Deeper Roots Radio Podcast

Spring's just around the corner but we're all holding out with rain, wind and more California sunshine in our forecast until then. Don't you think that this might call for a party? Well, some of us do and we're going to mix up the country with the blues, the rock with the rockabilly, and the brassy with the sass as we prepare for the holiday known as President's Day. I suppose the toddler in the basement wants that named after him, too. Can someone explain the rules of common decency and sense to President McFuddlepants? Please. I beg of you. We'll leave him out of the party today, though, as we hang in there with a delicious spread of the very best music from the past century, including Mitty Collier, Dr. John, Marty Stuart, Merle Haggard, John Fogerty and Elvin Bishop. We'll also hear from a local favorite, Doug Blumer and The Bohemian Highway, with a reminder that “The Party's At Our House”.

It may be Friday the 13th but that won't stop us from fortifying ourselves with a ‘luck and fortune' theme in today's show. Hopefully, that will tip the scales. May our luck and fortune hold out until the next election. You're welcome to drop in to our slightly superstitious edition of Deeper Roots on a day that usually sends people dodging ladders and eyeing black cats with suspicion. Whether you're a believer in the 'unlucky' stigma or you consider yourself a master of your own fate, we've curated a playlist designed to explore the highs and lows of the cosmic dice roll. We'll be spinning tracks that dive deep into the world of luck and fortune with some high-stakes anthems of the casino floor to the soulful laments of those down on their luck, we're covering every corner of the wheel of fate. But...knock on wood…just in case. 

Free form sounds are the order of the morning as we set sail for a two hour tour of sounds from the last century once more, leaning on a pretty exciting group of performers. You can tune in each and every Friday morning here on KOWS-LP Occidental where our word is our bond. Join Dave Stroud once again as he shares a selection of tunes by the Zion Harmonizers, Buck Owens, Mink Deville, Johnny Burnette, and Kay Kyser. It's a fun mix of genres…some from the American Songbook, some from Bourbon Street, some from the Brill Building and a blend from the farther reaches. Tune in for a delightful Friday clamoring from Occidental's own station.

We turn once again down that dark and dusty road in country music history—where temptation rides shotgun, regret sits in the back seat, and the Devil just might be waiting at the crossroads. From ballads of fear and heartfelt tales to outlaw confessions and modern Americana shadows, we'll be sharing tracks that flirt with fire, bargain with fate, and wrestle with salvation. The Devil, or if you will Satan, drops on by as our recurring country music theme this morning with selections from a host of favorites: BR5-49, The Louvin Brothers, Cowboy Copas, and Bob Wills as well as some off-brands like Ray Winfree, Kitty Lee and Powder River Jack, Jesse Floyd and a couple dozen others. They're all bemoaning the Devil's due. So pour a drink, dim the lights, and listen close… because in country music, when the Devil comes calling, he often sounds a lot like the truth. Tune in Friday mornings at 9am Pacific for yet another spoonful of your favorite Deeper Roots concoction.

This week we'll look a little deeper under the charts, focusing on the year 1959, a time when teenage targeted music encouraged new dances, new forms of self-expression and a sound whose influence went beyond the sweetheart, white bread sounds of middle America. To say the least, older generations associated it all with some sort of moral decline. But the sounds of the post-rock explosion laid the foundation for everything that followed: the rise of the teen market, generational conflict as a defining social theme and a sound that was a vehicle for identity and change. Adolescence itself was being redefined. We'll tune into one of our favorite themes: under the charts. Songs you likely haven't heard but a few I'm sure you have; tune in for music from Robin Luke, Tommy Sands, Chuck Berry, Carl Mann, Joe Antel and over two dozen others in a two hour sock hop blast here on KOWS Community Radio.

We're going to be excavating the country archives, dusting off the 45s and 78s with abandon and making it a morning of deep tracks while the dust on the needle collects. Country music storytelling was often smeared with the tangled webs of cheatin', drinkin' and Sunday mornin's blinding gleam of redemption…and the stories would start all over Sunday night. This week's show doesn't look for the hits so much as it looks for examples of classic themes from the late forties right into the seventies. Post-war hillbilly developed into what we know as country music and you'll be treated this morning to the likes of Tony Douglas, Carl Butler, Anita Carter, Carl Belew and a host of others…some known, some hardly recognized. The selections are a special lot. So drop in why don't you?

Another free form musical delight is ready and waiting for your ears this coming Friday morning. We dig into some mid-century nuggets from the country genre with Red Foley and Ernest Tubb as well as Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel and Joe Ely. That, of course, hardly covers the two hours. There's also some hot rhythms from NRBQ, Daddy Cleanhead, Slim Harpo, Fats Domino and the sweet and brassy sounds from Billie Holiday, Johnny Mercer, and Babs Gonzales. Our new year won't make promises but our hopes are all we've got, remembering that hate will never win if you don't let it. There's been wars fought for much less. 

This week's Deeper Roots, our first show of 2026, is most appropriately built for fresh starts and open horizons—a musical reset button for the soul. Our Friday morning journey will wind its way across gospel, folk, jazz, swing, and Americana, all tied together by the promise of new beginnings and the belief that tomorrow can be better than today. You'll hear voices of resilience and joy including The Staple Singers, poetic reinvention from Bob Dylan, the irrepressible optimism and swing of Louis Prima, the elegant, forward-moving guitar lines of Herb Ellis, and the border-crossing storytelling of Carrie Rodriguez. Settle in as we welcome brand new days with music that lifts spirits, opens doors, and reminds us that hope is always worth tuning in for. And you can do just that this Friday morning on KOWS. 

We bring you part 2 of our 2025 remembrance where we pay tribute to another group of performers and contributors who left us with an Americana legacy.  Over the past century, American music has been shaped by rare combinations of talent, wit, wisdom, and deeply personal approaches to arrangement, rhythm, and delivery. This year we reflect on the contributions from artists and architects of sound whose work continues to resonate. In this episode, we will move from the pop sounds of Jane Morgan and Richard Chamberlain to the legendary late century performers like the Grateful Dead, Sly Stone, and Bad Company. We'll also take some time to remember Joe Ely, Ozzy Osbourne, Johnny Tillotson and Tom Lehrer. Hope you can drop in for this second, and last chapter of 2025. You can listen live, online, at 9 Pacific each Friday at www.kowsfm.com/listen.

Another year turns, and once again we pause to honor the legacies that aren't left behind so much as carried forward—alive in the music itself. Over the past century, American music has been shaped by rare combinations of talent, wit, wisdom, and deeply personal approaches to arrangement, rhythm, and delivery. This year we reflect on the contributions from artists and architects of sound whose work continues to resonate: voices and visionaries such as Raul Malo, Flaco Jiménez, Steve Cropper, Phil Upchurch, Jerry Butler, Brian Wilson, David Johansen, Tony Bennett, and Garth Hudson. Their influence spans genres, generations, and countless records that still speak loud and clear. With just two hours, hard choices have to be made—so this tribute begins as Part 1 of a two part reflection. We hope you'll tune in for a thoughtful look back at the artists whose legacies defined the soundtrack of our lives. 

Long before you ever knew his name, Steve Cropper's music was a part of your life if you grew up with a radio tuned to soul, rock, or R&B. You were already absorbing his fingerwork: that clipped, chiming guitar on “Green Onions,” the taut groove that made Wilson Pickett sound ten feet tall, or the unmistakable snap of Stax rhythm sections he helped shape. We lost a giant who contributed to the Americana musical landscape this past week and our show this week will reflect on his body of work. He wasn't just part of the soundtrack of our lives, he was part of the atmosphere, a presence whose playing taught you—quietly and consistently—what feel really meant. To grow up with Steve Cropper's music is to realize, eventually, that he helped define not just a sound but a sensibility—one where the groove is tight, the soul runs deep, and the guitar part is always exactly what the song needs and not a note more.

This week's show leans into the rougher side of the tradition: the places where bruised pride, bad decisions, and raw truth find their way into song. “The down and dirty blues” isn't a stylistic claim so much as a shared attitude — the kind shaped by rent coming due, lovers turning cold, and the kind of trouble that sits heavy in the gut. Across the past century, singers and players have used these stories to put plainspoken feeling into motion, building grooves that don't promise comfort so much as recognition. Across two hours, we'll move through voices that carried this edge with conviction — men and women from the 1930s onward who weren't at all shy about calling out mean mistreaters or confessing their own missteps. You'll hear hard-driving cuts where guitars sting, pianos roll, and vocals land with a certain bruising weight. Tune in for the likes of Victoria Spivey, Lonnie Johnson, Dirty Red, Little Joe Blue, Howlin' Wolf and a couple dozen others. The ‘dirty dozen' doesn't get much dirtier than this.

What a show for the day after Thanksgiving! This week we roll out a two-hour celebration of bakery-inspired tunes—an irresistible mix of cakes, pies, donuts, cookies, and every sugary delight ever to find its way into a lyric. We'll be mixing up a blend from a century's worth of music, from early jazz confections and country-fried treats to soulful blues pastries, golden-era pop indulgences, and rock-and-roll slices served hot from the oven. It's all about how bakery imagery has sweetened American music's storytelling. Jazz bands swing like a spoon in batter; country artists offer homestyle wisdom baked into every verse; blues singers lean into the bittersweet with slow-cooked grooves; and rock outfits bring the heat with songs that crust, crackle, and pop. Whether it's a dusty 78 from the 1920s or a modern track with sprinkles of retro charm, the playlist draws straight from the musical pantry of the past hundred years. This week's highlights include performances from Dan Hicks, NRBQ, Curtis Salgado, Ella Fitzgerald, Fats Waller and a whole lot more. Tune into community radio for West Sonoma County. KOWS-LP 92.5 FM Occidental, streaming to planet Earth at kowsfm.com/listen. 

Got a harmonica romp through the past one hundred years of America's Music this coming Friday morning. We'll be following the harmonica's journey along and across the American crossroads…one that began in the 19th century, when inexpensive German-made “mouth harps” made their way into the hands of soldiers, travelers, and rural families. Its portability and expressive bends made it a natural fit for early blues and country porch settings. From that country blues porch setting to the juke joints where electric blues, rock, soul, blues, and Americana meet and mingle. We'll be opening the vaults for some classic tracks from the likes of Little Walter, DeFord Bailey, Mickey Raphael, Sonny Boy Williamson, Charlie Musselwhite, and a couple dozen others as we celebrate the “mouth harp” for its blistering, distorted lead influencing generations of performers of all stripes. Drop in…we'd be glad to have you visit this Friday morning. 

 This week's Deeper Roots takes a wide turn down the backroads of American music, delivering a two-hour free form ride through the crossroads where rock, soul, blues, and Americana meet and mingle. We'll be opening the vaults for an eclectic blend honoring the roots while keeping one foot in the groove — where a deep cut from Garland Jeffreys might slide right up against raw King Curtis Memphis soul, a bouncy David Lindley number, or the tight shuffle of a Chess Records blues side. We'll be connecting the dots between decades and genres with warmth and curiosity. Whether it's Louvin-soaked harmonies, road-weary country soul, or the smoky after-hours mood of the juke joint, this week's celebration once more explores the shared DNA of American sound. Tune in for stories between the songs, unexpected transitions, and a handpicked setlist that speaks to both memory and motion — a sonic journey that proves the roots run deep, wide, and ever surprising. 

The sounds of New Orleans carry a mood that's both jubilant and deeply human; it dances and mourns in the same breath. It's the sound of the street parade meeting the juke joint: syncopated, earthy, and alive with horns, piano rolls, and that unmistakable backbeat shuffle. Unlike the more urban polish of Chicago blues or the rural cry of the Delta, New Orleans R&B has always felt like a conversation between the sacred and the profane, where gospel chords meet barroom swagger. Just beyond the Crescent City's lights, where the waters of the bayou take form, we've got the accordions and fiddles of the swamp, where there's humor, head and heartbreak woven into the DNA of the deep South. It is joyous and haunted, elegant and raw, as well as endlessly resilient. The music of New Orleans inspired an ethos — that music could be communal, unrestrained, and celebratory no matter the hardship. It taught America how to dance through its troubles, to find rhythm in resilience, and to turn sorrow into sound that still shakes the rafters and demands a communal dance to this day. This week's show raises the flag of the Crescent City and her environs with a rhythm and bayou romp!

Halloween in America, on the anniversary of the first quarter century of the millennium. We celebrate the night by wearing masks, by flirting with fear, by turning the grotesque into entertainment. But here in 2025, you can't help but feel like the masks didn't come off this year. The trick-or-treaters will return home tonight, but the parade of make-believe monsters marched straight into the daylight this past January — and some of them are occupying the most important offices in our fragile democracy. What used to be a night for play-acting power, for pretending to be the villain, has turned into a movement that's forgotten the difference between costume and conviction. The slogans sound patriotic, the anger sounds righteous, and the cruelty wears the grin of normalcy. Halloween, at least, has an ending — sunrise, candy wrappers, a hangover of sugar and smoke. But America's current masquerade? The lights came on, and the masks stayed put. Our music on Halloween morning serves as a backdrop. 

Friday mornings feature a two-hour journey through sound, soul, and even a dash of storytelling from the past century of America's music. Tune in as Dave Stroud weaves an eclectic blend of genres that don't always share a shelf, but definitely share a spirit. From the aching twang of country ballads to the velvet grooves of soul, as well as the thumping rhythms of rock…we've got it all. We'll also be adding a touch of gospel to uplift and some shimmering pop in the show today. Legends and unsung heroes side by side—think John Fogerty easing into a track from BR5-49, or some classic Charlie Musselwhite introducing the soulful sounds of Solomon Burke. This isn't a greatest hits show—it's a feeling. It's about the moments when music surprises you, connects you, and makes you feel more you. So whether you're tuning in from the road, the living room, or somewhere in between, turn it up and let the music take you somewhere new..

 We'll be rolling back our Hillbilly Wayback Machine to the year 1950 for romance in high pants at the barn dance. Country music really hadn't yet caught on as a genre so a lot of the music we'll share today had the misfortune of being coined “hillbilly music”; a blend of silver screen cowboy nostalgia for the lone prairie alongside swinging arrangements and occasional ballads of the heart. You even had yourself some down-home novelty and syncopated vocals that looked out at that land beyond the sun where the tumbleweeds bounced across the horizon. Without further waxing of the poetic, we'll let you know that you'll be treated to some very best from under the blanket of the prairie sky including the likes of Smiley Burnette, Jimmy Wakely, Tin Ear Tanner, Zeb Turner and Leon Chappel. These weren't necessarily the big hits but they were honky tonk and jukebox favorites. Drop in and find out. 

We lost John Prine to COVID in 2020. We're going to celebrate his 79th birthday along with the rest of his fans this morning as two new movies are on the horizon at just the right time. The two movies differ in their angles: one being a new tribute produced by his wife Fiona Whelan Prine called “You Got Gold” and the other is one produced by the Hello In There Foundation called “How Lucky Can One Man Get” which has its first screening this month in Denver. With today being his birth date, we'll be doing a few different takes on John's career in music including a couple reminiscences from Todd Snider and Steve Poltz who delivers a delightful memory of a trip to the Disney Store with John. There's a reason that John is considered an American music treasure: as a songwriter he has few peers with his straight-ahead and simple sensibility. He delivered the goods as well as any of the legendary humorists , and that includes Mark Twain. Drop on in for something special this Friday morning.

It's a City (with a capital ‘C' to locals) whose cultural history practically hums with musical possibilities. This is due in large part to how the city has always been a meeting point for restless ideas and diverse communities. From the Gold Rush boomtown that lured fortune-seekers from every continent, to the Beat poets of North Beach and the psychedelic counterculture that turned Haight-Ashbury into a world stage, it's been an easy mark for songwriters. This week's show will visit that blend of beauty, grit and idealism with performances for and about San Francisco. Join us for a whole batch of vintage sounds covering any old genre we care to share with the likes of Harry “The Hipster” Gibson, Little Walter, Charlie Musselwhite, Linda Martell, and, of course, Tony Bennett. We'll celebrate from a short distance away with memories of Broadway, the fog rolling through the Golden Gate, and that endless palette of imagery and mood that is a living chorus always ready to be set to music.

The days are getting darker both by season and on the sidewalks of your town. Jackboot thugs with masks, clubs, and weapons are descending for you. Make no mistake. If you believe in your right to free speech and all that our Constitution affords you, think again. Know that you and your neighbor are in the crosshairs of this regime. This week's show won't break the spell but it will share with its language of comfort, joy and hope that music delivers as it stimulates the release of dopamine triggering pleasure and relaxation. Our prescription this morning is a compound of a free form eclectic blend that delivers a response from all corners. America's music has always been built on a foundation of free expression so why not make the best…and that's what we'll be doing this morning with tracks from Glenn Miller, Charlie Christian, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Randy Newman and Dean Martin, just to name a few. Dream when you're feeling blue. Rise up when you're being pushed down. This week's show takes us where we want to go.

From the cool and sultry lounge sounds smothered in smoke to the soul venues that celebrated love and all its pitfalls, we bring you the songbirds this week. We'll be exploring vocalists, known and unknown, that delivered the goods in the first few years of the 1960s. Rock ‘n roll was finding its foothold at the same time as soul music was beginning to bust out in a big way. You'll be hearing some you know and some you don't in this week's Deeper Roots. Yeah, we've got The Chordettes, Brenda Lee and The Shirelles but we've also got some very special gems from Helen Shapiro, Judy Thomas, Kitty Ford and Betty O'Brian this week. We'll run a chronological marathon from 1960 to 1963, ignoring the genre guardrails as we make our way along. Hope you can join in on the fun.

A whole new season of Deeper Roots lands on your doorstep…just like the Sunday paper: full of human interest stories (as told in song) and local gab (also told in song). It's a free form collection of songs from the past century with performances from the usual (and sometimes unusual) suspects. Only minor themes and genre recaps today in a carefully crafted eclectic blend that runs the gamut from Jimmie Dale Gilmore to Mary Wells, The Velvetones, Billy Walker and Hot Lips Page. We'll hear some Texas tradition from Deep Elem and Milwaukee's finest from Jerry Lee. But we're also rolling out some really fine, under the radar, female soul and R&B numbers that come from off the beaten track including Doris Allen, Faye Adams and Mary Wells. And we wonder out loud ‘how deep is the ocean' with Big Maybelle. Drop on by!

We're taking a slow walk back to the gospel well this morning, exploring a particularly expansive landscape of classic hymns, choir harmonies, and new-fangled secular reflections from the likes of Elizabeth King, Warren Zevon and Amy Helm. There are also the traditional pulpit pounders like Elder Charles Beck, jubilee and country groups including The Jordanaires (with and without Elvis) and The Golden Gate Quintet, as well as a sampling old favorites from Johnny Cash, The Blue Sky Boys and the Neville Brothers. It's a morning dish of reflection and exploration once again as we take that deep dive into the gospel classics once more. Hope you can climb aboard that gospel train and redeem your ticket to the great beyond.

Deeper Roots means just that…and this week we're spinning some blues, gospel, r&b, and swing … all music that introduced the rhythm that would become known as rock ‘n roll. We'll go as far back as the late 1930s with Joe Turner and Pete Johnson and make the picaresque journey across the alleys, juke joints, and house parties where tradition and urban electric blues became the foundation of a sound. We'll share blues from Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker and a handful of others. Also on tap, Goree Carter, Sticks McGhee, Amos Milburn and Julia Lee with some rhythm and blues and jump whose beat and attitude would influence many a rock ‘n roll musician and songwriter. Also on board: Hadda Brooks, Ray Charles, Louis Jordan and Tiny Bradshaw. Don't miss a wailin', rockin' morning here on KOWS Community Radio. 

A little bit of twisting and a little bit of shouting…as well as some gospel rhythms, hand clapping, and some back beat rhythms from the gulf and whole lot more. This week's show will be a free form extravaganza which means there's a bright day ahead, as always. My springboard was an afternoon's listen to the music of David Lindley who, in addition to being a fine musician, he had extraordinary taste in music. We'll hear some gospel tracks from Sister Marie Knight and the Reverend James Cleveland, classic funk and soul from The Temptations, Billy Butler and The Isleys. We'll also spinning up some Wild Tchoupitoulas, Otis Rush and be featuring some three-time track samples and a brand new track from the 30th anniversary release of John Prine's Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings, slated for release in early September. There's a whole lot more to share with everyone out there so it's a good morning to drop in and here a Twist and Shout sample from Top Note going back to 1961…oh yes, as well as a couple David Lindley tracks.

In the long view, rock ‘n roll's rise was no surprise as it's sound had been peeking through the tall grass since the 1930s with some risque (and risky) rhythm and blues, gospel celebrations and fast-paced swinging country sounds. When Sam Phillips' small operation in Memphis kicked off, who would have guessed that the fusion of all these sounds would somehow resonate with it's blend of hillbilly, blues, rhythm and gospel influences. But it did. And here we are. Tune into Deeper Roots as we go a bit deeper into the sounds of Sun Records, beyond the Elvis, Roy, Johnny, Carl and Jerry Lees. We'll turn our attention to others from the early years including The Miller Sisters, Slim Rhodes, Barbara Pittman and The Prisonaires. The music we've got is sometimes raw, sometimes wild and always headed in the same direction. Don't miss this one!

Join Dave Stroud for another encore edition of Deeper Roots: A Century of America's Music. With vacation from the show in full swing, he's taken the time to fill the airwaves with a free form blend of blues, hot rod rock, early century pop, gospel, soul and more. There will be some killer diller Memphis Minnie blues, some pop melodies from Annette Hanshaw and Mae West, gospel from the Blind Boys of Alabama and Sam Cooke…and some sweet soul vocals from The Ravens and Barbara Lewis. You won't go wrong on a Friday morning in West County. Tune in on your favorite streaming service or the Radio Rethink app...all free for your ears. 

The farmer, the farm, and songs of farming are at the core of this week's theme show, an encore presentation from 2017. Whether the songs' focus is that of the hard-working folk of the farm, the raw materials, or the nostalgic reminders of life on the farm, we'll push forward the playlist plough and take you to the barn for an early morning celebration with performers including bluegrass from James King, gritty Americana from Levon Helm and Bill Neely, core country from Bobby Bare and Porter Wagoner, or maybe some field recordings from the 20s featuring the likes of the Carolina Tar Heels…all of this music going Back On The Farm.

 Jukeboxes were not only cultural touchstones and vital engines for the music industry in the forties and fifties, but they also contributed to the democratization of music consumption in a way that radio could not: by allowing people to pay a nickel and choose the exact song they wanted to hear. Radio's best effort was to feed the listener versus allow the listener to make their own choice. Over a half century later, streaming has become juggernaut replacing the jukebox. Like streaming of today, the jukebox once helped with music discovery driving regional hits and elevating lesser-known artists, turning local favorites into national stars. This week's show will be a thematic one and, yes, we're picking the music. But it's a fun and mixed bag of country, early rock and pop all with the jukebox as centerpiece. Drop into Deeper Roots this morning for some classic Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison and Little Richard from the edgy side of the aisle and be ready for upbeat and swinging country from Ernest Tubb, Buck Owens, and Mel Tillis. Tune in for a show that recognizes this cultural phenomenon and proves the old saw “what is old is new again”. 

Tune in this week for crimes, misdemeanors and general lawlessness as we lean on a theme that explores music that explores one hundred years of crime in different form. We'll also ask law enforcement to step in as needed with pursuits, chain gangs, and K9 units. From Elmer Bernstein to The Crickets, Mel Tillis to The Byrds, and Bo Diddley, Red River Dave, and blues from Robert Wilkins as our show reminds listeners that Crime Doesn't Pay…unless you've already got the cheese or you're on the grift with the government behind you. Join our listening audience for the best roots radio show you'll find here in the North Bay. We'll make sure this week's show covers the theme with tracks and treasures, classic influences and much more. So, whether you're tuning in from a big city street or a quiet back road, settle in, turn it up, and let the stories music take you there. It's another week of Deeper Roots on KOWS Community Radio.

This week's show will feature another journey celebrating the soundtrack of the past century. From the pounding rhythms of gospel revelations to the neon-lit evening sounds of Basin Street and Nashville, we'll be sharing the music of George Strait, Etta James, The Temptations, Little Sugar and The Hightower Brothers among over two dozen others…all in an exciting and varietal run of Americana on a Friday morning. It's where the hidden gems appear and echo each week as we dig deep across decades and genres. Dave's got iconic tracks and overlooked treasures, classic influences and modern echoes for you in a free form eclectic celebration. So, whether you're tuning in from a big city street or a quiet back road, settle in, turn it up, and let the music take you there. It's another week of Deeper Roots on KOWS Community Radio. 

Someone once suggested that country songs about heartache and lost love sound the same as country songs about good times and happy days. Is it just the wailing fiddle intro often referred to as the “fiddle kickoff” that neutralizes the emotional jar of joy or grief that causes a reaction like that? Or is it just country songwriting is geared towards the simple task of expressing emotions in the terms of everyday life? No matter the reason, we'll be taking on a country-themed collection of songs about heartaches this week in the show. We'll do this by walking through some of the golden greats from the Golden Age of Country Music where the ways of the heart were a common theme and, thus, the heartache was an easy rhythmic mark for the country songwriter. We'll share the Walkers' Charlie and Billy, Jimmie Skinner, Buck Owens, Lefty Frizzell, Patsy, George and Stonewall among a couple dozen others, all with a message that speaks to country heartaches; and may we also say that there was plenty of fodder to draw from. Drop in…and don't forget the hankies.

Jazz, rhythm and all the very best of blues and swing from the past century, reaching as far back as the thirties and taking in some of rock royalty from the early fifties. This week we're snapping fingers and cutting the rug with some of the very greats including Wynonie Harris, Buddy Johnson, The Five Royales, The Cadillacs, and a touch of gospel vocal majesty from Marie Knight and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The themes are wide-ranging, taking us from the woodshed to the urban streets and some Cadillac competitions and we'll also get with the stuff that's arrived and is oh so mellow. Night trains, sugar lumps, boogie woogie daddies and tall skinny papas rule the roost. Don't miss out, even if you're a night owl you'll want to take these sounds with you into the early hours of tomorrow. Let me off uptown, would ya?

A curious theme, indeed! We're talking ‘questions', naturally. And don't you think it's time we got around to this theme? There was no shortage of ammunition…songs that end with that curly-que that has been the topic of many theories. One such theory suggests that it originate from the Latin word “quaestio” which, shortened to “qo”, would evolve into the symbol we recognize today. Each and every track in the show today delivers that terminating mark in search of an answer. We've heard of answer songs, but what about these question songs and most demand good answers because, well, they're good questions. Jazz, country, rock ‘n roll, and everything in between with selections from The Lovin' Spoonful, Dan Hicks, The Robins, Joe Liggins and Bo Diddley are just a sampling of the nearly three dozen songs with “good questions” theme. Where would we be without music? Don' have that answer but I'm guessing I don't want to know.

 It's finger poppin' time…time to have a blast with some breakout party rockers from the mid-century.  All for a good time with soul and roll and rhythm as the main course in today's show. It's all about those percussive rocking beats. Call it a party full of boogie, mojo, twistin' and shaking. We've lit the fuse for a dynamite celebration of rebellious rock and cool upbeat soul rhythms with the music of Freddy Cannon, The Swingin' Medallions, The Showstoppers and Ann Cole with an out of control party mix…just in time for our first show of May. KOWS Community Radio brings the fresh sounds of today, yesterday and tomorrow 24/7, with the very best of political and community discourse. You can tune us in on 92.5 FM in West Sonoma County or just drop by our stream on your Radio Rethink app, Alexa, Radio Garden, Tunein, or Radio Box. We're here for you and Deeper Roots will be pitching a wang dang doodle this coming Friday morning here on member-supported radio for planet Earth. 

This week‘s show brings us echoes of resistance from the past because there's a storm brewing, stirring from the louder voices of people recognizing that fascism has settled in. People in this country are getting organized around a common anger that democracy and freedom is being taken from them. The political fortification led by Republican leadership co-opted by white nationalism and support for the gestapo tactics must be held in check and the voices of the ballot box will be the final determination; that is, if there is time. Music this week features Roy Zimmerman, Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and a whole host of sounds from the past century whose musical voices raged when fascism and autocracy attempted to take hold. Money is the root of this evil, make no mistake. There is always hope, however, and we need to be here for each other while practicing self-care with family and friends. The storm clouds are now above us and it's up to all of us. Now. Not later.

From a song about dirty little religions to a song about Joanie the Jehovah Witness Stripper, we'll be going all out from up and down with genre celebrations from the past century where music reflects the inspiration from church on Sunday mornings following the barroom sinners of Saturday night. This week's Deeper Roots takes a bit of a free form shuffle featuring Bo Diddley, The Ramones, Johnny Mercer, and a whole host of rhythm makers. Performances this morning will span some covers from Chris Smither, David Lindley and an answer song from Barbara Lewis. KOWS radio wants to thank all of you who came out to the Comedy fundraiser at Barrel Proof Lounge last week. It was a great success for us and also a validation of community radio here in the North Bay. KOWS is free form, free speech, no bull community radio; just the kind of thing we need in a country gone mad with lies, deceit and hate. There is always hope. Tune into your radio voice, any time of the day or night. We'll always welcome you.!

 Every year about this time there's a quick burst of blossom, a promise of renewal and that first pitch of the national pastime. I don't know about you but it's my favorite time of year, a time when winter's cold is shut down and we've got that Spring Fever. This week's show will take time out for a couple sets celebrating and remembering baseball's past through music with the likes of The Treniers, Danny Kaye, and Dr. John with some early rapping from Mel Allen of all people. And that's just the half of it because the fever goes beyond the diamond: we'll share songs of April love with Shirley Jones, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White with Perez Prado, Nina Simone, Martha Tilton, and a run of classic country with Johnny Horton, Sons of the Pioneers and the Sons of the San Joaquin. From stickball to kite-flying to the first frisbees of the year in the local park. Let's get away from it all. 

The downstream wave of sounds that flooded the charts seemed endless in the year 1960. As was exhibited in last week's Deeper Roots exhibition of ‘also rans' from that year, it was a very, very crowded field. That field was spread far and wide across genres and levels of production, songwriting and performance quality. We take on that same strata this week in the show. More teen crushes, tragedies, soulful exchanges and instrumentals that bore earworms galore. That's what we've got in store with performances from Fats to Jackie, Smokey to Etta, the Burnette Brothers and Ricky, Dean Martin, Freddie King and Linda Laurie…all giving it their all and doing their very best to crawl to the top of their respective charts. We're getting ready for a wild Sunday night here in Santa Rosa, celebrating KOWS Community Radio at the Barrel Proof Lounge in downtown Santa Rosa. Hope you can make today's Deeper Roots show and Sunday's benefit!

 We're at it again! Excavations below the crust of some pretty simple-minded teenage pap that seemed to occupy the Billboard Top 100 in the year 1960. Marketers had found the right blend of country, rhythm, pop, sentimentality and rock and this led to a churning out of as much and as they could as fast was possible. The result was a mixed bag:  quantity over quality in most cases. We call it spit-balling these days. We'll dig into the substrate of popular music that did not make the Top 40, and in some cases, the Top 100. We'll hear from Wanda Jackson, Billy Bland, Donnie Brooks, Johnny Preston, Esther Phillips, and a few dozen others in this week's show. Not withstanding what we do here, we have to consistently remind ourselves of the classic Tony Soprano quote: “'Remember when' is the lowest form of conversation.” So, we're mining for the ones we don't necessarily remember. And the big news? It's a rare two-parts-over-two-weeks extravaganza. Hope you can join in 

Spring is knock-knock-knocking…and our Supreme Court is push-push-pushing back on the idea of Emperor Grandpa McFuddlepants. And why not? They created it. But here, we're busy painting the town with hope and there's a sense that there's something in the air as this week's show leans on the fabric of Americana sounds to get us through yet another week of hate speech from Pennsylvania Avenue. We'll apply an salve of sweet sounds from Jerry Garcia, Jackie Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Billie Holiday, and that late local luminary and bard about town Dan Hicks in this week's show. It's a free form dance we're taking on so I hope you make time or, if you can't catch us live on KOWS, you can catch up on our archives posted on Podomatic at https://deeperroots.podomatic.com

There's an echo in the well of Americana and it reverberates from tradition and some of the early songsmiths and blues masters who delivered the blues proper through the depths of the past century of America's music. We'll be pulling some of the classic blues covers of songs composed by just a small collection of the great blues masters: Charley Patton, Muddy Waters, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Blind Blake and beyond in this week's episode. There is seldom enough time to make a dent in only two hours but we'll do our best with covers from some of the inheritors like BB King, Carl Perkins, Bob Dylan, Jorma Kaukonen and a couple dozen others. We're excavating some deeper roots this week and then tilling the airwaves with freshly turned songs of the earth; a landscape of blues cutting a deep swath across the musical landscape of the past 100 years. Celebrating blues and those who brought it home this week on KOWS Community Radio. 

Put another nickel in that nickelodeon ‘cause rhythm saved the world. This week on Deeper Roots we're spinning up songs about the jukebox, hit records, little bitty records, disc jockey pleas, and swinging syncopated rhythms from across the past century. That's right, we're taking a trip across ninety years featuring jazz from Jimmie Lunceford, country from the Sons of the Pioneers, gospel from the Chuck Wagon Gang, and swinging send-ups from Louis Armstrong, NRBQ, Slim Gaillard, and The Sensations. Well, you can also count on more from the usual suspects in this week's thematic celebration of the very best of Americana. Whether that's reaching out to the jukebox, the DJ or that record hawker…we've got two hours of rhythm here on KOWS Community Radio. Spend your time with music, not your hard earned dough on this day of resistance.

We're revisiting a show from 2019 and it just happens to be our first show in the new Santa Rosa studios. It is one that celebrates that Old Chisholm Trail and other prairie passages that resemble all things that follow those romantic icons whose life on the range was less than what their songs usually embellish. In the western sunsets where John Lomax first went out in search of the ‘cowboy song', we'll explore more enlightened performances from the silver screen to the deep folk traditions that have become so laminated with romance that it's hard to see the images beneath. This week's show will take us from Carl T. Sprague, the original cowboy crooner, to Johnny Horton, Fess Parker, Rex Allen, and Roy Rogers. The music is sometimes sappy (Rick Nelson's My Rifle, My Pony, and Me), sometimes light (Roy Rogers' My Chickashay Girl), and other times full of storytelling and history. So many performances to light up the evening sky…just before dusk…just before that ceiling of stars appears in the night sky.

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.

 He was a member of Nashville's A-Team. He invented the electric guitar ‘fuzz' effect by accident in a Marty Robbins recording session. He played on some of the most recognizable hit songs and landmark albums; not just country but rock, soul, folk, country rock and released some jazz guitar albums of his own. You can hear his work day in and day out: the Spanish-style acoustic work on Marty's El Paso, the opening and unforgettable lick on Roy Orbison's Oh Pretty Woman, plus dozens upon dozens more. He was one of the most sought after session men in the industry. Oh, and his jazz work with Mancini, Hirt and Fountain were followed by a gig as session leader for Vanguard Records' album releases of Joan Baez, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Country Joe. If there's a word that goes a step beyond prolific, it describes Grady Martin. Join us for a show that celebrates the legend. 

A sleepy time themed collection this week as we take a deep dive into classic sounds from the past and present, all with a blend of sentiments we hold close as midnight approaches. We'll have some old doo wop and early rock chestnuts from Jesse Belvin, The Fleetwoods, The Valentines and The Spaniels with just the right amount of rock, R&B and country. That means a little bit of Fats Domino, some rockabilly from Charline Arthur and Sonny Burgess, middling pop from Doris Day, Jimmy Durant and Dean Martin in store. Little Jimmy Dickens, Milton Brown and Swamp Dogg will also fill the air with country and blues. Friday mornings are the time to tune in for a fresh dose of America's music from the past 100 years hear on KOWS-LP, Occidental, streaming to all of Planet Earth on kowsfm.com/listen. Be sure to install the Radio Rethink app on your Apple device and look us up. We'd be glad to have you.

It was without question a natural progression. All of the attributes that country inherited from gospel, blues, and jazz resulted in what amounted to competition in the charts (and in some mid-century cultural clashes). Although The Beatles had suggested a kinship with mid-sixties tributes to Buck Owens and Chet Atkins, the only comfortable way to make the marriage work was to have it come from other directions…specifically from cultural prods of Nudie suits, coupled with folk and country nudges, and the inevitable respect for the music. Gram Parsons' influence on the late sixties rise of something they called ‘country rock' is easy to find but Dylan's John Wesley Harding album from 1968, The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and Leon Russell's alter-ego Hank Wilson opened the doors to a sound that swept the charts. We'll hear some originals, covers, and a whole lot more in this week's Deeper Roots. Hope y'all can join us.

While we often touch on the contemporary songs of our own and subsequent generations in the show, we also like to drill into the performers and sounds that contributed to our musical heritage. The foundation of America's music is not just a single flavor. It is a melting pot of many from all corners: the British Isles, the African continent, the islands of the Caribbean, and points south and north. The resulting harmonies, topics, and musical celebrations have further woven themselves into the fabric of our culture. This week's show leans on some pieces that were suggested by a listener and this allowed me to take liberties when digging a bit deeper for the show. We'll hear from Pete Seeger, The Million Dollar Quartet, Buck Owens, Alison Krauss and Mississippi Fred McDowell. We'll also take in the American Songbag's In The Pines and then proceed down the river and over the hill in the show this week.