American Routes is blues and jazz, gospel and soul, rockabilly and country, Cajun and swamp pop, Tejano, Latin… and beyond. Songs and stories from musicians describe a deep and diverse nation with sounds and styles shared by all Americans. From the bayous to the beltways, from crossroads to crosstown, on interstates and city streets, turn up your radio for the sonic journey!
American Routes—produced in New Orleans since 1998
North American Routes from South Louisiana to Cape Breton with the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band and Beòlach
January 21, 2026
We’re rolling out New Orleans Creole and Cajun Francité and soul. We’ll hear music from The Meters, Kid Ory, and Carol Fran… plus the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band live at the French Market in New Orleans. Then, we head to Cape Breton Island in Maritime Canada for a visit with fiddler Wendy MacIsaac of the band Beòlach, along with other Nova Scotia Scots Gaelic classics… and finally some down home American folks.
NEXT WEEK
Musical Memories with Joe Ely & Roscoe Robinson
We reach for “mystic chords of memory” with the late singer-songwriter Joe Ely and gospel/soul man Roscoe Robinson to hear about the ground they’ve covered as veteran touring musicians. Joe starts us off in Lubbock, Texas, where he grew up, and tells of railroading across America, running off with the circus, musical explorations with the Flatlanders, and his role in Austin’s Cosmic Cowboy scene. Roscoe Robinson remembers his childhood in Dermott, Arkansas, the family’s north migration, traveling the gospel circuit through the Jim Crow South, taking the stage at the Apollo Theater, and his life-long spiritual journey. We spin travel tunes from artists’ influences like Buddy Holly, Flaco Jimenez, and the Staple Singers.
MLK Day with the Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream was first shared in words. We’ll hear it in music from the Staple Singers, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Bob Dylan, plus classic jazz, reggae and a new generation of singers: the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Norah Jones and Questlove. Then, songs, rhythms and histories from the Georgia Sea Islands Gullah Geechee Ring Shouters.
Remembering Joe Ely & Raul Malo
Joe Ely, the West Texas songmaker and seminal figure of the Austin Cosmic Cowboy scene, passed away on December 15, 2025.
Raul Malo, the Miami-born and Cuban-descended singer and leader of The Mavericks, known for country, pop and roots rock, passed away on December 8, 2025.