Here we go, into the "Middle of the Road" with Chrissie Hynde and her band, The Pretenders. That's the great Martin Chambers on drums, an original member of the group.
Category: Music
Lute 66
Here's something you've probably never seen: a jazzy version of Bobby Troup's "Route 66" that features a lute. The hot picking is by Peter Autschbach, and the singing is by Lucy Wende.
Cruising with Nelson Riddle
Power's still out here in the heart of Route 66 country, and I'm using a library computer because the Wi-Fi connection here isn't working. In the meantime, here's something to tide you over for a day or so. This is Nelson Riddle's "Route 66" theme, which was commissioned for the "Route 66" television show, that … Continue reading Cruising with Nelson Riddle
“Lost Highway”
Bon Jovi goes country and records "Lost Highway," which bears no resemblance to the classic by Hank Williams except the title. And you know what? It's a dang good road tune.
“Wait for Me”
Bob Seger has written many songs about the open road, or at least evoke that feeling, during a long and distinguished career in rock 'n' roll. Here's a fairly new one:
“Chicago”
For over a decade, I wrote weekly music reviews for a newspaper in Illinois. In 2005, I heard a mighty buzz about folk-rocker Sufjan Stevens and his album, "Illinois." There was a lot of interest in the project, partly because Stevens has vowed to record an album inspired by each of the 50 states. Michigan … Continue reading “Chicago”
“Many a Long and Lonesome Highway”
Here's a song from 1990 by country-rocker Rodney Crowell. In addition to being a successful singer and songwriter, he was a former son-in-law to Johnny Cash. That had to make for interesting family gatherings.
Look out for the smokeys
If you're out cruising Route 66, make sure you keep your speed down. That's Junior Brown -- and his combination electric guitar and steel guitar -- providing the note of caution.
Programming note
A few of you may have noticed more music videos being posted in recent days. We're sliding into the slow winter season at Route 66 News. So I've decided to track down as many road-related songs as possible on YouTube and Google Video, and post them when there's not much to report from the Mother … Continue reading Programming note
Both sides now
Scott Leitner of Athos Video Productions has posted two very good videos that were inspired by the "Cars" movie to YouTube. Made about 18 months ago, they originally were big Windows Media files that took a few minutes to download before viewing. YouTube files are more user-friendly. Here is his moving video of declining landmarks … Continue reading Both sides now