Born on August 4 1901, American Grooves celebrates the life and earliest music of the fabulous Louis Armstrong.

Songs of events, tragedies, politics and fads - all recorded while the events were unfolding 1929

With the use of the microphone in recording in 1925, the string bass was finally able to be recorded properly.

This episode presents some of the finest bassists of the 1920s-early 30s

Known as the "Big Bang" of Country Music the recording sessions that took place in July of 1927 in Bristol, Tennessee brought the world the likes of The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Alfred Karnes, the Baxter Brothers and many others.  A selection of these iconic recordings will be played and discussed.

There was no regular recording studio in New Orleans until after WWII but the major record labels periodically sent engineers, talent scouts and portable recording equipment to capture the songs of the local performers.  This episode will present some of the great New Orleans based Jazz bands, Blues singers, string bands and Cajun bands as well as other regional artists from as far away as Texas who were summoned to New Orleans to record.

From songs of great despair to songs of hope, the years of the great depression (1929-1937) were rich with topical, blues and tin pan alley songs reflecting the nations worries and optimism.  Some forgotten gems from this era will be played and discussed.

From Sara Carter to Ruth Etting, some of the great female voices of the mid 20's to early 30's era will be played and discussed in this episode.

Episode 1 will present a retrospective of things to come on the American Grooves radio Hour.  Some of Joe's favorite recordings are played as well as anecdotes about the performers and some collector "war stories".