Sam Moore by By Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57207653

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

Portrait by Romero & Romero

REMEMBERING JOHN MAYALL

British blues pioneer John Mayall passed away on July 22. Mayall broke out of England with his band the Bluesbreakers, bringing British blues to a larger audience.

You can hear our interview with him here.

To read more about John Mayall’s life, click here.

Piedmont harmonica master Phil Wiggins, recipient of a 2017 NEA National Heritage Fellowship, passed away on May 7 at his home in Takoma Park, Md. He was 69.

You can hear our interview with him here.

Celebrating the 2024 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows

This Thanksgiving, we celebrate the 2024 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellows.

You can read more about the 2024 NEA National Heritage Fellows here.

Find the 2024 Fellows films here.

REMEMBERING MICHAEL CUSCUNA

Record producer and Mosaic Records co-founder Michael Cuscuna passed away on April 20 at age 75.

Check out our interview with him here: https://bit.ly/4dcN6bB

To read more about Michael Cuscuna’s life, click here: https://bit.ly/4aQkwvb

Photo by Rusty Costanza

Remembering Kris Kristofferson

Singer, songwriter, and actor Kris Kristofferson passed away on Saturday, September 28. He was 88 years old.

You can find our tribute to him here.

To read more about Kristofferson’s life, click here.

Nick Spitzer: Louisianian of the Year: Culture

When local folklorist and Tulane professor Nick Spitzer’s caller ID told him Senator Bill Cassidy’s office was calling, he assumed it was a fundraising call and decided he wasn’t going to answer. But his wife urged him to answer it. Spitzer did, and found himself speaking to Senator Cassidy himself, who was calling to congratulate Spitzer on winning the National Endowment for the Arts’ Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship.

“I was silent for about three hours,” said Spitzer, who routinely talks for hours as part of his work hosting his WWNO radio program “American Routes.”

The 73-year-old Spitzer has long had a love of radio. He grew up in Connecticut and listened to music, New York Yankees baseball games and Montreal Canadiens hockey games on the radio.

“Radio was magical to me,” Spitzer said. “A voice being thrown over a long distance.”

To read the full article, click here.

THE STORIES OF OUR HERITAGE FILM PREMIERE FEATURING AMERICAN ROUTES HOST NICK SPITZER

“HOW MANY ROADS: BOB DYLAN AND HIS CHANGING TIMES, 1961-1964” OPENING MAY 24 AT THE BOB DYLAN CENTER IN TULSA, OK

Celebrate the extraordinary artists who shape America’s cultural heritage. The National Endowment for the Arts’ (NEA) new collection of beautifully crafted vignettes takes viewers on a journey of discovery into the lives and communities of the nine 2023 recipients of the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts. 

The film series pays tribute to Nick Spitzer, who received the 2023 Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship in recognition of his significant contribution to the preservation and awareness of cultural heritage. Watch Nick’s film here. 

A folklife presenter, producer, and professor of anthropology, Spitzer documents, broadcasts, and writes about the vitality and innovation of American culture. Since 1998, he has produced and hosted the public radio program American Routes, bringing blues, jazz, gospel, rockabilly, Cajun, swamp pop, Tejano, and Latin music to audiences across the country.

Since its inception in 1982, the NEA has honored nearly 500 National Heritage Fellows, representing over 200 distinct art forms. Each fellowship includes a $25,000 award for the honoree’s lifetime achievement in practicing and preserving American folk and traditional arts. 

Visit the NEA’s YouTube channel andarts.gov/heritage to watch all The Stories of Our Heritage and learn more about the 2023 National Heritage Fellows.

REMEMBERING PHIL WIGGINS

Opening Friday, May 24: Mark your calendars for the opening of the Bob Dylan Center's new exhibition, “How Many Roads: Bob Dylan and His Changing Times, 1961-1964” highlighting the budding songwriter's growing political awareness amid the civil rights and anti-war movements of the early 1960s. The exhibition features never-before-seen photographs and ephemera from the 1963 Newport Folk Festival, and rare footage and photographs from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and historic 1963 voter registration drive in Greenwood, Miss.

This exhibition is presented by Bob Russell with additional support from Joe Donnelly: https://bit.ly/3y7BWox

In case you missed it, you can find our show "How Many Roads...? Bob Dylan’s Back Pages" here: https://www.amroutes.org/may-2024/2418

And stayed tuned for "How Many Roads: Bob Dylan’s Back Pages Volume II" airing next week!

REMEMBERING CHRIS STAFFORD

We are heartbroken and shocked to learn that Chris Stafford was killed in a car accident in Lafayette on Thursday. Chris was a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and researcher, known for co-founding the band Feufollet when he was 11 years old. He was beloved in the Lafayette music community and beyond.

We recently featured Chris on American Routes, you can hear his interview and performance here: https://bit.ly/44p8MgI

We also interviewed him with his band Feufollet when he was just a teenager: https://bit.ly/3y3bywd

NICK SPITZER: IMPRESARIO OF AMERICAN ROUTES

Nick Spitzer, professor of anthropology, celebrates 25 years as producer and host of the public radio program “American Routes.” Broadcasting from a studio on the Tulane uptown campus, Spitzer continues to be grateful to “meet and converse” with vernacular musical artists as he brings their stories to a million listeners weekly. Check out the full article here.

Photo by Rusty Costanza

Also, check out Nick on “Let’s Talk with Keith Spera,” a weekly talk show featuring conversations with entertainers, newsmakers and local personalities.

REMEMBERING KINKY FRIEDMAN

Texas singer-songwriter Kinky Friedman, a man possessed of a resonant voice and mordant wit, passed away Thursday at age 79.

You can hear our interview with him here.

To read more about his life, click here.