May the Fourth Be with Us!—American Routes Independence Day Then & Now

This July 4th, tune in to WWCF at 4 PM for a two-hour special episode of American Routes. Host Nick Spitzer dives into the record crates to bring you music of celebration, hope and critique from Nina Simone, Randy Newman, Sly Stone and Jon Batiste. The second hour delves into the program’s archive, featuring highlights from The American Roots Independence Day concerts at the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Tune in for spectacular stage performances by the urbane blues hero Charles Brown, the Texas Playboys with Johnny Gimble playing Western swing, Mexican-American Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano, Young Tuxedo Brass with New Orleans jazz, and Hawaiian music and song of slack-key guitar master Ledward Kaapana.