AMERICAN GROOVES RADIO HOUR hosted by JOE LAURO

Back when sentimental songs were not taboo in pop music there were 100s of mother songs recorded by top Country, blues, Jazz and pop performers from JIMMIE RODGERS, THE CARTER FAMILY, BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON, RILEY PUCKETT to FRANKIE HALF PINT JAXON, SOPHIE TUCKER, EARL McDONALD'S JUG BAND AND  AL JOLSON!  Quite a variety. Tune in and here a some of the best!

Having a show on Sunday makes this episode even more appropriate!. Explore some of the most moving Gospel, Sanctified and Sacred recordings of the pre-war era....If they had music like this in MY church when I was growing up I'd probably be a minister today! From Arizona Draines, Blind Gary (Davis), Sister Callie Fancy and the elusive Elder Harris ( traveling fiddle playing preacher) and Willie Mae Williams  tune in and be moved!

THE POST WW1 MIGRATION FROM THE SOUTH TO THE NORTH BROUGHT  WITH IT MANY GREAT BLUES AND JAZZ SINGERS. IN THE 1920S CHICAGO BECAME A MECCA OF RECORDING ACTIVITY WHERE YOUNG LOUIS ARMSTRONG ( WITH KING OLIVER), EARL HINES AND MANY OTHERS GOT THEIR START - ON THIS EPISODE HEAR SOME GREAT JAZZ, BLUES AND GOSPEL RECORDINGS ALL WAXED IN THE WINDY CITY CIRCA 1923-34.

NO OTHER PERFORMER EVER HAS BEEN THE NUMBER 1 BOX OFFICE ATTRACTION, NUMBER 1 RECORD SELLER AND NUMBER ONE RADIO STAR ALL AT THE SAME TIME!  HERE ARE SOME OF BING CROSBY'S EARLIEST RECORDINGS WHEN HE WAS STILL MAKING HIS WAY TO THE TOP! YOU WILL HEAR HIM WITH THE RHYTHM BOYS, PAUL WHITEMAN ORCHESTRA, GUS ARNHEIM ORCHESTRA AND HIS EARLIEST SOLO DISCS FOR BRUNSWICK RECORDS

From THE CASTLE WALK in 1914 to "TRUCKIN" in the mid-1930's various dance crases, with varing degrees of popularity were the subject of Jazz and Blues recordings - Hear the original GEORGIA GRIND, BLACK BOTTOM and more - Joe presents Jazz Scholar and fellow collector RUSS SHOR to join in on the program

Rare recordings and information on some of the earliest and most influential country artists to record - from Jimmie Rodgers to The Carter Family and many more

The voices of the African American actors, actresses and performers who where seen in early Hollywood films. Did you know that Academy Award winner Hattie McDaniel ( GONE WITH THE WIND) was a Blues Singer ala Bessie Smith before making films? ..and that films were made specifically for Americans' black audiences featuring  some of the top African-American Vaudeville and Jazz performers of the day. Tune in and hear some of the best

An hour of tunes we love from the 1910s-1930s with focus on some totally cool  songs of spring!

My birthday was April 7th..in thinking about what that Sunday's show could be  I explored the zillions of songs about a man named JOE! - zillions of them- thus this episode!

From Rosetta Crawfords' STOP IT JOE, Louis Armstrong  LITTLE JOE, Butterbeans & Susie's UNCLE JOE and Stuff Smith's OLD JOE's HITTING THE JUG the songs of Joe abound!

The music of American immigrants who arrived on our shores in the 1880s-1920s - Original recordings of Chinese, Cajun, Yiddish, Italian, Irish newly American Immigrants..and also some Creole musicians recorded in Paris in the 1920s - the true ROOTS OF THE ROOTS! all  transferred specifically for this episode and from original 78s in Joe's collection