On the Record: Deke Dickerson Interview

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: dekedickerson.com
Preorder the Merle Travis Biography set to be released May of 2022:
Sixteen Tons: The Merle Travis Story www.amazon.com/dp/1947026585/...
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

[@NYCBluesTRio]

God bless Deke Dickerson!

[@AskZac]

Fabulous interview with Deke. I have been a Deke fan for years, and have enjoyed both his music and his wonderful written work. Can't wait to read the Travis bio. Great job, Cody.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you so much! Such an awesome compliment from someone who does such fantastic interviews!! And I’m right there with you - I cannot wait for the Travis bio either!

[@JackTheSkunk]

Very informative interview!! I loved it. Never was much of a Travis fan, but I know he influenced a young Chet Atkins. Saw Bresh in Nashville a few times at the Chet festival and really enjoyed his pickin' and his yarns. 😅

[@lincolndickison4905]

The pride of Columbia, MO (my home town also).

[@mikekohn5674]

Nice job, Deke!

[@dalekeys5963]

I am reading the Merle Travis book and it is a page-turner. Just terrific, thanks for writing it.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Deke is a fantastic author -- he really did Merle's story justice.

[@portsideguitar1981]

Really enjoyed this Cody. I’m just discovering Deke and his work and loved this from top to bottom. Thanks to you and Deke for taking the time to put this together. Great tune at the end!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thanks so much! If you're just discovering Deke, you're in for a real treat. The deeper you dive, the cooler he gets! I would definitely encourage you to also check out Deke's new KZbin series, I believe it's called something like "I Like Vinyl Records." He does some pretty neat stuff on there related to, as you might have guessed, collecting records. Haha. Thanks again for watching.

[@georgepavlov3350]

Great interview Kid,I’ve been a fan of Deke since I first seen him on The Bakersfield Sound about 10 yrs ago with those guys out of Bakersfield California and The Great Red Simpson

[@TheFeelButton]

Really enjoyed this interview! Cheers Cody and Deke!!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!! I really enjoyed interviewing Deke!

[@kevinolear6717]

As always, a great interview! Thanks Cody.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!! I was so glad Deke and I were able to make this interview happen. I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time, and it was so awesome to finally get to meet him and shoot this!

[@mosriteflyinfingers9252]

This was a highly entertaining interview with detail-oriented questions!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!!

[@guitareveryone]

Great interview Cody!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!!

[@larrydickerson4645]

" If Anybodys being Honest "😅🤣🤣🤣😂😜

[@greglarry11]

Deke is very talented. To go along with all he has learned about the business is his natural talent as an entertainer.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Absolutely! Could not agree more. Deke is such a fantastic guy and performer!

[@belandthellend67]

Great great interview , this guy is easy and smart, you did well !

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!

[@anitadavideduo]

Cool!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!

[@mattdiel151]

Ilove this interview with deke Dickerson

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you! Deke made the interview super easy - he’s an incredibly interesting person! Haha.

[@stanbarnhart6677]

Thank you for your hard work. Very enjoyable to listen to. Hoping to get my hands on that book he wrote about Travis !

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you, and I’m glad you enjoyed it! Also, I’ve reserved my copy of the Travis book already, too!

[@JohnAnthonyPlaysMusic]

Great interview, man! You always do such a great job of letting your interviewees tell their stories. I didn't know Deke before this but look forward to digging into his catalog.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you so much for watching (and for that awesome compliment). I think you are really going to enjoy digging into all of Deke’s music and projects. He is amazing at pretty much everything he does!

[@runrig97]

Also check his KZbin channels, including his new "I Like Records" channel 🙂

[@botnakke2]

Great video!!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!

[@mikebottiaux5850]

I enjoy these one on one interviews with the Pro’s 👍

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you!!

[@mikebottiaux5850]

@@CodyJungGuitar Sorry Cody. I had to correct my comment, it’s these silly Smart Phones?

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Haha, no need to apologize! I understood what you were trying to say!

[@dennisleise5393]

Firstly, Cody--I just found you and let me tell you that you are a superb interviewer. Great questions, great back and forth and allowing the interviewee responses. This the first I've seen but I'll surely be giving the others some time as you've had some times with some greats. Secondly, I'm coming to Atlanta in a few weeks (Not music this time, but for the day gig with some possible idle time--got any guitar shops you can recommend getting out to?

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you so much for that awesome compliment! That’s such a wonderful thing to hear. I hope you enjoy the rest of the interviews/content! As far as guitar stores go, I have four that I’d say are worth checking out: 1. Maple Street Guitars: If you are into super high end acoustics (Santa Cruz, Collings, etc.) or any of the Collings electric stuff, definitely high up on the list. They also have great stuff like Fender, G&L, Eastman, etc. Awesome staff as well! 2. Atlanta Discount Music: This is one of those stores that never disappoints if you’re walking in with an open mind. Most of their business seems to land in the fun/weird pedal and amp world, but equally in the used/consigned/vintage guitar world. You never know what will be for sale when you walk in, but there’s always fun stuff. 3. Righteous Guitars: This is a PRS/“boutique” guitar player’s dream. Most of their stuff is custom shop and/or extremely high end gear. Be warned, they are appointment only right now. 4. Big House Guitars: This is an interesting store. They have used/vintage guitars and amps, as well as a vinyl record section. They are newer to the community, so you might walk and they have very little of interest to offer, or they might have something super awesome.

[@dennisleise5393]

@@CodyJungGuitar Man, you're the best. Digging into the other interviews--Met Richard Smith at the Merle Travis Thumbpicking competition years ago, he's amazing. Opened for and am acquaintance to Redd, looking forward to exploring the rest. Digging your thumbpicking (I'm a fellow thumbpicker), too! Atlanta Discount and Big House sound more my speed. In town 22-24 if you've got gigs anywhere, let me know. Cheers and thanks again!

[@howardowens721]

Really enjoyable and interesting interview.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you! Interviewing Deke was a ton of fun! I hope you got his new Merle biography!

[@howardowens721]

@@CodyJungGuitar I did. Signed, too.

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Very cool!

[@roberthdahlquist]

(Heart emoji)

[@CodyJungGuitar]

(Deke Emoji)

[@fleadoggreen9062]

What band is Deke associated with ? I loved the interview!

[@CodyJungGuitar]

Thank you! Deke has had several different fairly successful acts over the years. Right now he tours under his own name, but also as “Deke Dickerson and the Whippersnappers.” Check them out!

[@lincolndickison4905]

The Untamed Youth, The Dave and Deke Combo, his own name, his label Ecco-Phonic Records.

[@epicxld8527]

Bros my uncle he filled my aunts garage with wine bottles fire music tho

[@Route66Wanderer]

If anyone is honest, Deke is a mediocre singer at best and a mediocre guitarist. He has done absolutely nothing of note in music. No hit records, nada, zip, zilch! He doesn’t belong in the same breath of Redd Volkert or Brent Mason. What Deke excel’s at is marketing and through those skills, he was able to write a few thing’s. He’s not an author or great writer but he deserves a lot of credit for getting published.

[@geewillikers5342]

…. but tell us how you really feel.

[@beachidiot]

Deke I would drive to Ft. Wayne on a Tuesday night to see you n your band, 4 or 10 times a year.

[@timehealthfit1891]

You light up the room, want to be youtube friends?