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LUCINDA WILLIAMS / CAROL FRAN

Join us and cruise the Gulf Coast Highway with Deep South singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams as she talks about her connection with traditional music, her writing style and sense of place. Plus, Lafayette, Louisiana R&B chanteuse and pianist Carol Fran comes by the studio for conversation and a special live set. There’s also great music from, Johnny Cash, Cassandra Wilson, and Gatemouth Brown.

AFTER THE STORM II: ALLONS A LAFAYETTE

This week on American Routes we continue to examine, through story and song, the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita while looking forward to the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Join us as guests Aaron Neville and the Frazier Brothers of the Rebirth Brass Band talk about their storm experiences and desire to remake the city. And we’ll feature some live Cajun and zydeco from a benefit concert for displaced musicians in Lafayette, Louisiana.

EAST TEXAS/WEST LOUISIANA

Explore the musical territory of the Texas-Louisiana border: It’s a fertile frontier where country, gospel, Cajun, zydeco, jazz, blues and boogie merge into one another. American Routes visits the flashy zydeco accordion man Nathan Williams; Shreveport, Louisiana, singer Dale Hawkins tells stories of his early rockabilly hit “Suzy Q”; and jazz pianist/songstress Nellie Lutcher talks about growing up in southwest Louisiana, then playing music in the other LA – Los Angeles.

CHARLEY PRIDE / CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE

This week we toe, walk and cross the blurry line between country and blues, as performed by both black and white artists. Guests include white blues harmonica player, Charley Musselwhite, who tells us about his lifetime journey from Mississippi to Memphis to Chicago to California; and Charley Pride talks about his upbringing in Sledge, Mississippi, his baseball career, and being an African-American country singer with 29 number one hits to his name. Plus bluesy-country and country blues from Hank Williams, Howlin’ Wolf, Aretha Franklin and more.