A popular American guitarist with respect for righteously pure retro sounds, Deke formed the midwestern hot-rod surf-punk band Untamed Youth at age 17 in his hometown of Columbia, Missouri. They released a total of eight full-length albums, toured in old hearses, and in 1991, Deke moved to Los Angeles and joined Dave Stuckey to form the "Hillbilly Power" act known as the Dave & Deke Combo, a fruitful twangin' partnership that yielded two albums and a much-touted 2005 reunion at major rockabilly festivals.