S.A.
22	Reckless Kelly	Back In the USA
23	Kevin Russell	Nadine
24	John Hammond	Nadine
25	John Hammond	No Money Down
26	Duane Allman	No Money Down
27	Conway Twitty	Reelin' and Rockin'
28	Johnnie Allan	Promised Land
29	The Band	Promised Land
30	Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks	Thirty Days
31	Jeff Lynne	Let It Rock
32	Dion	Sweet Little Rock and Roller (Album)

Women’s History Month

March 14, 2026 Dave

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.	Artist	Title	Album
1	Ma Rainey	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	Ma Rainey
2	Keb' Mo' Featuring Rosanne Cash	Put A Woman In Charge	Put A Woman In Charge
3	Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong	St. Louis Blues	I Heard It On NPR: Shake These Blues
4	Memphis Minnie	Me And My Chauffeur Blues	Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey [Disc 2]
5	Ethel Waters	Heat Wave	Ethel Waters 1929 -1939 (feat. Duke Ellington & Benny Goodman)
6	Billie Holiday	God Bless The Child	Lady Day: The Complete Billie Holiday On Columbia 1933-1944 [Disc 10]
7	Ella Fitzgerald	Goody, Goody	75th Birthday Celebration [Disc 2]
8	Dinah Washington	What a Diff'rence a Day Makes	The Essential Dinah Washington: The Great Songs
9	Jimmie Grier	The Object Of My Affection	50 #1 Hits Of The '20s & '30s
10	Ivie Anderson	It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)	An Introduction To Ivie Anderson
11	Tommy Dorsey, The Pied Pipers, Jo Stafford	Embraceable You	I Got Rhythm: The Music of George Gershwin
12	Sister Rosetta Tharpe	Rock Me	Oxford American 10th Anniversary Southern Music CD [Disc 2] "Past Masters" [2008]
13	Mahalia Jackson	Move On Up A Little Higher, Pt. 1	Good News (Vol 3) Get Away Jordan
14	Nina Simone	See Line Women	The Ultimate Nina Simone
15	Betty Carter	Open the Door	American Beauty
16	Judy Garland	Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart	Your Hit Parade – 1943
17	Sarah Vaughan	I Feel So Smoochie	September Song
18	Kay Starr	Rock and Roll Waltz	Your Hit Parade – 1956
19	Peggy Lee	Sugar (That Sugar Baby O' Mine)	The Capitol Collector's Series
20	Katie Shore	You're From Texas	It's All Her Fault: A Tribute To Cindy Walker
21	Mother Maybelle Carter	Keep on the Sunny Side	Ash Grove (Live April 20, 1963)
22	Patsy Cline	Why Can't He Be You	The Patsy Cline Collection
23	Kitty Wells	It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels	American Roots Music (Disc One-Country)
24	Dolly Parton	Jolene	Country Music: A Film By Ken Burns – The Soundtrack [Disc 2]
25	Loretta Lynn	She's Got You	Classic Country 1975-1979 [Disc 2]
26	Wanda Jackson	Funnel Of Love	Queen Of Rockabilly
27	Etta James	Come What May	The Complete Modern & Kent Recordings 1
28	Aretha Franklin	Think	30 Greatest Hits [Disc 1]
29	Ruth Brown	Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean	Ruth Brown: The Definitive Soul Collection [[Disc 1]]
30	The Crystals	Da Doo Ron Ron	The Best Of The Crystals
31	LaVern Baker	Jim Dandy (Japan 2012 Remaster)	Atlantic Rock & Roll
32	Carole King	I Feel the Earth Move	A Natural Woman: The Ode Collection (1968-1976) (1 of 2)
33	Joni Mitchell	Chelsea Morning	Hits
34	Joan Baez	Farewell, Angelina	Baez Sings Dylan
35	Emmylou Harris	If I Could Only Win Your Love	Fifty Years Of Hits – Vol 5

A Century of America's Music