The country and gospel-music act The Oak Ridge Boys recently was named the inaugural musical ambassadors of the Route 66 Alliance and the Will Rogers Highway before a show in Tulsa. The group was presented with a certificate signed by Alliance co-founder Michael Wallis and Alliance executive director Ken Busby before the Oaks' show at … Continue reading Oak Ridge Boys named Route 66 Alliance musical ambassadors
Category: Music
Artist’s rendering unveiled for OKPOP museum in Tulsa
The Oklahoma Historical Society earlier this week unveiled an artist's rendering for the upcoming Oklahoma Museum of Pop Culture, aka OKPOP, in Tulsa, slated for a groundbreaking this fall. According to a news release: Nabholz Construction will construct OKPOP at 422 North Main Street in Tulsa, across the street from the Cain’s Ballroom, home of … Continue reading Artist’s rendering unveiled for OKPOP museum in Tulsa
Scenes from the Texas Route 66 Festival
Hundreds of Route 66 enthusiasts from all over America and several foreign countries descended on Shamrock, Texas, over the weekend for the Texas Welcomes the World Route 66 Festival. One longtime roadie said authors and artists stationed in the Shamrock Community Center were pleased with attendance, with several reporting strong sales. A focal point at … Continue reading Scenes from the Texas Route 66 Festival
Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad will headline Decades of Wheels opening
The upcoming Decades of Wheels museum in Baxter Springs, Kansas, will mark its opening in mid-October with a series of concerts, including 1960s and '70s rock acts Steppenwolf and Grand Funk Railroad. The Oct. 12-14 weekend also will feature country-rock acts Granger Smith and Reckless Kelly. a Texas rock act, Band of Heathens, and a … Continue reading Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad will headline Decades of Wheels opening
Music documentary about Springfield premieres this week
"The Center of Nowhere," a full-length documentary produced by roadie Dave Hoekstra about the rich musical history of Springfield, Missouri, will premiere at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Fox Theatre in downtown Springfield. Hoekstra, a former writer at the Chicago Sun-Times who's traveled and written about Route 66 extensively, told Ozarks Alive that Springfield's central location, relative … Continue reading Music documentary about Springfield premieres this week
J.J. Cale mural at Soul City Gastropub lightly vandalized
Someone lightly vandalized the large mural depicting late Tulsa musician J.J. Cale on the side of Soul City Gastropub & Music House in Tulsa, but the owner may not press charges against the offender. The offense probably should be described as "light" because it's not obvious. Someone wrote messages on the strings and sound hole … Continue reading J.J. Cale mural at Soul City Gastropub lightly vandalized
Belgium TV, radio crew traveling Route 66 this summer
A television and radio crew from the Belgium-based VRT radio and television network will be traveling Route 66 later this summer. Producer Guy De Pre and singer Gunther Neefs will arrive in Chicago on July 30 and finish their journey Aug. 20 in Santa Monica, California, as part of “Roots 66. Music from Chicago to … Continue reading Belgium TV, radio crew traveling Route 66 this summer
Former AC/DC singer gets his kicks
The rock-music world was abuzz last week when this video surfaced of former AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson showing up at Mick Fleetwood's restaurant in Maui, Hawaii, to sing "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" during a jam session. The song begins about the 1:40 mark after some chitchat: https://youtu.be/dCM4EspPBp4 The reason Johnson's performance caused … Continue reading Former AC/DC singer gets his kicks
Route 66 Dog Haus in Flagstaff changes hands
The Route 66 Dog Haus in Flagstaff, Arizona, best known for its role in key lines of The Eagles' signature hit "Take It Easy," recently swapped owners, but little else is changing. According to Flagstaff Business News, longtime owner Gary McElfresh sold the restaurant at 1302 Historic Route 66 to longtime Flagstaff resident Bill Unkovich. The new owner … Continue reading Route 66 Dog Haus in Flagstaff changes hands
New Emma-Lee music video features a lot of Route 66
Emma-Lee, a Canadian singer-songwriter, this week released a new video for her song, "Drivin'," that features a slew of Route 66 sites in the Southwest. https://youtu.be/lKoo0pKGZPc I saw locations in Tulsa; Tucumcari, New Mexico; Winslow, Arizona; Oatman, Arizona; Santa Monica, California; Adrian, Texas; Amarillo, Texas; along with Meteor Crater and Grand Canyon National Park, both … Continue reading New Emma-Lee music video features a lot of Route 66