Deep Tracks

In what was originally intended to be a single episode on the three Founding Mothers of Rockabilly--Janis Martin, Wanda Jackson, and Brenda Lee--this is being released as "Part 1" in which we'll visit the story of Janis Martin and half of Wanda Jackson's. These women were breaking boundaries long before Madonna or Courtney Love, and have continued to rock even up 'til today. You can't listen to this episode and not come away a fan of these women.

Wrapping up our coverage of Sam Phillips' cadre of rock pioneers, we will look at the last two artists to come out of that cohort: Roy Orbison and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, other than recording with Sun Records, these two men had almost nothing else in common. One was a reluctant rocker pining for a career recording soulful ballads, while the other was an impulsive-yet-repressed sex addict who lived a life filled with equal parts pleasure and guilt.

After selling Elvis' contract to RCA, Sam Phillips could turn his attention to other artists he'd signed, all who were just as hungry and talented as Elvis. This episode we'll cover two of those artists: Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. We'll be talking about overcoming trials and coping with tragedies--you won't just be informed: you'll be inspired!

Moral outrage and outright racism ignite the explosive reactions to Elvis' performance of "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle Show.

Col. Parker had his sights set on country artists as his ticket to big money. After somewhat reluctantly allowing a young punk kid named Elvis Presley to tag along on his most recent Hank Snow tour, Parker soon came to realize that this kid was the "white whale" he'd been searching for all along. Everything would change in a concert in Jacksonville, Florida, after Elvis announced to the women in the audience, "Girls, I'll see you all backstage."

The man known as "Colonel" Tom Parker would be arguably the most impactful thing to happen to Elvis Presley. Being accused of both creating and destroying the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Parker is a controversial figure in rock history. Add to that his own mysterious and murky personal past, and you've got a juicy topic for a rock history episode. So, buckle up as we take this "side quest" into Parker's origin story before diving back into where we left off with Elvis!

Elvis achieves success in his collaboration with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black! The trio find their recordings of "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky" dominating the airwaves! But, what comes next...?

Last episode we left off with Elvis' family leaving their familiar surroundings in Tupelo, Mississippi for the big city life in Memphis, Tennessee. This episode we'll pick up where we left off and see him make his first recordings with Sun Records!

Kicking off Season 3 of Deep Tracks we explore the birth of the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself, Alan Greenspan! Okay, just kidding, we're gonna be FINALLY diving into the life of Elvis Presley! But, in order to lay some groundwork for the launch of his career, we also have to talk about the people who helped make that happen. So, this episode will also feature "minisodes" about Dewey Phillips and Sam Phillips. Then we look at the birth of Elvis, his childhood in Tupelo, leaving off when his family is just about to make the move that would change their lives forever, to Memphis, Tennessee...

Today we're going to talk about two of early rock's "nice guys": Pat Boone and Dick Clark. Seeking to balance the controversy with their own brand of "squeaky clean" rock 'n' roll, Boone and Clark became a huge cultural influence on teens, teen culture, and even the teen market, during the 1950s. This is the final episode of Season 2! Next season will kick off with the story of...The King: Elvis Presley. So don't miss this thrilling episode and, more importantly, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the launch of Season 3!

In an effort to not only promote rock but also defend it, Alan Freed helped spearhead the production of three rock 'n' roll-themed films that came out in the mid-1950s: "Rock Around the Clock," "Don't Knock the Rock," and "Rock, Rock, Rock!" In this episode, we take a look at these movies, make some smart-sounding commentary, and even riff on them a la MST3K. It's a bit academic and a bit campy, but it's all deep... (see what I did there? "deep" as in "Deep Tracks"? Cool, right?)

In this action-packed episode we tackle the life of early rock's most influential and notorious DJ, Alan Freed--the very man credited with giving the genre its name!

"The road can be hard on a kid if he's not careful." Those words, uttered by Bill Haley, were perhaps more prescient than he probably realized. This is last half of my interview with his son, Bill Haley Jr. This is also the third part of a sort of 3-part "mini-series" I did on Bill Haley's early life, career, and rise to fame, so if you missed the last couple episodes, I recommend going back and listening to them. Down the road we'll revisit Bill Haley and the Comets to see where they end up after they've been "dethroned" as the kings of rock by Elvis and Buddy Holly, but until then, enjoy the story of their ascendency (because all good things must come to an end...)

The saga of Bill Haley continues! In this episode, you'll get a better idea of why I used the Bill Haley quote--"The road can be hard on a kid if he's not careful"--as my title for my Bill Haley episodes. Last episode was a primer on Haley's life that prepped us for both this episode and the next one in which I interview his son, Bill Haley Jr., who wrote a book about his father entitled "Crazy, Man, Crazy," published by Backbeat in 2019.

Before Little Richard, before Chuck Berry, there was... Bill Haley! Prepare to dive into the story of the man who was arguably the first who could claim the title of "rock star." This episode is a primer/overview of Bill Haley's early life and career in preparation for the next two episodes in which I interview his son, Bill Haley, Jr.! Don't miss it, and be sure to be back for that interview!

In this second, thrilling music theory episode, I am once again joined by my clones to talk about song forms and how they were used in early rock music! In addition to discussing various song forms, we of course cover the related topics of phrases and, perhaps most important within early rock, 12-Bar Blues! Buckle up for some fun "shop talk" as we discuss the "nuts and bolts" of "music"! Wait, I don't know why I "music" in quotes. Whatever! Enjoy!

The next segment in the wild journey of Little Richard's life: he finally comes into his own in the studio, "Tutti Frutti" becomes a smash hit, and Earl Palmer almost accidentally solidifies the backbeat as THE heartbeat of rock 'n' roll. It's gonna be fun!

Little Richard often referred to himself as the "Architect of Rock 'n' Roll," but there's a great quote in which he said, "Elvis may be the King of Rock 'n' Roll, but I'm the Queen." That being said, I know the title of this episode may be confusing since Tina Turner was also often referred to as "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll." However, the quote from which this episode's title comes not only captures a lot of Little Richard's personality, but also an aspect of his life that he vacillated over as he sometimes embraced his sexual orientation and other times tried to reject it. And because this aspect of his life affected so much his decisions he made and the lyrics he wrote (or rather, tried to write before being edited by record producers) I felt it apropos to use the appellation here for him, rather than for Tina. But don't worry, all you Tina Turner fans out there, I'll give her her due when we encounter her again in our narrative of Rock's story! For now, enjoy the wild ride that was Little Richard's life...

In this thrilling episode we look at the blues roots of rock music! Some of the artists discussed are Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, and of course W.C. Handy.

The clones are back! This is the first in a new series of episodes I'll be sprinkling throughout the show that are focused on different concepts in music theory. This one tackles chord progressions, and specifically touches on the "Doo-Wop progression" that is associated with Doo-Wop music (a genre that we will be covering at some point in our regular, historical narrative). I bring in Beta Doug and Gamma Doug to help me present the material in what I hope is an engaging and illuminating way, so, hopefully it's both enjoyable and informative!

At long last, we tackle Chuck Berry! In this episode we focus on his life story and on his lyrics. You also get to experience my new segue music. That alone is worth the listen...

In this episode we focus primarily on the life and career of Fats Domino, but of course meander through the stories of several other interesting musical figures such as B.B. King and Ike Turner, not to mention we look at what is considered by most to be the first rock 'n' roll song: "Rocket 88." We also talk about boogie-woogie, jump blues, and an ant crawling across a piano keyboard during my youth...

The title says it all: this episode is about sex, record charts, and early rock music. More specifically, we're going to be talking about sexual innuendo within hokum blues and other forms of music, how this impacted people's perception of black music in general, how that would carry over into perceptions surrounding rock's birth, and finally about record charts, crossovers, and covers. There are also a couple of really bad puns in this episode. I regret nothing.

Rock was born alongside youth culture in the U.S. and the two of them informed and fueled each other. The invention of the American teenager and the national anxiety over juvenile delinquency would impact how the first generation of rockers would make their decisions, how they would be viewed and treated, and in some cases even define their legacies. This episode focuses in on that one factor surrounding rock's birth: the rise of youth culture. And we do this by analyzing three movies that came out in the 1950s: "The Wild One," "Rebel Without a Cause," and "Blackboard Jungle."

We take a deep dive into the business side of music! I speak with the genius behind Green Room Strategy, John Lucchetti! We talk about things like talent management, promotion, branding, Alan Parsons and the Alan Parsons Project, plus tons of other stuff! There's lots of great info in here for aspiring musicians, up-and-coming bands, or even just folks who are curious about the "man behind the curtain" in the music industry.

An overview of our timeline so far, focusing on the connective tissue between styles/genres/musical cultures, and what elements are there in the music that would contribute to rock's birth. To prevent it from getting too dry, I invited my clone back into Deep Tracks Studio to cover the material with me. A surprise guest shows up at the very end.

We explore two rhythm & blues icons who had a huge impact on early rock: Elmore James and Bo Diddley! Both men were fantastic craftsmen with not only their music but even their instruments, both of them being famous tinkerers who developed new designs for guitars and louder amps. We also spend a little time on Ike and Tina Turner, plus I've included some great bloopers at the very end (for those who listen to the whole episode ;)

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!

Wanna know what to expect in Deep Tracks In Rock History?  Listen to this!  

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...?   

I've cloned myself!  This episode is a brief overview of my approach and what to expect in this podcast, plus a few other, random tidbits.  It figured it would be dry to just talk about it, so I went ahead and cloned myself and then interviewed my clone.  You can check it out to get a taste of things to come, or just dive right in to Episode 1!

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!