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
I Put a Spell on You: Halloween '26
October 28, 2026
To usher in the season of the witch, we invoke the power of hoodoo charms and haunted melodies, blood moons and black magic. And we hang with the Bay Area’s artsy punk rockers Shannon & the Clams as they tell of ghostly encounters, spirit animals and memories from Halloweens past. Plus, spooky chills and thrills from Miles Davis, Memphis Minnie and Hank Williams.
NEXT WEEK
Rhythm & Blues into Rock & Roll: Fats Domino, Billy Boy Arnold and the Tedeschi Trucks Band
We pay tribute to the late Fats Domino with our favorite of the New Orleans piano man’s Imperial releases. And we hear the Fat Man’s reflective side in a rare 2007 conversation with him about escaping Hurricane Katrina’s floodwaters and how his faith saw him through. Veteran blues harp player Billy Boy Arnold tells of South Side Chicago’s early rhythm & blues scene, recording with Bo Diddley, and Fats Domino’s role in pushing Black music across the color line into what would become rock & roll. Then, we catch up with a new generation of rockers, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, known for their live shows of Southern soul-inflected roots rock. We chat with Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks (Allman Brothers) about their solo careers, starting a family and a band, and life on the road together. Plus, hard-hitting R&B from Junior Parker, mighty gospel from Mahalia, and rockin’ soul from Mad Dogs and Englishmen.
LAST WEEK
New Orleans Jazz Banjo/Guitarist Danny Barker & American Routes Live with Detroit Brooks and his Syncopated Percolators
New Orleans musician and raconteur Danny Barker was a banjo and guitar hero—a major player in New York jazz who never forgot his French Creole roots in song and style. We look back on Danny's career, his life with wife and collaborator, the singer Blue Lu Barker, and his influence sustaining culture in the Crescent City. Then, current day guitar and banjo man, Detroit Brooks pays tribute to the Barker legacy with his band the Syncopated Percolators live at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Support Detroit Brooks
Our friend, guitar and banjo player Detroit Brooks, needs urgent support. Detroit is in the hospital with serious medical issues that have kept him from being able to play music, and he is now awaiting surgery.
Find out how you can help here.