Early Boss

Someone's posted audio of a very early performance of the Bruce Springsteen Band performing "Route 66" -- before he had a record deal, before he formed the E Street Band. The sound quality from this 1971 show is bad, but I did recognize Bruce's guitar right off the bat during the solo. The YouTube clip includes photos … Continue reading Early Boss

Music where you find it

Charles Hazlewood takes a trip down the Mother Road and searches out music where he can find it. Hazlewood is an award-winning British conductor. He's a bit cheeky, but there's no denying his enthusiasm.

From Texas via Canada

The Tone Dogs are based in Canada, but play what they call "Texas rock 'n' blues." Here's their take of Bobby Troup's most well-known song.

Hello from Germany

Here's a jazzier take of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" by the Germany-based Stevie Woods & The Voyagers. Woods scored a Top 30 hit in the early 1980s with "Steal the Night" as an R&B singer. He later relocated to Germany. Here's his big hit:

“Black Top”

Bob Hood, a singer and songwriter based in England, wrote this tune. I'll let Bob explain the story behind the song: I wrote this one early on in 2010. I intended to write a song about Neil Young driving down from Chicago to LA, but ended up writing about the people who live and love … Continue reading “Black Top”

Music duo embarking on partial Route 66 tour

The Nashville-based duo Jeff and Vida are going on a partial Route 66 tour this month to promote their new album, "Selma Chalk." Jeff Burke and Vida Wakeman, who are husband and wife, play all-acoustic music that's described as bluegrass, old country and Americana. Four supporting musicians are part of the band. According to their … Continue reading Music duo embarking on partial Route 66 tour

Swing time

Here's a fresh arrangement of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" by the Beantown Swing Orchestra. UPDATE: The video has been removed. However, one of the band's members directed me to another of its performances of this tune: https://youtu.be/jvi5z-LO7Vs