Traveling 300 miles down the Mother Road from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi, a traveler reaches both St. Louis cities and their rich musical histories. Both? Separated by the Mississippi River, the metropolitan version in Missouri (St. Louis) and the much smaller city in Illinois (East St. Louis) are toss-ups in developing national-class musicians and venues in the 1930s and onward. St. Louis was home to famous radio stations, recording studios, and record labels. East St. Louis provided an outsized Black club circuit – Club Manhattan, Riviera, Cosmopolitan, Ruby’s, Holman’s Hole, Hornbergers, Mildred’s, the Paramount, the Blue Note, and Ned’s[...]

Chicago signpost shows point-zero of Route 66 Chicagoans bustled by street crews, putting the finishing touches on the new road sign designating ground zero for Route 66. Perched above the sidewalk at Michigan Ave and Adams Street, across from The Art Institute of Chicago, on November 11, 1926, the crew watched men in fedoras and ladies in long, wool overcoats cruise down the concrete, likely unaware of the historical moment. Perhaps some thought about the music headed their way that night. The music scene was robust in their city. It was the middle of the Prohibition Era. But[...]

Well, here’s the thing. The Mother Road from east to west has long been a melting pot of people, places, and, of course, music. As long as there have been radios in cars, venues along the route, and musicians determined to play, travelers have listened to sounds of different genres from Chicago to Santa Monica, whether they stop for the night or pass on by. This series has encapsulated the essentials of the diverse musical history over the 2,500-mile adventure. Seven cities provided unexpected nuggets. Some were complete surprises to the author – Amarillo and Albuquerque. Some were not –[...]