Road Trippin’ Summer 2023

By Bill King

I’m 16, and the station wagon is in motion, as it always was come summers when pops would claw back vacation time. We’d frequently drive from Indiana to Pennsylvania and have two weeks of downtime on the farm with Mom’s side of the family. When not flipping bales of hay or harassing busy uncles, it was time spent at George Washington’s home in Mt. Vernon, New York, Lincoln’s log cabin in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, a swim with the manatees in Florida, hunting for the Lobo wolves through the midwest, camping in Georgia, or a stop by the Hershey factory. This was long before talk radio. News shows were brief, crammed in between the farm report and county fair updates. It was fucking hot, too.

In ‘63, Nat King Cole had complete control of the dial with ‘Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer’. During gas fill-ups, Nat chased us down the road, past the main street and blasted from those bird-shit-covered transistors in barns near the milk cows. I remember Pops bypassing Van Morrison, the Pretty Things, and the Rolling Stones with a few not-so-complimentary words.

Then 1967—January, and the Doors released Break on Through to the Other Side. I’m hitchhiking, long walking, and hanging around head shops across America. Hoping another song fractures the hold this song has on FM radio. Sure enough! I just had to wait until May and Sgt. Pepper’s LonelyHearts Club Band and the Beatles. Then John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. More road work. The Cream, Procol Harum, Country Joe. All good cruising music. In the 70s, I journeyed across America with Little Feat, Elton John, David Sanborn, Weather Report, and Miles Davis. That cassette recorder is in play.

 As I jot down a few memories of those locked-in audio appliances that held our listening habits in check, I thought I’d ask a few Facebook friends (writers, musicians, authors, publicists, broadcasters, recording engineers, big music fans) if their listening tastes have changed much. If they prepared for a road trip, what could we hear thundering from the insides of that touring vehicle?

Hits come and go, but road music is based on preferred listening history. Music with a bounce and attitude. One doesn’t need to go deep in search of meaning or brood about yesterday’s nonsense or misbegotten affair. It’s all about what feels good when the wheels spin and the wind massages.

Just a note: Radioman Jim Richards and producer Tony Tedesco posed this question to me and publicist Eric Alper in a recent show. Our picks later…

Here goes:

Kesha Wint

Both Sides Now (2000 version) - Joni Mitchell

I Never Knew Love Like This Before - Charles Jenkins

The Essence - Quisha Wint

I Can’t Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt

Mandolin Rain - Bruce Hornsby and the Range

Jessica F. Bellamy

Thinking About You – Radiohead

 She's Got Her Ticket - Tracy Chapman

I Left My Wallet in El Segundo - A Tribe Called Quest

Dirty Back Road - B-52's

 Violently Happy - Bjork

Gloria Martin

Milk and Honey - OKA

Lovely Day - Bill Withers

End of the Line - Traveling Wilburys

Asher Ettinger

The Promised Land - Chuck Berry

Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream - Dylan

Me and Bobby McGee -Janis

Let’s take this show on the road - Freeman Dre

Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen

Deana Hester

Freeway Jam - Jeff Beck

 Lifted - Trombone Shorty

 Freedom - Jon Batiste

Fool and Me - Robin Trower

Tie Your Mother Down - Queen

Robert Armes

Learning To Fly - Tom Petty

Highway 61 - Bob Dylan

Boys of Summer - Don Henley

Take It Easy - Jackson Browne

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

Maria Karam

Lovin Cup - Rolling Stones

Green Eyed Lady - Sugar Loaf

Black Country Rock - Bowie

Village Green Preservation Society - Kinks

Magic Man - Heart

Mark Kelso

As falls Wichita, So falls Wichita Falls - Pat Metheny

Hejira - Joni Mitchell

Cityscape - Michael Brecker - with Claus Ogerman

 All ’N’ All - Earth Wind & Fire

Uprising - Bob Marley

Larry Cimino

Loan Me a Dime - performed by Boz Scaggs

On the Road Again - Willie Nelson

Goin’ Up the Country - Canned Heat

Hot Rod Lincoln - Commander Cody

The Way - Fastball

Pat Silver

Running on Empty - Jackson Browne

Takin’ It Home - Countermeasure

Chili Con Carne - The Real Group

Feel It in the Air - Naturally 7

Rise Up - original by Parachute Club

Rick Shurman

The Weight - The Band

Rock and Roll Doctor-Little Feat

Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne

Angel From Montgomery - Bonnie Raitt

 September - Earth Wind and Fire

Touran Zohdy

Me & Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin

Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

Revolution - The Beatles - 45 RPM version

I'm Going Home - Ten Years After - Woodstock version.

Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who

David McPherson

 Baba O’Reilly - The Who

 Running Down a Dream - Tom Petty

Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf

Running back to Saskatoon - The Guess Who

 Three Pistols - The Tragically Hip

Gilbert Carty

Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles

 Stand By Me – Ben E. King

Straighten Up and Fly Right - Nat King Cole

Hitch Hike - Marvin Gaye

Fever - Peggy Lee

Rob Walker

Radar Love - Golden Earring.

Beck’s Bolero - Jeff Beck.

Sandy (4th of July) Bruce Springsteen

Black Betty - Ram Jam.

Can't Find My Way Back Home - Blind Faith

Lee Marshall

Coming In from the Cold - Bob Marley

Sail on Sailor - Beach Boys

Keep on Chooglin' - CCR

Bad to the Bone - George Thorogood

Her Strutt - Bob Seger

For the Return Trip...

Run For Your Life - Beatles

You Really Got Me - Kinks

Better Watch Out - McKenna Mendelson Mainline

Sons and Daughters - Neville Bros

Cool Runnings - Bunny Wailer

Elaine Overholt

Five Hundred Miles - Paul Ponnudorai

September - Earth Wind & Fire  

Over the Rainbow - Eva Cassidy 

Superstition - Stevie Wonder

State of Mind - Raul Midon

Andrew Champion

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

The War on Drugs - Holding On

Bob Seger - Hollywood Nights

Bleachers - Rollercoaster

Day Wave - Something Here

Tony Nardi

Led Zeppelin IV

Joshua Tree – U 2

Madman Across the Water – Elton John

Crime of the Century – Supertramp

Rubber Soul – Revolver – Abbey Road

Rebecca Hennessey

 Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell

 Humble Me - Kevin Breit’s latest album Yearning Soul Rebellion

 Dead Man in the Ivy - Kevin Breit’s latest album Yearning Soul Rebellion

 Boy In The Bubble - Paul Simon

Diamonds on The Soles of Her Shoes - Paul Simon

Fergus Hambleton

Break on Through...Doors

Any Beatles / Beach Boys

West Side Story / My Fair Lady

Birth Of the Cool – Miles Davis

Electric Flag

Susan Perly

Going Down - Freddie King

Too Marvellous for Words - Eliane Elias

If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot

 Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Wouldn't It Be Nice - The Beach Boys

Neil Chapman

La Grange - ZZ Top

One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head

Burning Down the House - The Talking Heads

Aja - Steely Dan

Rain - The Beatles

Lou Pomanti

The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby

One Fine Morning - Lighthouse

Chris Whitley - Big Sky Country

Tower of Power - Don't Change Horses

America - Ventura Highway

Karen Gordon

 Abacab (album version or live) - Genesis

I Don’t Wanna Dance - Split Enz

Get Up - Mike & The Mechanics

Only You Know and I Know - Phil Collins

Can’t Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Andre Roy

Going to Montana Too Soon – Frank Zappa

Grazing in the Grass – Hugh Masekela

The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles

Goin’ Down to Detroit – Wes Montgomery

It Must Be a Camel – Frank Zappa

Craig Morley

Kid Charlemagne - Steely Dan.

 Your Smiling Face - James Taylor.

 Spanish Moon - Little Feat.

 Wouldn't It Be Nice - Beach Boys.

The Boys of Summer - Don Henley.

Grace Adams

Skate - Silk Sonic

Blame it on the Girls - Mika

Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas

That’s Why They Call It the Blues - Elton John

P.Y.T. - Michael Jackson

Sean Loucks

On The Road Again - Canned Heat

Medley: Jack & Neal / California, Here I Come - Tom Waits

Carefree Highway - Gordon Lightfoot

Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips

Ventura Highway – America

Stella Saul

Don’t Stop Me Now- Queen

Common Eileen - Dexys

Raise a Little Hell - Trooper

Don't Stop Believing - Journey

Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC

Ross Perlmutter

Jessica - Allman Bros

Squib Cakes - TOP

Surrender - Cheap Trick

Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers - ZZ Top

Can’t You See - Marshall Tucker

Eliana Cuevas

1: Añoranza - C4 Trio and Luis Enrique

2: A Beautiful Blast Off - KC Roberts

3: Two Cousins - CaneFire

4: Of the Stars - KC Roberts

5: Catapult - KC Roberts

Bob Roper

Oh Atlanta - Little Feat

Road To Hell - Chris Rea

Route 66 - The Rolling Stones

Pancho and Lefty - Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson,

Help Is on Its Way - Little River Band

Honourable mention…Take It Easy - Eagles.

Patricia Power

Boys of Summer - Don Henley

Born to be Wild - Steppenwolf.

Get Your Kicks on Route 66 – Chuck Berry

Part of You, Part of Me - Glenn Frey

Eunice Sheffield

Mustang Sally - Wilson Pickett

Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers Wheel

Master Blaster (Jammin') Stevie Wonder

Spinning Wheel - Blood Sweat and Tears

Takin' it to the Streets - Doobie Brothers

Linda Branham

I'm Still Alive - Pearl Jam

The Chain – Fleetwood Mac

In The Air Tonight (Live) – Phil Collins

One Day – Matisyahu

Long Train Running - Doobie Brothers

Because the Night – Natalie Merchant

Kristine King

Boogie Wonderland - Earth, wind and Fire

Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

You Should Be Dancin' - Bee Gees

Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars

Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5

Rico Ferrara

Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen

Lido Shuffle - Boz Scaggs

That's Life - Frank Sinatra

Bring It on Home To Me - Sam Cooke

Love The One You're With - Steve Stills

Diana Wiley

Eva by Heart - Eva Cassidy

True Love – Pat Benatar

Unplugged – Eric Clapton

Kind of Blue – Miles Davis

Shakespeare and All That Jazz - Cleo Laine & John Dankworth

John RS Dowsett

Great Canadian Railroad Trilogy – Gordon Lightfoot

Wild Things Run Fast - Joni Mitchell

Summers up - Max Webster

Heart of Gold - Neil Young

Martine Levy

Spain - Chick Corea

Eric Mercury - Love is Taking Over

End of the Road - Gladys Knight

Girl from Ipanema - Jobim

I’ll Take You There - Staple Singers

 Eric Alper

Running Down A Dream – Tom Petty

Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

Radar Love – Golden Earring

Where The Streets Have No Name – U2

Life Is a Highway – Tom Cochrane

Bill King

Love Shack - B 52's

Boogie Wonderland - EW&F

Dixie Chicken - Little Feat

It Takes Two - Tina Turner/Rod Stewart

Funky Kingston - Toots & the Maytals/Bootsy Collins

James Paul

Runaway Lane - Jerry Jerry & The Sons Of Rhythm

Jesus Built My Hotrod - Ministry

The Shield - Tragedy Ann

Michipicoten - Pat Gilmour

Big Black Nemesis - Shriekback

Aliza Spiro

Depends on where I'm driving - could be James Taylor, could be a Bway cast album, could be Chet Baker, could be Chopin. But here is something you should know about that I'm sure you can share one day:

I used to drive to Toronto - New York City every other week. In the Catskill Mountains, "The Wolf" and "The Hawk" were the only radio stations in range, both playing country music.

I made up a game in which each person in the car chooses one of the following topics:

1. Booze:  Beer / Whiskey / Bars

2. Driving: Cars / Trucks / Chevy / Jeep / Parking Lot

3. Jesus

4. Mama

5. Clothing: Blue Jeans or Boots

Then, when a song starts, you get a point if your topic is the first one mentioned in the lyric.

And everyone in the car gets an extra point if the song rhymes "Truck" with "Up."