Mellow R&B from a broad spectrum of performers who made a mark in the decade or so that preceded rock 'n roll's infancy. Indeed, they participated in the birth of the form with a sound that included the vocal quartet, jump and swing, and an incessant beat that could not be ignored. We'll hear from the 'feisty females' of the day: Varetta Dillard, Blue Lu Barker, Big Maybelle, and Bernice Gooden right alongside Buddy Johnson's Orchestra, the Three Bits of Rhythm, The Cats & the Fiddle, and Luke Jones and the Orchestra. Deeper Roots digs into a collection of tracks, some familiar, some from so deep in the archives that the dust is part of the sound, on another Friday evening of American roots sounds for Sonoma County community radio.
