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This is American Routes, Down by the Riverside, live at the New Orleans Jazz Market. Our guests this hour are the Doucet brothers. Fiddler Michael is a…

Last year's federal NOPD consent decree exposed long-running tensions between the New Orleans Police Department and the community. One group is trying to…

Looking towards the upcoming New Orleans Film Festival, actors David Jensen and Joe Chrest discuss their entry, King of Herrings. These are two of five…

Cajun musician Doug Kershaw was born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana, 1936. He started playing fiddle at age five and gigged with his mom at a bar called the…

Johnny Shines was one of the last Delta bluesmen to travel and perform with Robert Johnson. Born in 1915 and raised in Arkansas, Shines first met Johnson…

While Mardi Gras parades, gatherings, krewe balls and house parties are not permitted this year due to Covid, we look back to celebrate the music, people…

Singer/guitarist Charley Crockett plays what he calls "Gulf and Western" music, a combination of blues, R&B, soul, country and more found along the Gulf Coast from Texas to Louisiana. It makes sense, since that's where he grew up, living with his mother in a trailer. Charley's lived many lives, hitchhiking with his guitar from coast to coast, playing in subways and city streets in New York City, New Orleans, and Paris; working for farms in California, running into trouble with the law and later his health with open heart surgery. He's recorded several highly acclaimed albums and is known for his takes on classic country tunes as well as original songs. But for Charley, the blues is where it all began.

At American Routes, we like to think that we never phone it in; each show is an original. And this one is no exception, but we did make a phone call, back when, to the late country pioneer, Loretta Lynn, to talk about songs and women’s lives, including her own.

Each week, American Routes brings you Shortcuts, a sneak peek at the upcoming show. Pianist, songmaker, and performer Heath Allen has built a career as a cabaret band leader, in musical theater, and creator of the Popera, Andy, an opera about Andy Warhol. Heath has worked with performers ranging from singer-songwriter Susan Werner to a legendary troupe called the Bearded Ladies. Nick Spitzer visited Heath Allen at home in West Philadelphia for conversation and a cabaret piano performance.

In 1941, Emily and Dooky Chase, Sr. opened Dooky Chase Restaurant, a sandwich shop on Orleans Avenue in New Orleans. Under the leadership of their daughter-in-law Leah Chase, the simple shop grew into one of the first African American fine dining restaurants in the country. Today, Leah's legacy lies in the hands of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Now, that crew, which Leah always referred to as "the grands," are debuting their own TV series, produced locally by WYES-TV and airing on PBS affiliates throughout the country. We sat down with the younger generations at the restaurant during the taping of The Dooky Chase Kitchen: Leah's Legacy. On this week's show, we hear not only those young, ambitious voices, but we've dug into our archives to bring you material that never previously aired from the late, great Leah herself.