Americana/Roots • Music
American Routes is a weekly two-hour public radio program produced in New Orleans, presenting a broad range of American music — blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical. Now in our 15th year on the air, American Routes explores the shared musical and cultural threads in these American styles and genres of music — and how they are distinguished.
“In the history of American radio, no series has come close to Nick Spitzer’s American Routes in exploring the many streams of this nation’s music.”
— Nat Hentoff, Wall Street Journal
American Routes is a weekly two-hour public radio program produced in New Orleans, presenting a broad range of American music — blues and jazz, gospel and soul, old-time country and rockabilly, Cajun and zydeco, Tejano and Latin, roots rock and pop, avant-garde and classical. Now in our 15th year on the air, American Routes explores the shared musical and cultural threads in these American styles and genres of music — and how they are distinguished.
The program also presents documentary features and artist interviews. Our conversations include Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, B.B. King, Dr. John, Dave Brubeck, Abbey Lincoln, Elvis Costello, Ray Charles, Randy Newman, McCoy Tyner, Lucinda Williams, Rufus Thomas, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. Join us as we ride legendary trains, or visit street parades, instrument-makers, roadside attractions and juke joints, and meet tap dancers, fishermen, fortunetellers and more.
The songs and stories on American Routes describe both the community origins of our music, musicians and cultures — the “roots”— and the many directions they take over time — the “routes.”
Rebroadcast of first hour every Saturday at 7:00am.
Upcoming Episodes
April 27, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – New Orleans Tunes and Talk with Wendell Brunious & Comedy and Critique from Susan Werner
We go where the music leads us, first live at home with trumpeter Wendell Brunious and his New Orleans All Stars. Wendell is from a famed New Orleans Creole jazz family and is now the music director of Preservation Hall. Then we visit with the eccentric and witty songmaker and multi-instrumentalist Susan Werner with roots in rural Iowa. Susan’s stories in song are comedic and serious takes on religion, queerness, climate change and social responsibility. Plus words and music from Big Mama Thornton, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Cash and the Five Satins.
Read MoreApril 20, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Music, Comics & Collecting Records: R. Crumb & Jerry Zolten
This week on American Routes we spin some shellac and wax nostalgic with the iconic cartoonist, musician and record collector Robert Crumb, who’ll share with us his love of musical times gone by. Then we talk to educator and vinyl aficionado Jerry Zolten about the story of Paramount Records, started by a furniture manufacturer, whose recorded legacy is now contained in two swank suitcases.
ListenApril 13, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Black & White Crossover in Country Music and Beyond… Plus Blues from Baton Rouge
This week on American Routes, we dip into crossover currents of country music sung by Black American performers, including Ray Charles, Ike and Tina Turner, and Fats Domino. We’ll also hear white musicians influenced by Black music: Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, Jimmie Rodgers and Bob Dylan. Then, it’s the Baton Rouge Blues legacy, with recordings from Buddy Guy, Slim Harpo, Silas Hogan, Tabby Thomas and the late harmonica man Raful Neal. Plus a live performance from Raful Neal’s son, Kenny Neal, a mouth harp and guitar player, now the senior statesman and artist from the Baton Rouge Blues scene.
ListenApril 6, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – New Orleans Jazz Clarinet, Mande Songs & Louisiana Zydeco Live
It’s New Orleans jazz clarinet in street parades and clubs. We’ll hear clarinet in the hands of past and present legends: George Lewis, Sidney Bechet, Dr. Michael White and Aurora Nealand, plus a conversation with a sometime New Orleans clarinet virtuoso, Evan Christopher. Then, a live cultural exchange between French Louisiana and West Africa with singer, percussionist and dancer Sidiki Conde from Guinea and zydeco accordionist, cultural historian and sometime alligator wrangler, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes.
Read MoreMarch 30, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Easter with Donald Harrison, Jr. and Holmes Brothers
Easter weekend is a time for reflection and family, and our guests certainly fit the bill. Donald Harrison, Jr. is a saxophone player and New Orleans native. Harrison’s ties to New Orleans run deep, musically and culturally. Wendell and Sherman Holmes, plus longtime friend Popsy Dixon made up the Holmes Brothers, a vocal group best known for putting their personal stamp on blues, gospel, country, pop and more. We revisit our conversation with the brothers about the transition from Christ Church, Virginia to New York and back again to home and family.
Read MoreMarch 23, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Dr. Lonnie Smith and Terrance Simien: Keys and Squeeze
From the heart of French Louisiana to the streets of New York, American Routes is mixing it up this week with two giants of their genres. We visit with the late jazz great Dr. Lonnie Smith, whose mastery of the music is synonymous with his ever-present Hammond B3 organ. We drop down deep in the pocket with Lonnie, and get keyed in to the past and present of soul and jazz. And out on the Cajun and Creole prairies we drop in on Zydeco accordionist and Grammy award winner Terrance Simien. Plus jazz, blues and country tunes from keyboard masters of all kinds.
Read MoreMarch 16, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – St. Patrick’s Singers, Fiddlers and Pickers from Ireland to America
For St Patrick’s, it’s old and new cultural connections of singers, fiddlers and pickers from Ireland to rural and urban America. Reels and jigs for dancing, jazz takes on Irish tunes and songs about love, immigration and drinking from Hank Locklin, The Clancy Brothers and Louis Armstrong. Then a live set from the 80th National Folk Festival exploring the musical connections of Ireland and Appalachia with Irish musicians John Doyle and Seamus Egan and bluegrassers Rob and Ronnie McCoury.
Read MoreMarch 9, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Blues Routes Then & Now: with a Creole & Cajun Live Set from Cedric Watson & Chris Stafford
The blues carry us from back roads to city streets, with heartache and hope in jazz, country and folk music. We’ll hear old field recordings and new commentaries in blues from Cedell Davis, Guitar Slim, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Irma Thomas and Lucinda Williams. Then, it’s Cajun, zydeco, waltzes and two-steps and swamp pop soul from Beau Jocque, Clifton Chenier, and Carol Fran. Plus an interview and live performance from younger traditionalists Cedric Watson and Chris Stafford on French Louisiana accordion and fiddle in Creole zydeco and Cajun music.
Read MoreMarch 2, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Leap Day: Forgotten Treasures
It’s a rare Leap Year show with Guilty Pleasures and Forgotten Treasures. As the 29th of February rolls around we take stock of our circles round the sun … just for cosmic fun. With fellow travelers: The Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Sun Ra and Our Native Daughters.
Read MoreFebruary 24, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – The Carolina Chocolate Drops and the Black Experience in Country Music
This week, we talk to the founding members of the Grammy award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. Justin Robinson, Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons started playing music together under the tutelage of legendary black old-time fiddler, Joe Thompson in his backyard shed. The Chocolate Drops came together to carry on the old time and country traditions from the Piedmont region in the Carolinas, but they wanted to do more than just play. They wanted to show their audiences that African American music finds its roots in genres beyond blues and jazz. Then we delve into the archives for our classic conversation with the late, great Ray Charles – and pianist Johnnie Johnson tells us about the surprising origins of Chuck Berry’s “Maybellene.”
Read MoreFebruary 17, 2024 Americana/Roots, Music
American Routes – Saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins
Saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins has been igniting the jazz scene ever since he was a kid in the 1940s, hanging out with his mentor Thelonious Monk. We’ll talk with the jazz master about his work with Miles and Monk among others, and his improvisatory explorations. Then, we’ll visit with New Orleans’ own jazz legend, the late Bob French, who led the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, to learn the finer points of keeping time in the Crescent City.
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