A new song about an old road March 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.3 comments
Here’s a new song, “Route 66,” by the Davis Wasser Band. You’ll notice a lot of Route 66 landmarks in the green-screen effects.
Quite a milestone March 13, 2010
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According a Reuters article, Ray Benson’s Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel is making its 40th year this month.
During a four-decade career, the band has earned nine Grammy Awards, launched a critically acclaimed theatrical production, performed with everyone from Willie Nelson to President Obama to the Fort Worth Symphony, released more than 25 albums and had an airport roadhouse named after its frontman. [...]
Those initial expectations were modest. “I was hoping that in 10 years I would have enough money to buy the farm that I lived on and go back to farming and teach music in a music store. That was what I was considering would have been a very successful career, if I got a 10-year run of playing and making records,” he says. “But it just kept going, and there’s more to be done.”
The band was formed in West Virginia, but moved to California on the invitation of country-rock outfit Commander Cody.
Benson says the California chapter was an important time in the band’s history. “We met a peer group — Commander Cody, Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks, Elvin Bishop — but we also got to meet the originators of western swing like Tiny Moore. We learned from them. Then we were so broke, we took a job backing up Stoney Edwards, and that put us on an incredible journey where we wound up backing Freddie Hart, Connie Smith, LaWanda Lindsey and Dave Dudley as a country western backup band. That was an education in itself.”
In 1973, at the invitation of Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm, the group moved to Texas. It is still there.
“What took root in Paw Paw, West Virginia, came to full bloom in Austin,” Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum director Kyle Young says. “From Count Basie to Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel has explored the best of the American songbook, western swing style. Over these past 40 years, Ray Benson has followed his heart down Route 66 and far beyond to build a lasting musical legacy for himself and all the great players who’ve taken a turn with the Wheel.”
The Route 66 reference comes from the fact Asleep at the Wheel performs Bobby Troup’s song every night, and that band also has embarked on several Route 66 tours.
The amazing part is that Asleep at the Wheel has been performing as long as the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills, did.
A night at the opera March 13, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music.7 comments
“Route 66,” sung by Brian De Lorenzo.
“Route 66″ lends itself to a lot of styles, but I don’t think opera is one of them.
Cyrus Avery Plaza vandalized again March 12, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Museums, Signs.5 comments
The Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza in Tulsa has again been vandalized, including the LED-lighted Route 66 shield on the bridge, reported the Tulsa World.
Whitaker said public works crews sent out to review the damage also found graffiti on two concrete pillars supporting the skywalk. In the plaza, 14 of the 16 ground-level lights that illuminate the flagpoles had been smashed.
Public works painted over the graffiti on Monday. By Tuesday, another pillar had been defaced.
“Our team has been great to get out there and cover that up right away,” Whitaker said.
The City of Tulsa said it is now considering a security-camera system to prevent future vandalism.
The plaza will be the eventual site for a Route 66 museum.
Images from the road March 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Photographs.add a comment
The photography of Route 66 in this video is exceptional. Ditto for the music, which is by Buddy and Julie Miller.
CD review: “Songs of Tucumcari” March 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Music, Towns.6 comments
While looking over the track listing of the “Songs of Tucumcari” complication compilation CD, a thought struck me: When has such a small town as Tucumcari, N.M. (population 5,900) inspired so many songs?
Maybe it’s because the city’s association with Route 66. Maybe it’s from being the first significant town that westbound travelers encounter when they’re driving into the spectacular skies and scenery of New Mexico. Maybe it’s the city’s unusual name.
Whatever the reason, I’m glad that Bob Beaulieu, executive director of the Tucumcari-Quay County Chamber of Commerce, decided to compile 14 songs that mention Tucumcari in the title. (The chamber is selling the CD for $15, plus shipping charges, here.) The songs run the gamut from big band, weird folk, Tex-Mex, honky-tonk country and classic pop. Many of these tunes are obscure, and a fair number prove to be delights.
Dorothy Shay’s “Two Gun Harry from Tucumcari,” based on a real pistol-toting restaurant owner in town, wound up being the big find on the CD for me. The spirited big-band number shows why it was a hit in 1948.
Also worthwhile are Dale Watson’s honky-tonkin’ “Tucumcari Here I Come,” Jimmie Rodgers’ pop single “Tucumcari,” the lovely “Tucumcari Tonight” by the Colin Sphincter Band, Andy Mason’s humorous vegetarian tale “There’s Nothin’ to Eat in Tucumcari,” Michael Hearne’s western-swinging “Two Miles Out of Tucumcari,” and The Road Crew’s bright country song “Tucumcari Tonite.”
The CD contains two musical references to the dramatic but preposterous American Indian legend of Tucumcari Mountain. Jimmie Driftwood’s “Tucumcari” and Cheryl Barns and the Teen Tones’ “Tucumcari Legend” both take the tale seriously, and are as spooky as you’d expect.
The only dud I found was “This Train Will Stop in Tucumcari” by David Rubin, which is marred by wobbly singing and erratic drumming. Having just one questionable song out of 14 is a good batting average for any album, especially one that sticks to a very specific theme.
One notable omission was Little Feat’s “Willin’,” which mentions Tucumcari in the chorus. The song also was covered by Linda Ronstadt. Beaulieu said he decided to narrow the CD to songs that focused on the town. Also, he feared the licensing fees for “Willin’” would have been too steep.
Recommended for the Shay tune alone.
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Full song listing:
- “Tucumcari Tonight,” The Colin Sphinctor Band
- “Tucumcari Here I Come,” Dale Watson
- “Two Gun Harry from Tucumcari,” Dorothy Shay
- “Tucumcari Legend,” Cheryl Barns & The Teen Tones
- “Tucumcari Tonite,” The Road Crew
- “Tucumcari,” Jimmie Rodgers
- “Tucumcari Woman,” Dan Roberts
- “There’s Nothin’ to Eat in Tucumcari,” Andy Mason
- “Ride in Tucumcari,” The Tarantulas
- “This Train Will Stop at Tucumcari,” David Rubin
- “Tucumcari,” Jimmie Driftwood
- “West of Tucumcari,” Proverbial Cool Aid
- “Tucumcari,” Randy Kaplan with Brian Schey
- “Two Miles Out of Tucumcari,” Michael Hearne
(CD courtesy of the Tucumcari-Quay County Chamber of Commerce)
Reaching out across the pond March 11, 2010
Posted by Ron Warnick in Attractions, Road trips.add a comment
The Illinois Times published an interesting report about the state’s efforts to boost tourism despite a poor economy.
The article includes this excerpt on a novel way that Illinois has reached out to Route 66 travelers who live in Great Britain:
They’ve also found that the British have an interest in the 1960s and authentic American experiences like Route 66, Kostner says, so they’ve partnered with Little Chef, a chain of United Kingdom roadside diners, to bring a Route 66 ambassador to travel and promote the road back in their country.
“It’s an urban and a rural experience,” she says. “Europeans get two to three weeks of vacation, so they can take huge chunks of time to really experience it.
“We’re reaching out to different audiences to get above the noise of our competitor states — here’s something that you can get here that you can’t get elsewhere.”
The Chinese have also taken an interest in Route 66, recently sending three photojournalists to explore the route and report their experiences for two popular Chinese Web sites.
Give Illinois credit for an unusual way to reach potential tourists in Britain. Talk about a win-win situation …
As for tourism forecasts for this summer, the signs are encouraging:
“This is not the time to slow down or stop; it is the time to move onward and upward,” Kostner continued. “American Express says consumers are approaching the year with ‘an optimistic yet prudent outlook’ and that travel tops their list of ‘pursuits most valuable to their livelihood and well-being.’”
“We should be optimistic, too — this is our time to take the new landscape and plant the appropriate seeds so that we grow.”
Travel inquiries to the bureau’s office and to its Web site EnjoyIllinois.com dwindled throughout the summer, but rebounded in December, increasing by 27 percent. The end-of-the-year upswing helped boost total inquiries to EnjoyIllinois by nearly 8 percent over 2008.
Because of the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth last year, many Illinois tourism sites actually saw increases in the number of visitors.