A 2,400-mile performance of “Route 66”

Music teacher Andy Jarema, thanks to some slick editing, performs Bobby Troup's "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" on trumpet on the 10 locations mentioned in the song -- plus Santa Monica as a bonus. https://youtu.be/FhLZ1Su64Ts Jarema wrote about his journey in a series of posts here. Many photos from the trip also are posted at … Continue reading A 2,400-mile performance of “Route 66”

Happy 90th birthday, Route 66!

Today -- which also happens to be Veterans Day -- marks the 90th birthday of the official existence of U.S. Highway 66, better known as Route 66. Nov. 11, 1926, was the day the American Association of State Highway Officials formally adopted the 2,448-mile path from Chicago to Los Angeles and number for U.S. Highway … Continue reading Happy 90th birthday, Route 66!

Another band takes inspiration from Route 66

It appears we can add another music group that takes a lot of inspiration from Route 66. It's the Mother Road Trio, based in the Route 66 town of Flagstaff, Arizona. It's got a new album, "On Route 66," coming out today during a release party at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff. For … Continue reading Another band takes inspiration from Route 66

“Route 66” with the Time Jumpers

Here's something special. Ray Benson, frontman for the western-swing outfit Asleep At the Wheel, sings "Route 66" with the Time Jumpers during a recent gig in Nashville. https://youtu.be/Bdm23K7xYls In case you didn't know, the Time Jumpers is a group of Nashville studio musicians who started playing classic country, swing, jazz and pop songs together nearly 20 … Continue reading “Route 66” with the Time Jumpers

Hello from Israel

Here, you'll see the Chutzpah Barbershop Quartet sing Bobby Troup's "Route 66" in English ... and Hebrew. https://youtu.be/b6Odux1CFSs

“Route 66” as heard in 1946

If you want to hear what "Route 66" sounded like when it was first recorded and released by Nat King Cole in 1946, this is the closest thing to it -- a 78 rpm record. https://youtu.be/kBRV6r2kKsc

Hello from Austria

This duo, called Lady and the Keys, performs many American standards in Austria, including this classic from Bobby Troup: https://youtu.be/-a-Hm176qxI The pianist hails from Vienna, but the singer's a California native, so the English pronunciations in the song are better than you might expect.