Country, gospel, and rhythm and blues are the major arteries that flow to the heart of Americana musical traditions, each influencing the other through shared themes of storytelling, emotion, and spirituality. Gospel’s uplifting harmonies and spiritual fervor inspired both the heartfelt narratives of country music and the soulful expressions of rhythm and blues. Similarly, rhythm and blues infused gospel energy into secular music, while country music borrowed melodic and vocal elements from both genres. The “golden age” of these genres is often considered to be the mid-20th century, roughly the 1940s through the 1960s, when their innovation and cross-pollination laid the groundwork for modern popular music, including rock and roll. This week on Deeper Roots we’re going to flip through some classic old records (as we love to do) and highlight the morning with performances from the likes of Otis Spann, Merle Travis, Sue Foley, Sturgill Simpson, and a few dozen others.
| No. | Artist | Title | Album | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Margie Singleton | Old Records | One More Record Please |  |
| 2 | Seasick Steve | Dark | Man from Another Time (Bonus Version) | |
| 3 | Sturgill Simpson | Breakers Roar | A Sailor's Guide To Earth | |
| 4 | The Everly Brothers | Bowling Green | Walk Right Back: The Everly Brothers on Warner Bros. Disc 2 | |
| 5 | The Kossoy Sisters | Bowling Green | Bluegrass Jamboree | |
| 6 | Merle Travis | Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) | Ash Grove 12/9/1966 | |
| 7 | Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen | Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) | We've Got a Live One Here! | |
| 8 | The Louvin Brothers | There's A Grave In The Wave Of The Ocean | Close Harmony [Disc 7] | |
| 9 | Hart Valley Drifters | Nine Pound Hammer | Folk Time | |
| 10 | Van Morrison | Dark Night Of The Soul | Three Chords And The Truth | |
| 11 | The Riders Of The Purple Sage | Cool Water (Radio) | Cowboy Crooners Sing Songs Of The West Cd 1 | |
| 12 | The Harmonizing Four | Wade In The Water | Jesus Rocked The Jukebox: Small Group Black Gospel (1951-1965) | |
| 13 | The Soul Stirrers | Jesus I'll Never Forget [Album Version] | The Ladykillers Music From The Motion Picture | |
| 14 | Mahalia Jackson | Dark Was The Night | Moving On Up A Little Higher | |
| 15 | Bing Crosby | Down to the Old Ox Road | Bing Crosby in Hollywood (1930-1934), Vol. 1 | |
| 16 | Sue Foley | Freight Train | One Guitar Woman | |
| 17 | Porter Wagoner | Banks of the Ohio | 1968 (Warped 6846) | |
| 18 | Roy Rogers with Country Washburne | My Chickashay Girl | 26 All-Time Country Classics | |
| 19 | Merle Haggard | Time Changes Everything | The Peer Sessions | |
| 20 | Jimmie Dolan | The Wheel That Does The Squeakin' | Juke Box Boogie | |
| 21 | Raul Malo | Weary Blues from Waitin' | The Nashville Acoustic Sessions | |
| 22 | Ted Daffan's Texans | Born To Lose | 26 All-Time Country Classics | |
| 23 | Norridge Mayhams And The Blue Chips | I'm A Rattlesnakin' Daddy | Norridge Mayhams and The Blue Chips | |
| 24 | Mae West | I'm An Occidental Woman In An Oriental Mood For Love | The Mae West Collection | |
| 25 | Jewel Paige & Her Brown Brownies | Give It Up | If You Take Me Back | |
| 26 | Julia Lee | Snatch It And Grab It (06-11-47) | 1947 | |
| 27 | Slim Gaillard | Thunderbird | ABC Of The Blues Vol 12 | |
| 28 | John Hiatt | Thunderbird | Master of Disaster | |
| 29 | Chuck Berry | Jaguar and Thunderbird | The Chess Box Disc 2 | |
| 30 | Otis Spann | Mule Kicking In My Stall | Cryin' Time | |
| 31 | Lowell Fulson | Blue Shadows | Chess Blues Disc 4 | |