Guitar man passes on August 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, People.3 comments
Think about having this on your resume — you created a number of innovations that spawned thousands, if not millions, of rock, country and pop-music acts over the decades.
One of those innovations was the solid-body electric guitar. Without it, it’d be hard to fathom Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Perry, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Tom Morello and countless others.
The man behind those innovations, Les Paul, has died of pneumonia at age 94, according to CNN and other media outlets.
This excerpt in his obituary encapsulates his legacy:
Paul was a guitar and electronics mastermind whose creations — such as multitrack recording, tape delay and the solid-body guitar that bears his name, the Gibson Les Paul — helped give rise to modern popular music, including rock ‘n’ roll. No slouch on the guitar himself, he continued playing at clubs into his 90s despite being hampered by arthritis.
Those innovations probably wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for a traffic accident on Route 66 in Oklahoma more than 60 years ago.
According to a report by the Daily Oklahoman, Paul was seriously hurt in a crash on U.S. 66 near Davenport, Okla, in 1948.
The injuries he suffered nearly ended his career and put him flat on his back in Oklahoma City’s Wesley Hospital for almost a year. It also gave him a lot of time to reassess his music and his life.
“I’m lying there in the hospital really a mess, so it was a question of whether I was even going to make it,” Paul said in a recent phone interview from his New Jersey home. “Of all the injuries I had, the worst was my right arm.”
Doctors at first told him the arm might have to be amputated. With that possibility in front of him, Paul set to work in his hospital bed, drawing up plans for a guitar synthesizer that could be played with one hand.
At the time of his accident, Paul had already been tinkering for two years with those new-fangled tape recorders developed by the Germans in World War II, and during his hospital stay, he began making in-depth notes on technical innovations that would perfect the overdubbing and multi-track recording techniques he had already begun to invent. [...]
“I got a long time to think about it,” he said. “I changed the whole concept, that I was going to switch and I was going to have Mary be the singer, just the two of us, and create this whole new kind of music. And so it happened. That was such an asset to me, to be disabled so badly that it forced me to stop doing everything and think about it. And in thinking about it, I changed my whole life right there.”
The happy part of this story is that not only did Paul come up with those inventions, but he recovered sufficiently to play guitar again — which he did shortly before his death. Here he is, jamming with Sonia Hensley, in a video clip from just a few years ago.
New musical features Route 66 August 13, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Music, Theaters.add a comment
Village Theatre, a company based in the Seattle area that concentrates on performing new plays, will present a Mother Road-related production during the Village Originals’ ninth annual Festival of New Musicals this week.
Productions will be held at the Francis J. Gaudette Theatre in Issaquah, Wash. These will be staged readings — no sets, but the plays fully sung with the script in the actors’ hands.
According to Playbill, one of the productions is this:
Route 66
Book by Jerold Goldstein and William Squier
Lyrics by William Squier
Music by Fred Stark
“This upbeat country musical is a toe-tapping, foot-stomping journey about love and the American spirit. Take a breathtaking ride on Route 66, the iconic highway that is the backbone of this unexpected love story. A struggling journalist is given an assignment no one else would take that paired her up with a free-spirited photographer. The turn events forces her to look at life from a new angle. Their assignment: Route 66. Come along as this duo learns that success is about the road taken, relationships developed, and the people you meet along the way.”
The “Route 66″ presentation is Saturday. Alas, it’s invitation-only to see it.
More about “Route 66″ can be found here, including a synopsis and excerpts of several songs.
Cheesecake for the Route 66 Pulse? August 12, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Publications.2 comments
While surfing the Web tonight, I stumbled onto this little item — apparently the Route 66 Pulse newspaper will be the beneficiary of a contest for prospective female models.
From The Sustainability Ninja:
Think you’re hot? Like wearing sustainable clothing? Well you’re in luck. Project Green Search is a new modeling competition seeking models to “take a stand, get noticed, align your modeling endeavors with
your personal beliefs, be an advocate for the environment, animal welfare, fair trade, and human rights. Be the poster girl for what is ok to sell … and what is not.”
Winners recieve a bunch of cool eco stuff including a 20 piece Eco-Fashion wardrobe, a contract with Option Model Management as well as features, articles and covers in publications including Coco Eco Magazine, Organic Spa Magazine, Peppermint Magazine, Chenille Magazine, Electrifying Times, Route 66 Pulse, and more tear sheets to build a portfolio.
I e-mailed Jim Conkle, a big dog with the Route 66 Pulse and the Route 66 Alliance, and asked him what was up. He said:
This is in regards to our “Electric Highway” project that I have been working on with folks in the EV, electric vehicle industry. Every now and then I get some request for an interview or to add a comment to someone’s blog.
The newspaper “The Electrifying Times” publisher and editor are the two guys that got me involved.
As you know, the auto industry on the whole has always been into the cheesecake promotions. This is one where the winner will be picked at an event up in Portland, OR, and I am supposed to be there.
So if this competition finds a real hottie who raises the temperature of a room, isn’t that counterproductive in fighting against global warming?
I keed, I keed.
Derrick is done August 12, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, History, Railroad.4 comments
A view of the Route 66 Station's oil derrick from Southwest Boulevard, aka Route 66. That's an American flag fluttering in the breeze at the very top.
Driving near Southwest Boulevard, aka Route 66, in west Tulsa earlier today, I noticed that the commemorative oil derrick in the under-construction Route 66 Station park appeared to be finished.
And it is, according to KOTV in Tulsa.
A view from the bottom of the oil derrick.
More photos of the derrick’s construction can be seen here.
The 154-foot-tall derrick is part of a tribute to west Tulsa’s oil industry and the transportation that helped make it possible. This fall, a local group will move a refurbished Frisco 4500 steam-powered locomotive, rail cars and a caboose to the site.
An artist's rendering of the finished Route 66 Station.
It is not, however, the nation’s tallest oil derrick, as claimed in the story. There is another one at Six Flags over Texas that’s 300 feet tall. It’s not strictly an oil derrick per se, but the Tulsa derrick isn’t one, either.
UPDATE: Here’s the video from KOTV:
Depot move hits a snag August 12, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Preservation, Railroad.add a comment
The City of Braidwood, Ill., undertook a recent effort to move its historic railroad depot just off Route 66 after a nearby grocery store needed the land for extra parking.
However, since the proposed move to a spot across the street from City Hall, some other problems in the depot have popped up, reports the Braidwood Journal.
Grygiel said once the depot was moved, problems with the building made themselves known, forcing the city to plan for additional rehab and maintenance work that weren’t originally part of the move. Grygiel said city’s goal is to get the depot onto a new foundation and make sure it is stable. [...]
The city has already sunk $57,000 into moving the depot, as well as more than $100,000 to purchase the lot at 111 Center St. But city officials say that despite a $30,000 contribution from Exelon and an additional $5,000 from the Braidwood Area Historical Society (BAHS), the costs to rehab the building and make it suitable for use will likely top out at well over $100,000. That’s more than city officials originally estimated, including extra money for permits to move the depot over the railroad, to move wires, and to pay for overtime for Braidwood and state police to oversee the move.
There also are issues about the depot’s ultimate purpose once it is settled into its new location. The city wants it to be a museum and visitors center. But other parties, including the local historical society and American Legion chapter, are also interested in using the building as a headquarters.
Until a decision is made about the building’s purpose and future maintenance, it will continue to sit on the back of a construction truck.
From road trip to road drama August 11, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Road trips, Television.5 comments
NBC’s “The Great American Road Trip” has slowly transitioned itself from a highway journey to more of a competitive drama.
Because the show is supposed to take place on Route 66, this might be bad news. But because “Road Trip’s” producers have made so many boneheaded decisions and often skipped large sections of the road, it’s sort of a wash.
Week 6 of the show devoted nice footage to the Route 66 town of Seligman, Ariz., including the Roadkill Cafe.
But, again, “Road Trip” went away from the Mother Road and spent most of the time in Las Vegas and Boulder Dam — which, admittedly, are common side trips for Route 66 travelers.
Noteworthy moments:
— The Pollard family, after winning its first challenge of the show’s run, graciously invited the DiSalvatore family to their luxury hotel suite to celebrate. The Coote family, suffering its first defeat, sulked in their RV.
— Quote of the week: “He gurgilates when he talks,” said Silvio DiSalvatore when explaining that he found it difficult to understand Ron Pollard’s Southern drawl. The DiSalvatores have really grown on me.
“Great American Road Trip” dropped from second last week to third in the ratings this week. But the number of viewers has grown to 4.4 million.
Scenes from the “Route 66″ musical revue August 11, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Events, Music, Theaters.add a comment
The Vermillion Players theater group in Pontiac, Ill., just finished its four-day run of the “Route 66″ musical revue at the Chautauqua Park Pavilion in town.
Here are a couple of scenes from the play:
Ellie Alexander, director of Pontiac Tourism, said that crowds were good even with temperatures in the 90s during two of the performances.
Alexander also noted that “we do offer a mini-performance of it to groups of 30 or more who dine and overnight with us. Arrangements are made though my office.”
(Photos courtesy of Ellie Alexander)
A day in a ghost town on Route 66 August 11, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in Businesses, Preservation, Towns.add a comment
Here’s a very atmospheric video about the Route 66 desert hamlet of Amboy, Calif., by F.C. Howard.
Fortunately, the town’s most visible business, Roy’s, has improved considerably since this video was made. Roy’s now sells drinks, snacks and even gasoline again, thanks to the dogged efforts of Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura to restore it.
Mickey Mantle’s widow dies August 11, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in People, Sports, Theaters.add a comment
Merlyn Mantle, 77, the widow of New York Yankees baseball star Mickey Mantle, died Monday from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. Mickey died of liver cancer in 1995.
Merlyn’s obituary in Newsday has an excerpt of interest to Route 66 fans:
Mickey and Merlyn met two years before he debuted in the major leagues, while both were still in high school. Mickey attended Commerce High School in northeast Oklahoma, an archrival of Picher High School, where Merlyn was a cheerleader. The Mantles’ first date was a movie along Route 66 in Miami, Okla.
I would have bet that the movie theater where they had their first date was here. As it turns out, MLB.com confirms it was.
The Mick’s roots on Route 66 ran pretty deep. He was raised in the Route 66 town of Commerce, and he played a lot of ball in the nearby Route 66 town of Baxter Springs, Kan., before being signed by the Yankees.
Merlyn will be buried next to her husband at a cemetery in Dallas.
“Our Town” August 10, 2009
Posted by Ron Warnick in History, Music, Towns.5 comments
I’ve been told that this video is played in 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan., and that it moves a lot of Route 66 visitors.
I’ll let the creator, Jim DeGraff, explain it:
My family has lived in or near Galena, KS, for over 100 years. Main Street of Galena is also the original Route 66. My father was born on that street during the Depression; in those days it was called “Main Street Of America,” mainly because Galena is geographically located at the center of the U.S. I spent a couple hours in Galena the other day taking pictures of the vacant buildings along Main Street. As a boy I remember when all these shops were thriving businesses, I was in and out of all of them.
All is not as bleak as this video might suggest; many of these buildings are being rebuilt due to a surge of interest in old Route 66. During the afternoon I was there, tourists from Japan and Norway were happily taking pictures along Main Street. Disney and Pixar scouts came through Galena before shooting the movie “Cars.” They based the character “Tow Mater” on a tow truck they found here; the truck is on display at an old gas station.
The music is written and performed by Iris DeMent. In addition to the pictures I took, I also used old shots of my parents and grandparents that were taken in Galena 40 to 60 years ago.