As Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary, The Church Studio in Tulsa has opened a new exhibit exploring the Oklahoma music and musicians that traveled along America’s most famous highway.
“One for the Road: Oklahoma Music and Route 66” fills The Church Studio’s revolving exhibit wall and continues into newly developed exhibit space along the hallway. The exhibit traces the influence of Route 66 on jazz, blues, western swing, country, rockabilly, the Tulsa Sound and rock ‘n’ roll.
Route 66 did more than connect cities and towns. It created touring routes, introduced musicians to new audiences and allowed regional sounds to meet, blend and travel across the country.
“Route 66 opened up America to Oklahoma music, which had a profound impact on all forms of 20th-century music,” said Stanton Doyle, executive director of The Church Studio.
The exhibit features many of the Oklahoma musicians whose careers and influence were tied to that movement, including Woody Guthrie, Bob Wills, Wanda Jackson, Patti Page, Roger Miller, Roy Clark, Lowell Fulson and Leon Russell.
Visitors will discover how jazz musicians moved through Oklahoma’s clubs, theaters and ballrooms, how Wills carried western swing west from Tulsa, and how Dust Bowl migrants brought Oklahoma music and culture to California.
The exhibit also explores Oklahoma’s role in the development of rockabilly and the Bakersfield Sound, along with the migration of Tulsa musicians to Los Angeles during the 1960s and ’70s.
Russell was among those musicians who traveled west, becoming one of Los Angeles’ most sought-after session players and arrangers. In 1972, he returned to Tulsa and transformed a former church into a recording studio and creative home for Shelter Records.
That movement between Tulsa and Los Angeles helped carry the Tulsa Sound to a national audience and connected Oklahoma musicians with artists and collaborators across the country.
“The story of Route 66 is also the story of working musicians,” Doyle said. “The Mother Road helped artists reach new communities, exchange ideas and build careers. The incredible music scene Oklahoma enjoys today is still influenced by the artists who emerged during the heyday of Route 66.”
As Route 66 centennial celebrations continue across Oklahoma, the exhibit adds a musical perspective to the growing attention surrounding the Mother Road. From Tulsa, The Church Studio traces how Oklahoma artists, genres and cultural movements helped shape the highway’s legacy.
The exhibit was developed with contributions from Larry O’Dell, OKPOP, James Rhea and Anna Wilson. Design was created by Derald Riley and Annabel Acosta. Photographs are courtesy of the OKPOP Museum and the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The exhibit was made possible through the support of the Charles and Marion Weber Foundation, with special thanks to Julianah Abraham and Dr. Robert Pickering.
The Church Studio is at 304 S. Trenton Ave. in Tulsa, just a block from Route 66. For tour schedules, admission and visitor information, visit thechurchstudio.com.
The Church Studio is a renowned recording facility, museum and federally recognized nonprofit in Tulsa. The historic building was purchased by Leon Russell in 1972 and became the home of Shelter Records. It was later operated by Oklahoma music legend Steve Ripley.
Today, The Church Studio continues to support music makers through professional recording, educational programs, exhibits, artist grants and signature events, including Legacy Concerts, Tunes @ Noon and IN SESSION.
(Courtesy image of the “One for the Road: Oklahoma Music and Route 66” exhibit at Church Studio in Tulsa)