Michael Wallis, author of the best-selling and Pulitzer-nominated "Route 66: The Mother Road," gave a presentation Friday during Tulsa Town Hall. His speech covered a lot of ground on Oklahoma history, including mentions of Woody Guthrie and the infamous Tulsa Race Riot. But this part of the exemplary Tulsa World article is worth excerpting: His first real … Continue reading How Michael Wallis ended up in Oklahoma
The man behind Asleep At the Wheel
Here's a good video biography of Ray Benson, the leader of the acclaimed western-swing band Asleep At the Wheel. You'll see images from the Mother Road interspersed: https://youtu.be/dERj5VLJyxM Benson has a strong musical link to the Mother Road. The bank always performs Bobby Troup's "Route 66" at every show, and he says it's his favorite … Continue reading The man behind Asleep At the Wheel
The musical fruit of The Troubadour
This recent PBS "American Masters" documentary about Doug Weston's The Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood, Calif., is one of the best things I've seen in a while. The Troubadour helped launch the careers of Carole King, James Taylor, and a horde of other singer-songwriters during the 1970s. And, yes, the Troubadour is right on the … Continue reading The musical fruit of The Troubadour
Super 8 memories
I'll let the YouTube poster, named LonelyRoadFilms, describe this video: Me and amber driving back into california on route 66 through the mojave desert. the last days of our five week road trip across the us. I do like the grainy, old-film quality of this clip: https://youtu.be/IQn55FusEWk Wish I could figure out which band is … Continue reading Super 8 memories
Looks like we’re up
It appears the migration to a self-hosted site was mostly successful. You're looking at it now. The custom Route 66 News banner didn't make it over. But I've contacted WordPress.com and asked the folks there to retrieve it. I suspect everything will look 100% normal within a day or so. I'll be tinkering with a … Continue reading Looks like we’re up
Big move is imminent
I've been informed by the good folks at WordPress.com that Route 66 News will be migrated to a self-hosted site starting at 5 a.m. Central on Thursday. WordPress advised me not to count on posting anything for about 24 hours after that (although the down time probably won't be that long). In the interim, if … Continue reading Big move is imminent
Drink and ink
A couple of fellows who walk into the Iron Hog Restaurant and Saloon in Oro Grande, Calif., during a Route 66 trip bump into one of the tattoo artists of the stars: https://youtu.be/W5OLfA4L27k I've had enough of these incongruous encounters on the Mother Road, the above episode doesn't surprise me. The video is part of … Continue reading Drink and ink
Needles developing a tour for its murals
The Route 66 town of Needles, Calif., is developing a tour of new murals that have been painted on buildings, reported the Needles Desert Star. The Needles Economic Development Corporation is developing the pathway for walkers, cyclists, and motorists. The newspaper said: At the end of last year, the group was working on developing a walk, … Continue reading Needles developing a tour for its murals
“Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”
Here's an unofficial but well-shot video for Coldplay's new song, "Don't Let It Break Your Heart." You'll find a lot of Route 66 images from the desert Southwest. https://youtu.be/9ckeTO_q_uA The video was made by the Germany-based Blood Brother Productions.
Pontiac tourism rises 40 percent in 2011
A few months ago, Pontiac Tourism director Ellie Alexander reported that tourism in Pontiac, Ill., was trending at a 30 percent higher level than in 2010. Note I said "trending." I was skeptical the numbers would remain at that lofty level, especially when the off-season was looming. It turns out Alexander was either being modest … Continue reading Pontiac tourism rises 40 percent in 2011