American Routes is blues and jazz, gospel and soul, rockabilly and country, Cajun and swamp pop, Tejano, Latin… and beyond. Songs and stories from musicians describe a deep and diverse nation with sounds and styles shared by all Americans. From the bayous to the beltways, from crossroads to crosstown, on interstates and city streets, turn up your radio for the sonic journey!
American Routes—produced in New Orleans since 1998
The Color of Music with Henry Butler & Lonnie Holley
August 5, 2026
Get out your Crayolas and sketch pads, as we fill in the spectrum of musical colors... from red hot jazz to cool blues. What do we see when we hear music? We dig back into the archives for our epic interview with the late, blind New Orleans piano professor Henry Butler about his eclectic musical visions. Then, self-taught visual artist Lonnie Holley expands his cosmic imagery into words and music to heal society on what he calls "the mothership”-- Earth. Plus, word jazz maestro Ken Nordine narrates the paint palette; Nina Simone plays "Mood Indigo"; George Jones sings "Color of the Blues"; and Los Lobos describe the power of the Lavender Moon.
NEXT WEEK
Doo-Wop Golden Oldies–Black & White Classics of the 50s, 60s and Now–with Dion!
It's back to the Golden Age of doo wop and classic songs of the era from Black and white groups. A conversation with Dion DiMucci, the Bronx born and raised singer who made his name first with his neighborhood group the Belmonts. We talk about his Italian American roots and his love of the blues, plus his life in music. Then, we explore the roads to doowop from gospel quartets, R&B and jazz including songs by Sam Cooke, The Mills Brothers and Jimmy Reed.
Summer Sounds—Being & Staying Cool
This summer we try to be and stay...cool. Leading our in-crowd is the late pianist and jazz radio host Ramsey Lewis in conversation about blending the blues he heard on the Chicago streets with gospel music from home to create a cool version of jazz. We'll also hear cool words and music from Tom Waits, Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, Albert Murray, and Oscar Brown, Jr. Plus a visit to North Carolina’s historic Black Seabreeze Beach.
Remembering Sonny Rollins
Saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins passed away Monday afternoon at his Woodstock, N.Y. home at the age of 95. We spoke with Rollins about his work with Miles and Monk among others, and his improvisatory explorations. You can find that interview here.