Deep Roots Magazine

Deep Roots Magazine

Roots Music and Meaningful Matters

 
 

 

‘He Brought a Certain Level of Class to the Blues’: Remembering Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, 1930-2013

American music lost a giant with the passing of BOBBY 'BLUE' BLAND. Our tribute offers an overview of his career and a guide to his essential recordings.
by David McGee
 

 
 

‘Dad, I Think We Got One’ : Eddie Cochran and Jerry Capehart Craft A Seasonal Classic

EDDIE COCHRAN's manager and co-writer JERRY CAPEHART remembers the day he and Eddie, in search of a hit, wrote a certified seasonal classic, 'Summertime Blues'
by David McGee
 

 

 

Walt Disney, Surf Cartoon Pioneer

In 1937 WALT DISNEY produced the first animated surfing cartoon, HAWAIIAN HOLIDAY, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald and, in an influential star turn, GOOFY.
by David McGee
 

 
 

Pt. I: ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ & The Lost Punctuation Mark

What Americans hear when they listen to 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' is not anything like what the English peasants meant when they first sang this song more than 500 years ago. So claims best selling author ACE COLLINS.
by David McGee
 

 

 

Surf in Verse, 2021 Edition

Return to one of our most popular summer features, SURF IN VERSE, four evocative poems about the surf experience. This year's edition includes the oldest known surfing poem, THE SONG OF THE SURF, circa 1867, by ADAM LINDSAY GORDON
by David McGee
 

 
 

Hark the What? Ironies of a Beloved Carol

REV. MARK D. ROBERTS knows 'If you don’t want to tick people off, then don’t change the words of the hymns and carols.' As he explains, 'HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING' is a perfect example of this maxim.
by David McGee
 

 

 

The King Keeps Christmas Well

ELVIS made the most of the two Christmas albums he recorded in his lifetime, and RCA has made the most out of multitudinous repackagings.
by David McGee
 

 
 

In Vigorous Defense of the Maligned Pit Bull

Author BRONWEN DICKEY, daughter of the late JAMES DICKEY (Deliverance), is stepping up to defend a most maligned breed in her book PIT BULL: THE BATTLE FOR AN AMERICAN ICON. DUNCAN STRAUSS gets the lowdown.
by David McGee