Fifty years ago today the first record to be called 'boogie woogie ' was cut in Chicago by Pinetop Smith. In this three-part series Francis Smith traces the development of boogie woogie from its roots in the blues of the Southern States, and discusses how it established itself in the 1920s, the reasons for the popular boom in the 1940s, and its influence on popular music. The programmes are illustrated with rare records from Francis Smith 's own collection. 1: Southern Roots featuring the pianists cow COW DAVENPORT, WILL EZELL, LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY and, of course, CLARENCE , PINETOP SMITH.