American Routes

12/19/2025

This week on American Routes Shortcuts: Songwriter and singer Joan Shelley prefers to make music in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, rather than the industry centers of Nashville and New York City. She’s recorded a series of well-crafted contemplative albums with guitarist Nathan Salsburg at home in Louisville, at Jeff Tweedy’s Loft in Chicago, and even in Iceland. You’ll find references to rivers, waterways, and oceans in her songs and albums. We began asking her what the Ohio River means to her.

Songwriter and singer Joan Shelley prefers to make music in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky rather than the industry centers of Nashville and New York City. She’s recorded a series of well-crafted contemplative albums with guitarist Nathan Salsburg at home in Louisville, at Jeff Tweedy’s Lo...

12/17/2025

This week, we visit with two Southern crafters of music and song. Kentucky native and guitarist Joan Shelley takes her ethereal songwriting and voicing of life’s emotional flow from observations on the banks of the Ohio River near Louisville. Then, the virtuosic Blue Ridge pianist Jeff Little Trio shares his stories of growing up playing alongside the legendary flat-pick guitarist Doc Watson at the family’s music store in Boone, North Carolina. It led to a singular career of playing high-speed fiddle tunes on the piano. Also music of love, loss, and fast trains with Bill Frisell, Johnny Cash, James Brown, Tom Waits and Elizabeth Cotton: https://buff.ly/WetM830

12/16/2025

Joe Ely, the West Texas songmaker and seminal figure of the Austin Cosmic Cowboy scene, passed away on December 15.

You can hear our interview with him here: https://bit.ly/4p1YHiL

Thanks to his eclectic style and tireless touring, he was among the most influential artists in the early days of Americana and alt-country music.

12/12/2025

This week on American Routes Shortcuts: This week we remember the late Raul Malo, who passed away on December 8, 2025. Raul Malo was born in Miami to Cuban parents. In 1989, he started The Mavericks. Named for going against the grain, the Mavericks began in the punk and alternative scene and eventually found great success in country music, incorporating Latin, rockabilly, and pop sounds. By 2000, the group parted ways, and Raul Malo pursued a solo career in LA. He joined Los Super Seven with Joe Ely, Freddy Fender, members of Los Lobos, Max Baca, Doug Sahm, and others. In 2012, Malo reunited with the Mavericks, releasing several albums and touring widely. In 2020, they released En Español, an album entirely in Spanish. Making a record like this took Raul many years of listening within and outside his family.

This week we remember the late Raul Malo, who passed away on December 8, 2025. Raul Malo was born in Miami to Cuban parents. In 1989, he started The Mavericks. Named for going against the grain, the Mavericks began in the punk and alternative scene and eventually found great success in country music...

12/10/2025

We remember the late Raul Malo, who passed away on December 8, 2025. The Miami-born and Cuban-descended singer and leader of The Mavericks was known for country, pop and roots rock. We’ll talk about that and Latin music, all behind the band’s huge success in country music and their all-Spanish language recording. Then a live concert and conversation with the Pine Leaf Boys as Louisiana French two-steps meet rock n roll. Plus music from CeliaCruz, Patsy Cline, Los Lobos and Professor Longhair: https://buff.ly/1pRkXlz

12/05/2025

This week on American Routes Shortcuts: John Mayalland his band the Bluesbreakers pioneered British blues rock, introducing it to a larger audience. They included musicians who went on to join legendary bands like Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones. Mayall moved to the States in 1968 and had a discography of 70 studio and live albums. Before he passed in 2024, John called Los Angeles home and his favorite climate for living, but it was in Macclesfield, Cheshire, where he first heard the blues.

John Mayall and his band the Bluesbreakers pioneered British blues rock, introducing it to a larger audience. They included musicians who went on to join legendary bands like Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and the Rolling Stones. Mayall moved to the states in 1968 and had a discography of 70 studio and live....

12/03/2025

From Great Britain to the Big Easy, we explore the sounds of musical and social breakouts. First, we hear how the late British blues pioneer John Mayall broke out of England with his band the Bluesbreakers, bringing British blues to a larger audience. We’ll hear some of Mayall’s sources and contemporaries, like Big Maceo and Eric Clapton. Then, it’s butt shakes and backbeats with Big Freedia, the Queen Diva of New Orleans Bounce, a rhythmic dance music with sources in hip hop and rap, as well as much earlier jazz and R&B. We’ll explore some of those sources, and strut with Kermit Ruffins and Sam Morgan, head “Down Yonder” with Smiley Lewis, and “Take it to the Street” with Rebirth Brass Band: https://buff.ly/XiKJreU

11/26/2025

Join us around the piano for a good helping of family harmonies, led by the Haden Triplets and their father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. Then, get down to the sounds of Tupelo, Mississippi’s Homemade Jamz Blues Band, featuring the Perry brothers and their sister Taya on drums. Plus, music from famous family bands and songs about grandmas, cousins and long lost relatives — all of whom we expect to hear from at Thanksgiving dinner: https://buff.ly/NDOxXda

11/24/2025

Jimmy Cliff, the global reggae star whose career was launched by the iconic film and soundtrack, The Harder They Come, has passed away at age 81.

You can listen to our interview with him here: https://www.amroutes.org/july-2025/2531?rq=jimmy%20cliff

The Jamaican reggae star had a breakout performance in the 1972 film “The Harder They Come,” playing a singer-turned-outlaw.

11/21/2025

This week on American Routes Shortcuts: Don Bryant was the fifth of ten children, grew up listening to his father’s gospel group, and started singing in church at age five. Don began harmonizing with his family and neighbors and went on to form the Four Kings with his brothers singing on Dick “Cane” Cole’s popular WLOK radio show. The group joined up with Willie Mitchell’s band; Don Bryant was lead singer. Bryant later pursued a solo career, but mostly focused on writing material for other artists at Hi Records and continued singing in church. Don returned to singing secular music in his 70s after an invitation from Memphis soul band the Bo-Keys. He released an album in 2017, called “Don’t Give Up on Love,” his first secular album in 48 years. Don’s latest record, You Make Me Feel, came out in 2020.

Don Bryant was the fifth of ten children, grew up listening to his father’s gospel group, and started singing in church at age five. Don began harmonizing with his family and neighbors and went on to form the Four Kings with his brothers singing on Dick “Cane” Cole’s popular WLOK radio show....

11/19/2025

We’ll go up the Mississippi to another great river city of music: Memphis. Known for rhythm & blues, gospel, soul and roots, rock n roll-- and landmark record labels: Sun Records, Stax Records, and Hi Records. On this visit, we’ll listen to the work of Hi Records producer/arranger/trumpeter Willie Mitchell and talk to members of the Hi Rhythm Section: Rev. Charles Hodges and Archie “Hubbie” Turner, plus an archival conversation with the man with the most hits for Hi Records, Al Green. Then, more memories of those days with old school singer and prolific songwriter Don Bryant, who got his start with Willie Mitchell and, in his ‘70s, returned to the studio, cutting records with lots of soul: https://buff.ly/X80Gcej

11/12/2025

It’s American Routes Live in concert and conversation with musicians from southwest Louisiana Cajun and New Orleans Creole life. Singer Songwriter Zachary Richard- Official has been called the most American of French songwriters and the most French of American songwriters. We’ll visit with Zachary and his band live at Dockside Studio in Maurice, Louisiana for a walk through his nearly 50 year catalog of songs. Then Creole jazz banjoman Don Vappie updates musical history while keeping the New Orleans traditional sound alive, live from Marigny Studios near the French Quarter. In partnership with New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve: https://buff.ly/cPfzwvc