Deeper Roots Radio

Jump blues was the precursor to rock, emerging in post-war America. You can count Chuck Berry and Little Richard among those who were heavily influenced by jump blues. This lively and rhythmically driven music genre is characterized by the fusion of elements from jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues with a nod to big band. Urban migration led to this blending of musical styles and seemed to foster a faster and more electrified sound. Our show today zeroes in on some of the most influential

Our theme of ‘returning home’ explores not just the physical place but also a reflection of our identities, memories, and the tension between the past and the present. Returning to one's roots is often fraught with challenges and our understanding of home is deeply intertwined with our personal growth and the changing world around us. This week we’ll be pouring through memories and nostalgia to try to find the meaning of home. Thomas Wolfe’s “You Can’t Go Home Again” introduces characters

It’s theme time on a Friday morning in Sonoma County on Deeper Roots and we’ll take you pretty deep today, exploring songs of jubilation and celebration. Our theme revolves around the term ‘jubilee’ and it’s meaning, at least over the past century. While its etymology is centuries deep, with roots in the Old Testament and the Hebrew word ‘yobhel’ which refers to the ram’s horn which was sounded on the Day of Atonement, there are also the jubilee references to the freeing of slaves well into

From the cold grey light of dawn to some gospel coverage from Luther Dickinson, George Jones and The Golden Gate Quartet, Deeper Roots this week takes another pull at the thread of tapestry of the past century, once again celebrating America’s music. We’re in fine form, no doubt, because the players this week move from the ‘king of boogie’, John Lee Hooker, to one of the great contemporary songwriters, Iris DeMent. We’ll share a track from her latest album, one that ventures into the dark

Sweatin’ with the oldies…that’s all we can say. This week’s Deeper Roots focuses on both the vintage and the contemporary performances by women who took on the rockabilly mantle. While a male-dominated genre, particularly when the boys (and record companies) were chasing the next Elvis, gave us hundreds (thousands?) of gyrating hips and raw rock in the form of pounding piano, thrashing guitar and duck tails, there was barely enough room for the ladies. But we’ve made some room on this