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
Flying with the Byrds & the Burritos on American Routes Airlines
March 5, 2025
We get sonically aloft with musical memories of the Byrds and the Flying Burritos Brothers. The Byrds, the fabled folk-rock band known for their vocal harmonies and jangly guitar sound, gained huge fame between 1965-1968. We’ll hear music that influenced the Byrds from Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. Plus conversation with Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers co-founder Chris Hillman about his bluegrass roots, the Byrds’ shift toward country music on Sweetheart of the Rodeo, and forming country rock band the Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons. We’ll also find out about songs in the land of love lost and found from Dr. John, Sam Cooke, Patsy Cline and Irma Thomas.
NEXT WEEK
Compared to What?
It’s no secret these are troubled times regarding the role of government, political attacks and secrecy in a nation in conflict with itself. We asked our listeners to help pick music and musicians that deal with the troubles we’re facing, and we added a few songs and singers that fit the mood as best we could, including the Staple Singers, Allen Toussaint, Woody Guthrie, Toots and the Maytals, Son Volt, Carole King, John Coltrane, Los Super Seven, Dr. John, and Tom Waits. So we’re just trying to make it real, and the big question remains: Compared to What?
It’s “Carnival Time” in the Caribbean, New Orleans, and French Louisiana–with Professor Longhair and a Cast of Thousands
It’s Carnival time in the Latin-influenced world. We’ll hear music and celebrations in the Afro Caribbean and Gulf Coast including French Louisiana’s courir de Mardi Gras, and a visit to Mardi Gras day in the neighborhood with the Mohawk Hunters, Black masking Indians from Algiers, on New Orleans’ West Bank. Then a special tribute to New Orleans’ Professor Longhair with fellow pianomen Allen Toussaint, Dr. John and Ellis Marsalis.
Sam Moore by Gage Skidmore
Remembering Sam Moore
Sam Moore, of the soul duo Sam and Dave, passed away on Friday January 10th at age 89. As a ’60s “Soul Man,” he recorded a string of jukebox classics, then pressed through difficult times and emerged with a second career on his own.
You can hear our interview with him here: https://bit.ly/40zu37c
To read more about Sam Moore’s life, click here: https://bit.ly/4akGPK7