May the fourth be with us!
American Routes Independence Day Then & Now
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Fred Vigeant
For the long holiday weekend around Independence day, WITF presents a special from the American Routes series.
On Monday July 5th, American Routes offers two hours of words and music from Nina Simone, Randy Newman, Sly Stone, Jon Batiste and others.
The roots of American Routes began with a series of Independence Day concerts held annually at the Washington Monument before the fireworks show on the National Mall. The live broadcasts featured the best of American vernacular musicians and cultures. This special includes a compilation of these concerts from years past.
We highlight spectacular stage performances by the urbane blues hero Charles Brown, the Texas Playboys with Johnny Gimble playing Western swing, Mexican-American Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, the Young Tuxedo Brass with New Orleans jazz, and Hawaiian music and song from Ledward Kaapana and Clyde “Kindy” Sproat.
The program, originally directed and hosted by Nick Spitzer, was produced by the National Park Service, National Folk Festival, Radio Smithsonian and WAMU FM for live broadcast on NPR nationwide between 1993-2001.
Listen to American Routes: May the Fourth Be with Us! Monday July 5 2pm-4pm on WITF 89.5, 93.3 and through your smart speaker by asking it to “Play WITF Radio.” More information about American Routes…
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