AMERICAN ROUTES
Earl Scruggs & Tom Rush Earl Scruggs & Tom Rush June 22nd, 2022 (Hour 1)
Earl Scruggs & Tom Rush

Earl Scruggs‘ legendary banjo playing, aptly named “Scruggs Style,” has left its mark on American pop culture and inspired generations of banjo players. In the late 1960s, Scruggs, along with his sons, bravely crossed musical boundaries, but his musical journey really started back at the beginnings of bluegrass, playing with Bill Monroe and later, Lester Flatt. In this American Routes encore, we talk to Earl and his sons, Randy and Gary, about performing on the stage of the Ryman Auditorium and why he doesn’t need to crack jokes about the banjo. New Hampshire-born folk singer songwriter Tom Rush may have gone to Harvard and studied with a ballad scholar, but he still knows how to sing the blues. We’ll visit with Rush to learn more about Boston’s folk scene in the 1960s, his time as a radio DJ and his inspired approach to songwriting.

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AMERICAN ROUTES ON INSTAGRAM

ROBBIE ROBERTSON / JOHNNY OTIS / DEW DROP INN

November 30th, 2016

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.

  • Listen to Hour One
  • Listen to Hour Two

HOUR ONE

  • Open Bed: Slippin' & Slidin' The Band
    Across the Great Divide, Capitol
  • Who Do You Love Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks
    Across the Great Divide, Capitol
  • The Weight Aretha Franklin
    Queen of Soul, Rhino
  • Rag Mama Rag The Band
    The Band, Capitol
  • SEGMENT: Robbie Robertson Part 1

    Listen
  • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down The Band
    The Band, Capitol
  • Instrumental: Nashville Rag Bob Dylan
    Nashville Skyline, Columbia
  • SEGMENT: Robbie Robertson Part 2

    Listen
  • Crash on the Levee (Down in the Flood) Bob Dylan and the Band
    The Basement Tapes, Sony
  • I Shall Be Released Nina Simone
    Here Comes the Sun & Other Greatest Hits, BMG
  • SEGMENT: Robbie Robertson Part 3
  • Stage Fright The Band
    Stage Fright, Capitol
  • SEGMENT: Robbie Robertson Part 4
  • Instrumental: Cleo's Back Jr. Walker & The All Stars
    The Ultimate Collection, Motown
  • SEGMENT: Robbie Robertson Part 5
  • Acadian Driftwood The Band
    Northern Lights-Southern Cross, Capitol
  • King Harvest The Band
    Across the Great Divide, Capitol
  • End Bed: Theme From the Last Waltz The Band with Orchestra
    The Last Waltz, Warner Bros.

HOUR two

  • Open Bed: New Orleans Shuffle Johnny Otis
    The Johnny Otis Rhythm & Blues Caravan, Savoy Jazz
  • Wolverine Blues Jelly Roll Morton
    Jelly Roll Morton 1923/24, Milestone
  • Creole Song Ory's Creole Jazz Band
    Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles 1921-1956, Rhino
  • Blues on Central Avenue Joe Turner with The Freddie Slack Trio
    Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles 1921-1956, Rhino
  • Willie and the Hand Jive The Johnny Otis Show
    Loud, Fast & Out of Control, Rhino
  • SEGMENT: Johnny Otis

    Listen
  • Instrumental: Freight Train Boogie Johnny Otis
    The Johnny Otis Rhythm & Blues Caravan, Savoy Jazz
  • Mistrustin' Blues Johnny Otis
    The Johnny Otis Rhythm & Blues Caravan, Savoy Jazz
  • Almost Persuaded Etta James
    From Where I Stand, Warner
  • Black Coffee Kd Lang
    Shadowland, Sire
  • Special Rider Lorette Velvette
    Rude Angel, Okra-Tone
  • When You Got a Good Friend Gatemouth Brown & Chris Thomas King
    Hellhound on My Trail: Songs of Robert Johnson, Telarc
  • Instrumental: Elmer's Blues Lonnie Johnson w/ Elmer Snowden
    Blues and Ballads, Bluesville
  • SEGMENT: Patsy Vidalia and Dew Drop Inn

    Listen
  • Dew Drop Inn Esquerita
    Vintage Voola!, Norton
  • Goodnight Sweetheart James Booker
    King of the New Orleans Keyboard, Junco Partner
  • Goodnight Sweetheart Sarah Vaughan
    Visions of Jazz, Blue Note
  • End Bed: The Crave Tom McDermott
    The Crave, STR

THE LATEST STREAMS

  • June 22nd, 2022

    EARL SCRUGGS & TOM RUSH

    Listen
  • June 15th, 2022

    SOUNDS OF FREEDOM: FONTELLA BASS AND FREDDIE HUBBARD

    Listen
  • June 8th, 2022

    SHADES OF THE BLUES

    Listen
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