Episode 3: Rock Meets Country

01/24/25 • 119 min

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.

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Episode 2: Over The Hill

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.

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Episode 4: Good Night's Sleep

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.