Blues, rock, soul, and jazz… all with a little twang of country. This show features artists who take elements of the great country tradition, mix them up and make them their own. Nick talks with a living legend of old time country, Ralph Stanley. Also hear an interview and a short live set from young House of God steel guitarist Robert Randolph. Plus a talk with Cajun country elders the Hackberry Ramblers, and the down-home rock sound of the Sadies out of Canada.

Join American Routes for the year’s first official road trip holiday, Memorial Day. To commemorate it, we’ll visit roadside sites that are sacred: a shrine to Our Lady of the Highways and the grave of Jimi Hendrix. Plus an early traveler in rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll; James Burton tells some tales.

A visit with legendary bandsmen including roots rocker Robbie Robertson and California jazz bandleader Johnny Otis. Robertson was a prime mover behind The Band, who, along with the Grateful Dead and others, defined the image and sound of American rock with folk roots in the 1960s and ’70s. Johnny Otis shaped the West Coast jump boogie sound, working with artists such as Jackie Wilson, Big Mama Thornton, and Etta James. Also a trip back in time to the Dew Drop Inn, a halcyon New Orleans nightclub which also served as a hotel, eatery, barber shop and post office. We’ll hear about one of the Dew Drop’s most infamous characters, female impersonator and R & B singer Patsy Vidalia.

A tribute to Mother in music--with postcards to Moms wherever they may be.

Legends of Latin music: Tito Puente and Nati Cano. We visit with these great bandleaders and musicians in New York and Los Angeles respectively to hear about the roots of tropical Latin jazz in Spanish Harlem and the Mexican mariachi scene of East L.A.