Hey Everyone! The great Deke Dickerson was kind enough to sit down with me recently for an interview to discuss his incredibly unique career — and it came about in such a cool way!

In short, I woke up on a random Wednesday two weeks ago and checked my social media. When I did so, I saw an ad that said Deke Dickerson was playing in my town (Atlanta, Georgia) that Friday. Out of curiosity, I hopped on Deke’s website and saw that he had a few days off from shows, so I thought there might be a chance of him being available for an interview. A few hours later, I was hopping in the car and driving across town to Deke’s hotel room for this video!

I have been a fan of Deke Dickerson’s ever since I learned about who he was and what he did. Likewise, because of his incredibly interesting career, I had him on the list of folks I wanted to interview for this series from day one. So, when I saw an opportunity to get him on the channel, I wasted no time! We met up at the historic Hotel Clermont in Atlanta, Georgia (for those who know, you know).

Understandably, because we were in an old, historic hotel in the middle of the city, the video shooting conditions were not ideal, but that (I think) added to the charm of the experience. Couple that with Deke’s incredible hospitality and wonderful stories, and you’ve got a recipe for one of the best experiences a fan of this music could ask for!

Check Out Deke’s Website: https://dekedickerson.com

Preorder the Merle Travis Biography set to be released May of 2022:

Sixteen Tons: The Merle Travis Story https://www.amazon.com/dp/1947026585/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_D84WE3X03G3K9399D69F

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 - A "Normal" Workday

00:02:13 - The Business Model

00:04:36 - No Single Definition of Deke Dickerson

00:06:38 - "Alternative" Session Recording

00:08:49 - Deke's Recording Setup

00:10:27 - Film Scores

00:12:38 - Recording Other Musicians

00:13:20 - The Performing Deke Dickerson

00:14:22 - Approach to Touring

00:17:26 - Music Purist

00:19:53 - The Merle Travis Biography

00:23:28 - The Writing Process and Approach

00:26:40 - Fact Checking History

00:29:24 - Time Management

00:31:20 - Eddie Pennington

00:33:33 - Losing Our Musical Founders

00:36:11 - Don't Meet Your Heroes?

00:38:16 - Separating Art from the Artist

00:39:09 - Deke's "Brand"? The Traveling Collector

00:43:05 - Avoiding the Day Job

00:45:48 - Collecting Interesting Instruments

00:49:13 - The Stratotone in the Corner

00:52:21 - Advice for the Next Generation

00:55:40 - Credits and Performance