Category: Music

Picking with Les Paul

Jazz singer Sonya Hensley performs "Route 66" with Les Paul. That Les Paul. This video is from a regular Monday night gig that Hensley and Paul have at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City. It sounds like Hensley is making up new lyrics on the spot. Watch Paul try to keep up with … Continue reading Picking with Les Paul

Sepia toned

Here's a video that's artificially "aged," with footage of Route 66 from Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. (No Kansas?) The music is "Route 66," as performed by the Nat King Cole Trio.

Riding on the freeway of love

Aretha Franklin's big hit from 1985 uses the freeway, aka interstates, as a metaphor. But the actual freeways shown in the music video don't look nearly as inviting as the footage of old Detroit cars. Also of note: That's Clarence Clemons, of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing saxophone. The song contains yet another reference … Continue reading Riding on the freeway of love

Blown away

Here's a nice slide show of scenes along Route 66. This YouTube video also is notable for Bruce Springsteen's live-in-concert version of "My Oklahoma Home," which is performed with Western swing flavor by The Sessions Band. The song comes from Springsteen's new DVD, "Live in Dublin," which is also available in CD form.

Report from Rock ‘N Rods festival

The Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph has filed a story about the Rock 'N Rods on Route 66 festival in town this weekend. There's not much Route 66 content; it's mostly about vintage cars and how they're modified. I also took note that among the musical entertainment are The Blasters and Commander Cody and the Lost Planet … Continue reading Report from Rock ‘N Rods festival

See it before they take it down

In the past week, someone posted on YouTube the performance by Randy Newman and James Taylor of "Our Town" during the 2007 Academy Awards. The Oscar-nominated song came from the hit animated movie, "Cars." You'd better watch this while you can. The Academy had inexplicably banned YouTube from posting performances of songs during the telecast. … Continue reading See it before they take it down

“Route 66” remix

Here's  a video for a remix of Depeche Mode's version of "Route 66." The footage is all over the place, but it's well-produced. There also is a clip near the end of the song's original composer, Bobby Troup, performing.

Asleep at the Wheel not feeling drowsy

Last year, I had a YouTube video of Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel performing Bobby Troup's "Route 66." YouTube took it down some months ago, but a new one has been posted. Check it out:

Beauty amid the decay

The unearthing of a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere from an underground vault and the subsequent display of its remains sparked these thoughts from Redforkhippie. She also created a slide show, with music, about the Belvedere. (Photo by Redforkhippie.)