Posted on 07/05/2020 7:17:10 AM PDT by rktman
Route 66 has been forgotten. The once-vital artery connecting Chicago and Los Angeles—and hundreds of towns in between—was America’s Main Street. John Steinbeck famously dubbed it “the Mother Road.”
Passing through and bringing life to towns and cities across the heartland, Route 66 captured the imagination, delivering tourists, families, and misbegotten souls from one end of the country to the other.
Even its rosy past has a dark undercurrent. Those diners, motels, and other roadside establishments played played host to rampant segregation. For black Americans, the Mother Road was rife with danger.
(Excerpt) Read more at getpocket.com ...
In May of '63 my dad got transferred to ABQ from London England and my mom and I joined the road in St. Louis after visiting relatives in Indy. '59 Olds 88 cruising down the road. Since I didn't have my license yet I just got to observe the scenery. I enjoyed it but then again I was probably merely using my WP. Finally got my license a month after getting to ABQ and taking drivers ed. LOL! Watch out! Eventually finished the jaunt to the Santa Monica pier so, yeah, done most of Route 66. Missed the chunk from Chiraq to STL. Oh well.
A most unique american experiance.
If it isn’t racist, it isn’t American. You must have missed the memo. Hopefully wherever Karim Doumar came from is a better place, and he can go back there soon. At least before his snowflake melts.
God Bless America!
Everybody has a dream. My dream, which at this point in my life will probably never happen (oh Well) is to ride across America on my Harley. The most important part of the journey of my dreams is to ride Rt 66, The Famous “Mother Road” of American Legend. Since my bike, Rt 66, and my body are all old and falling apart, I guess I will have to live my dream in a song I wrote several years ago. Here are the Lyrics:
THE MOTHER ROAD
by ML/LTOS c1995
My girlfriend lives in Missouri, on the outskirts of St. Lou.
She fights the River every spring, like all her neighbors do
She’s been to Tahiti, and she loves to figure skate.
She says I’ll always have a place to sleep if I’m ever in her state.
(CHORUS)
I’ll always have a place to stay
When I ride the Mother Road.
At every stop along the way,
I find an open door.
My friends all think that I’m crazy,
But They love me anyway.
And when I ride that Mother Road,
I’ll always have a place to stay.
My cousin lives near Tulsa, right off Rt 66,
In the home town of Will Rogers, in the Oklahoma sticks.
There ain’t a musical instr’ment that the gal can’t play!
She says I’ll always have a place to sleep, if I’m ever out that way.
(CHORUS)
I’ll always have a place to stay
When I ride the Mother Road.
At every stop along the way,
I find an open door.
My friends all think that I’m crazy,
But They love me anyway.
And when I ride that Mother Road,
I’ll always have a place to stay.
(Bridge)
Old Motel on the auction block
Ancient Symbols carved in the rock
Big empty sky, except for a hawk
Looks like someone turned back the clock!
(instrumental solo)
My uncle lives in Texas, and that’s music to my ears.
He once traced his ancestry back to the Trail of Tears
he likes to sleep in the desert, and dance out under the stars.
He says I’ll always have a place to sleep “IF I EVER GET THAT FAR!”
(CHORUS)
I’ll always have a place to stay
When I ride the Mother Road.
At every stop along the way,
I find an open door.
My friends all think that I’m crazy,
But They love me anyway.
And when I ride that Mother Road,
I’ll always have a place to stay.
(((I had no idea that this song made me a racist. Who Knew?)))
I was so unaware of my WP at 15. :-)
I really eagerly and hopefully look forward to the time when our media receives it’s much deserved reward.
Hint: they really really will not like their reward.
And probably will not live through it.
The Route 66 theme song by Nelson Riddle is one of my favorite TV themes. Excellent light jazz with classical instruments, the type of jazz that was popular and commonly heard back then. Perfect music for solitary, long distance driving at night. Each measure was extended, like a slow deep breath of air going in and going out.
Nicely done. What key do you prefer it in? Chord progression? Guitar, organ/keyboard or horn solo. I guess if you had an awesome bass player it could be a bass solo. LOL! And I know just the bass player too.
THEY obviously don’t know history do they? When they’re no longer an asset...........................
After seperation from active military service in ‘69 I drove from NJ to CA. I picked up US-66 in, I think MO. At this time, they were still building I-40. So you would be on 66 for 15 or 20 miles,then be diverted back to I-40 for 15 miles or so an then diverted back to 66. This cycle repeated all the way to CA.
WAH!, WAH!, WAH!............. Oh, woe is me, poor old Black.
Will Blacks ever GROW-UP? Enough with the Cry’in Charlie Routine!
Blacks have had the World handed to them on Silver Platter since the mid 60’s. BET, Black College Scholarship Fund, Quota hiring, AF, WELFARE, UEI, and on and on.....!
Most don’t even pay income taxes.
It’s past Time to quit blaming White folks for your empty crack pipes.
I traveled Rt. 66 back in ‘64. There was no Danger to anyone what so ever.
Everbody can see right through this whole redundant Black Cry-baby Charade! Good Night! Try to at least function in society, like everyone else does and stop with the Cry Baby antics!
We traveled most of Route 66 from Illinois to San Bernardino California when we - our family - moved to California in 1956.
Our fist stop, and a five week stay, was at Motel 66 on business Route 66 - Mt Vernon Boulevard, in San Bernardino. Dad was being reassigned to Norton AFB and we lived at Motel 66 until he and mom found us a new house to move into.
LOL! I remember that too. Except there was a lot less I-40 in ‘63 and a lot more RT 66.
What? How can this be? It’s entirely outside of “The Jim Crow South.”
Ever notice Tod and Buz always seemed to be near the ocean?
There’s a small museum across the street from that corner, which is Standin’ On the Corner Park. Inside the museum there’s the cancelled check signed by Don Henley to help build Standin’ on the Corner Park.
I’ve been on the road twice - both times in the region from Independence MO to the east side OK.
The little bit in Kansas is neat: Nice little towns, a few small museums and restaurants. The original TowMater pickup truck.
I do it on guitar with a sort of Country/Southern Rock Vibe.
Sometimes I have a bass player, sometimes a lead guitarist, sometimes drums, but I only have an old recording of it on tape where I played all the instruments one at a time using an 8-Track.
It’s in G, and I’m an old lady now, teaching sometimes, but mostly retired from the business.
The Bridge is in Em, which makes it stand out from a regular 1, 4, 5 progression.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the excellent musicians on FR could get together! :-)
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