Deep Tracks

Here is the second half--the thrilling conclusion--to Episode 7 (which, you might remember, I decided to split into two parts because it was getting to be so long). In this Part 2, we finish off Muddy Waters' story and examine Howlin' Wolf's. We also talk briefly about Mad Max and Tina Turner...

I couldn't contain everything about Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Chess Records in just one episode.  So, while editing this episode, I decided to divide it into two parts.  Part one deals with the beginnings of Chess Records as well as Muddy Waters.  Part two will pick up where we leave off with Muddy's story and then tell Howlin' Wolf's story.  It's a lot of great music and great stories, so it's guaranteed to also be great listening!

In this episode, I interview Ma and Pa Deep Tracks!  They were teens/young adults during the time of rock's birth, so they saw firsthand many of the events and cultural changes we're examining in this show.  There's a lot to unpack in this episode that I left untouched for now, but rest assured I will certainly be tackling many of the things we discussed in future episodes.  

The birth of the disc jockey--the ultimate "song plugger."  Plus!  The story of how radio and the recording industry first started dating, eventually got married, had a kid named "Payola," and then retired in Florida... Okay, forget the Florida part.  But the rest of it's true (metaphorically).

We're taking a break from our timeline for a couple episodes to do some world-building!  Thus, this episode is something of a "gumbo" of information: we'll look at the history of music printing, publishing, Tin Pan Alley, the invention of radio and television, as well as the early history of the recording industry.  I even share with you some tips and tricks used by my 12-year-old self to come up with names for my very own superheroes...

In this epic installment of Deep Tracks in Rock History I interview the founder and CEO of Craftsman Creative, Daren Smith!  Daren has an impressive and diverse background in music, sound, and film, and brings to the table a lot of great insight on the creative process and fantastic advice on monetizing one's creativity.  We talk about all kinds of things, including brief forays into jazz and even the movie Gattaca!  It's not to be missed!

In this thrilling episode we talk about Hank Williams, Roy Acuff, Hawaiian slide guitar, and tribbles (as in "Trouble with...").  This is where country music and western music finally merge to become Country Western, and the seeds are planted for rock's country heritage.  

So far in the show we've spent some time exploring Rock's ancestry on the Blues side of its musical family tree.  In this episode we begin our exploration of the roots of Rock's Country & Western heritage.  The topics we cover include the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, yodeling, modal harmonies, and, briefly, the Blues Brothers, and...Captain Planet...?   

In this episode we talk about field hollers, minstrel shows, the Devil, "Adventures in Babysitting"... all kinds of things!  It's the birth of the blues, baby!

Before we talk about the birth of rock, we need to examine its pedigree.  In this episode, we look at the African roots of rock: the musical traditions of the African slaves, musical elements like "call and response," spirituals, syncopation, lyrics with hidden meanings--all of it!