American music has traveled in every direction. Along the somewhat crooked path it’s followed on its journey, there have been new sounds, new words, and new identities collected along the way. And that’s what we’ll be exploring in this week’s episode: the song behind the song. The stories will not involve just covers or familiar standards performed by different artists. On the contrary, we’ll be digging into the musical ancestry of American music. Songs that were rewritten and retitled, melodies borrowed and transformed, gospel recordings that found new lives in rhythm and blues, and centuries-old ballads that crossed the Atlantic and emerged from the Appalachian Mountains with entirely different identities. Sometimes the original is nearly forgotten. Sometimes a later recording becomes so familiar that we forget there was another song behind it. And sometimes the connection is so unexpected that it changes the way we hear both recordings. Join Dave Stroud on this week’s journey.
No.
Artist
Title
Album
Year
Start At
1
Bob Dylan
Highway 61 Revisited
Highway 61 Revisited
1965
00:00
2
Bobby Mitchell
I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday
The History of New Orleans Rhythm & Blues [Disc 2]
1957
06:17
3
Fats Domino
I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday
My Blue Heaven: The Best of Fats Domino
1959
08:39
4
William Bell
You Don't Miss Your Water
Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration [Disc 1]
1962
10:37
5
Wendy Rene
Reap What You Sow
After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-65
1965
13:33
6
O B McClinton
You Don't Miss Your Water
Out of Left Field – Where Soul Meets Country
1973
16:21
7
Ray Charles
Hallelujah I Love Her So
Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959) (1 of 8)
1959
24:02
8
Eddie Cochran
Hallelujah I Love Her So
The London American Story – 1960
1959
26:31
9
Percy Mayfield
Stranger In My Own Home Town
His Tangerine And Atlantic Sides (Remastered 2004)
1974
28:46
10
Elvis Presley
Stranger in My Own Home Town
Artist of the Century Disc 3
1999
31:24
11
Arthur Tanner & His Corn Shuckers
Knoxville Girl
Archive.org
1925
39:42
12
The Louvin Brothers
Knoxville Girl
Hand-Picked
1956
42:57
13
Clarence 'Tom' Ashley
House Carpenter
Greenback Dollar: The Music of Clarence 'Tom' Ashley 1929-1933
1930
46:42
14
Joan Baez
The House Carpenter (Child No. 243)
The Absolutely Essential
1962
49:53
15
Jean Ritchie
Come All You Fair And Tender Ladies
Mountain Hearth & Home
2004
58:17
16
Dolly Parton
Little Sparrow
Little Sparrow
2001
1:00:36
17
Judy Collins
Wild Mountain Thyme
Early Years: The First Albums 1961-62
2022
1:04:42
18
Lola Kirke/Peter Dreams/Brian Dunphy/Darren Holden & Jack O'Connell
Ever notice how one conversation can take you somewhere you never expected? Music works the same way. This week on Deeper Roots, we’re following a trail of musical connections where every song has something in common with the one before it. A shared lyric, a songwriter, a place, a name, or just an unexpected twist that takes us down another road. We’ll wander from the soulful sounds of The Undisputed Truth and Laura Nyro to the country storytelling of Merle Haggard, the sharp wit of Randy Newman, and the haunting Americana of The Handsome Family. Along the way, expect a few surprises, forgotten gems, and musical detours spanning generations. It’s a two-hour game of musical connect-the-dots, with no telling where the next tune might take us. Join us Friday at 9 AM Pacific for Deeper Roots on KOWS 92.5 FM or streaming at kowsfm.com/listen.
No.
Artist
Title
Album
Year
Start At
1
The Undisputed Truth
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
Milestones: The Best Of The Undisputed Truth
1995
00:00
2
Laura Nyro
Sweet Blindness
Time And Love: The Essential Masters
1968
05:29
3
The 5th Dimension
Stoned Soul Picnic
Greatest Hits on Earth
1972
08:03
4
The Isley Brothers
Harvest For The World
The Essential Isley Brothers [Disc 1]
1976
11:24
5
The Staple Singers
When Will We Be Paid
The Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles Vol. 2: 1968-1971 [Disc 4]
1969
15:15
6
The O'Jays
For The Love Of Money
Funk Explosion
2004
17:44
7
Randy Newman
It's Money That Matters
Land of Dreams
1988
27:09
8
Aaron Neville
Louisiana 1927
Warm Your Heart
1991
31:02
9
Aaron Neville
Tell It Like It Is
Doctors Professors Kings & Queens: Box New Orleans
1966
33:57
10
Bobbie Gentry
Mississippi Delta
Ode To Bobbie Gentry: The Capitol Years
1967
36:29
11
Bobbie Gentry
Fancy
Ode To Bobbie Gentry: The Capitol Years
1970
43:27
12
Eilen Jewell
Queen Of The Minor Key
Signature Sampler 2011
2011
47:36
13
Roy Rogers
Little Queen Bee
Split Decision
2009
49:38
14
Connie Smith
I'll Come Running
The Essential Connie Smith
1967
52:50
15
Merle Haggard
Runnin' Kind
Singles
1977
54:53
16
Emmylou Harris; Rodney Crowell
You're Running Wild
Elite Hotel [Bonus Tracks]
0
1:02:30
17
Emmylou Harris
Boulder To Birmingham
Country Music: A Film By Ken Burns – The Soundtrack [Disc 2]
Last week on Deeper Roots, we went searching for the ancestry of soul music, following its trail through gospel quartets, blues shouters, rhythm & blues and the vocal traditions that supplied its language and emotional fire. This week, we continue, crossing into the late 1950s and early ’60s when those ingredients began coming together as a music increasingly recognized as soul. These are the performers who grew from that fertile ground—and the records where you can hear the transformation taking place. We’ll dig beneath many of the obvious hits for early sides from Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Jerry Butler, and others while, at the same time, exploring the emerging sounds of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and beyond. Gospel’s testimony is still there, as are the blues and rhythm & blues, but something new is taking shape. By the time we reach the early ’60s, we’re no longer listening for the roots of soul. We’ll be hearing from the soul itself.
No.
Artist
Title
Album
Year
Start At
1
Ray Charles
I Got A Woman
Atlantic Rock & Roll
1957
00:00
2
Jerry Butler & The Impressions
For Your Precious Love
The Soul Story Vol. 2
2006
05:24
3
Jackie Wilson
I'm Wanderin'
7 Classic Albums
1959
08:05
4
Sam Cooke
That's All I Need To Know
Their Greatest Misses
1956
10:43
5
James Brown
Try Me
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: Best of James Brown
1959
13:01
6
Little Willie John
Let Them Talk
American Music Library: The Hits Of 1960
1960
15:30
7
Bobby Bland
I'll Take Care of You
Two Steps From the Blues
2001
18:04
8
The Falcons
You're So Fine
Stampede! The United Artists Story
1959
25:11
9
Ray Charles
Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'
Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952-1959) (6 of 8)
1959
27:34
10
Dinah Washington
This Bitter Earth
First Issue: The Dinah Washington Story [Disc 2]
1959
31:13
11
Etta James
All I Could Do Is Cry
Enduring Soul
1960
33:38
12
Jerry Butler
He Will Break Your Heart
Pure R&B: Vol. 2- Something?s Got a Hold on Me [Disc 1]
1960
36:29
13
James Brown
I'll Go Crazy
Gold Disc 1
2007
39:12
14
Maxine Brown
All In My Mind
Birth Of Soul: 2
1961
47:02
15
Carla Thomas
Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)
American Music Library: The Hits Of 1961
1961
49:24
16
The Miracles
Who's Lovin' You
The 35th Anniversary Collection
1960
51:42
17
Sam Cooke
That's It I Quit I'm Movin' On
Greatest Hits
1998
54:42
18
Solomon Burke
Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Open Arms)
Smooth Grooves: The '60s Vol. 1: Early '60s
1997
57:16
19
William Bell
You Don't Miss Your Water
Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration [Disc 1]
1962
1:00:16
20
Arthur Alexander
You Better Move On
The Greatest Hits
1962
1:06:58
21
The Impressions
Gypsy Woman
Birth Of Soul: 1
1961
1:09:32
22
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Every Beat of My Heart
Pure R&B: Vol. 2- Something?s Got a Hold on Me [Disc 1]
1961
1:11:47
23
The Ikettes
I'm Blue
Poison Ivy – Gems from the Atco Vaults 1959-1962
1961
1:13:46
24
Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford
I Need Your Loving
Pure R&B: Vol. 4- What?d I Say [Disc 1]
1962
1:16:10
25
The Falcons
I Found a Love
Smooth Grooves: The '60s Vol. 1: Early '60s
1997
1:18:58
26
Solomon Burke
Cry To Me
Very Best of Solomon Burke (Reis)
2009
1:21:53
27
Bobby 'Blue' Bland
Yield Not To Temptation
The Definitive Collection
2007
1:28:07
28
Otis Redding
These Arms Of Mine
Pain In My Heart
1964
1:30:37
29
Mary Wells
Two Lovers
Malt Shop Memories: All I Have To Do Is Dream (Disc 2)
No particular destination this week, although we’ll begin on an Island of Dreams. Deeper Roots is going free form once again, rummaging around in the dusty digital archives and following the music wherever it happens to lead us. We’ll start things off with a decidedly British flavor, with Nick Lowe, Martin Belmont & Geraint Watkins, Mickey Jupp and Dave Edmunds before crossing a few oceans, decades and musical boundaries. Along the way we’ll hear vintage country from Johnnie & Jack, Ernest Tubb and Faron Young and some newer music from Charley Crockett and Brandon Flowers. And because the blues are never very far from the heart of Deeper Roots, we’ll spend some time a roster of some of the greats as well as vocal sounds from the likes of the Donays and Cookie & The Cupcakes. It’s another musical road trip with no map and no particular reason to hurry. Join Dave Stroud for Island of Dreams, Friday morning at 9 Pacific on KOWS 92.5 FM in West Sonoma County—and streaming everywhere else on the planet.
No.
Artist
Title
Album
Year
Start At
1
Nick Lowe
Jet Pac Boomerang
Indoor Safari
2024
00:00
2
Martin Belmont & Geraint Watkins
Island of Dreams
The Guest List
2009
05:43
3
The Springfields
Island Of Dreams
Simply ? Dusty [Disc 1]
1962
09:33
4
Geraint Watkins
It's a Wonderful Life
Watkins Bold as Love
1997
12:07
5
Mickey Jupp
You'll Never Get Me Up In One of Those
The Stiff Singles (Vol.1)
2005
15:04
6
Dave Edmunds
Worn Out Suits Brand New Pockets
Get It
1977
18:13
7
The Andrews Sisters
Money is The Root of All Evil
Golden Age of the Andrews Sisters [Disc 2]
1945
20:32
8
Johnnie and Jack
Love in the First Degree
1947-1950 (Warped 4720)
2010
29:37
9
Leon Redbone
Desert Blues (Big Chief Buffalo Nickel)
On The Track
1975
32:16
10
Ernest Tubb
Sad Songs and Waltzes
Last Sessions: All Time Greatest Hits Disc 2
1999
35:57
11
k.d. lang & the Reclines
Three Days
Absolute Torch and Twang
1989
38:34
12
Charley Crockett
Bad Company
Can't Get Enough: A Tribute To Bad Company
2025
41:42
13
Jack Clement
The Spell Of The Freight Train
For Once And For All
2014
45:11
14
Merle Haggard
Sin City Blues
1996
1996
53:31
15
Doug Sahm
Home At Last
The Last Real Texas Blues Band Feat. Doug Sahm
1994
55:58
16
Faron Young
Country Girl
30 Years Of No. 1 Country Hits 2/4
0
1:00:22
17
George Morgan
Country Boy – City Girl
Warped 6365 – George Morgan – 1963 – 1964
2010
1:02:53
18
Brandon Flowers
Tiger's Blood
Thrasher
2026
1:05:46
19
Joe Liggins
Freight Train Blues
Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers
1952
1:14:39
20
The Treniers
Long Distance Blues
Talking On The Telephone Vol.1 – Blues R&B And Gospel
1951
1:17:22
21
Muddy Waters
Young Fashioned Ways
The Anthology [Disc 1]
1955
1:20:30
22
B.B. King
Walkin' Dr Bill (ala Gotta Find My Baby)
Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan – Season 2 [[Disc 1]]
1960
1:23:27
23
Lightnin' Hopkins
Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes
The Complete Prestige-Bluesville Recordings [Disc 2]
1961
1:27:04
24
The Donays
Devil In His Heart
Theme Time Radio Hour With Your Host Bob Dylan [Disc 1]
1962
1:33:24
25
Marc Benno
Speak Your Mind
Minnows (Vinyl)
1971
1:35:54
26
Berna Dean
I Walk In My Sleep
Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host Bob Dylan [Disc 2]
1961
1:40:35
27
Cookie & The Cupcakes
I Cried
Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio Theme Time Radio Hour
1954
1:43:46
28
The Prisonaires
Just Walking In The Rain
The Best Of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour Vol 2
1953
1:46:07
29
Billy Bunn & His Buddies
That's When Your Heartaches Begin
Bob Dylan Presents: Radio Radio Theme Time Radio Hour Vol. 1
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.
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
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]
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]
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.
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