Road Writing: August 2013

Saturday, August 31, 2013

It’s another Saturday night and in my household that means The Fish Fry is on the radio KCUR- Kansas City. It’s a great program that highlights blues, R&B, soul, jumpin’ jazz, and zydeco music and oftentimes, KC artists. The week of July 6 they were doing a “road songs” theme. Here are a handful of the road songs they played that evening. Listen to the whole show at http://www.kcur.org/fish-fry-archives

Key to the Highway- Muddy Waters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU4W5j78keE

Big Road Blues- Rory Block

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwIfKSGK2I

T Model Blues- Lightnin’ Hopkins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9AGSXiWWko

Long Time to Get There- Betse Ellis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es6FCqgiIT0

A few more of some country blues for those who are laboring on the highway this Labor Day weekend:

Mobile Blues- Waylon Jennings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN0nMxCS2U0&list=PL3162E65BC119154A

Truck Driver’s Blues- Merle Haggard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbsXkK93fUY&list=PL3162E65BC119154A

Long, Lonesome Highway- Dick Curless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_kV4efuN7Q&list=PL3162E65BC119154A

Gulf Coast Highway- Nanci Griffith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUqLleoZxtM

Friday, August 23, 2013

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 and Enjoy the Drive on I-55

I had a radio interview on WGLT in Bloomington, IL last weekend about our “Traveling Through Illinois” book. They played the Van Halen song, “I Can’t Drive 55” at the beginning of it. Clever. I liked it.

Ted and I started an I-55 song list years ago, actually. We pondered what songs we should have on the soundtrack if this book should ever make it on the big screen. Okay, well, we just thought about all the fun road songs there are out there. So, for the next few blogs we’ll play some road tunes.

Seems respectful to start with this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjejXfZYp9Y

Here’s an encore from his daughter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrNzqc1ZMRo

Here’s hoping that after you read our book, you won’t ever sing Sammy’s lyrics about I-55:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FDKYGGvxAE

Why We Write

While writing of the highways, we found a new appreciation for the simple sights along the road: an old family barn or a sprawling oak tree alone in a field. LuAnn has written about fast-paced and slow-paced Midwestern highways, while Ted has written about roads that meander through national parks, along the U.S. coastline, and down country lanes in France. The people we interviewed gave life to our stories with their emotional perspectives. Through our blog, we invite you to join us and share your stories of these roads.

About LuAnn

LuAnn Cadden peddled books for years for Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other bookstores before she finally started writing them. While a Naturalist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, she wrote magazine and research journal articles and interpretive trail guides. Her other published writings include everything from creative writing stories and factual newspaper articles to a personal advice column for Catholic teenagers. Her love for travel, interpretation, and writing led her to write a guide for an unconventional trail, Interstate 70 across Missouri and then a second book about her beloved native state of Illinois. She's also written an audio tour for Highway 36 across Missouri. She has a B.S. in English from Illinois State University and a B.S. in Education from Missouri Western State University. She supplements her writer's folly as a teacher and an editor and resides on historic Lovers Lane in St. Joseph, Missouri.

About Ted

Ted Cable is Professor of Park Management and Conservation at Kansas State University. He has authored 12 books, several book chapters and scenic byway video scripts, and more than 200 articles and presentations dealing with birds, nature interpretation and travel. One of Ted’s books, “Compact Guide to the Birds of Kansas” won 1st Place, Small Book Category, at the 2008 National Association for Interpretation Media Awards. Renowned researcher Dr. Jane Goodall honored Ted by writing the foreword to his “Commitments of the Heart: Odysseys in West African Conservation.” His most recent publication is an interpretive essay in Wildbranch: An Anthology of Nature, Environmental, and Place-based Writing, published by University of Utah Press. Ted loves to travel and to share those travels through his writing. He has visited 49 states and more than 30 countries, working extensively in France, West Africa and Latin America. His passion now is to help travelers see the beauty along interstate highways in the U.S. He has coauthored Driving Across Kansas, Driving Across Missouri, and Traveling Through Illinois.

Road Writing

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Labor Day Blues

Friday, August 23, 2013

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 and Enjoy the Drive on I-55

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