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Now on Public Radio: The Roots and Rhythms of Oklahoma Rock and Roll.

By Rich Fisher

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwgs/local-kwgs-847087.mp3

Tulsa, Oklahoma – On today's edition of our program, we hear from the ever-gregarious Steve Ripley, an Oklahoma music legend. He's known as both a recording artist and record producer --- and as the longtime leader of the celebrated Tulsa-based band, The Tractors. Ripley is now hosting and producing an all-new, 20-part radio series called "Oklahoma Rock and Roll," which is being heard on public radio stations all across the state. The show will debut on KWGS 89.5 HD-1 on Sunday night (July 5th) at 6pm. As Ripley tells our host Rich Fisher, "Oklahoma Rock and Roll" is about the Sooner State's integral role within the heritage of rock music. From people like Woody Guthrie and Charlie Christian to Wanda Jackson and The Collins Kids to Leon Russell and J.J. Cale, Oklahoma has fostered many a pivotal or even fundamental artist in the creation and development of rock and roll --- and who better than Ripley to guide us through such? Indeed, Ripley's own biography --- as culled from the official website for The Tractors --- refers to the City of Tulsa as that place "where R&B and country, New Orleans and Texas, swing and rock 'n' roll have historically met and prospered."