Chico Schwall and his American Roots project pays tribute to 2 American masters: Uncle Dave Macon (Dave Harrison Macon, 1870-1952) and Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915-73). Uncle Dave Macon, also known as "The Dixie Dewdrop", got his start early, learning banjo from a vaudeville clown, which he used to entertain guests at his mother's Tennessee hotel and then folks he met at stops on his mule hauling freight company. In 1921 when motor freight drove wagon carriers out of business he went professional, became the first star of the Grand Old Opry and a prolific recording artist with a repertoire of old songs and new, all with his irreverent stamp and lively musicality. Rosetta Nubin (1915-73), was born in Arkansas to an evangelist in the Church of God in Christ and at 6, as Little Rosetta Nubin, joined her mother as a regular in her traveling evangelists troupe. They eventually settled in Chicago as permanent members of the Church there. The rest is history! She began performing in the Church and beyond as Sister Rosetta Tharpe (adopting a variation of her first husband's name) and created a passionate, lively, plugged-in version of gospel music and just may have invented rock and roll.