In the years since it became one of the original routes of the U.S. Numbered Highway System, U.S. Route 66 (US 66) has left an enduring and unrivaled cultural imprint. Journalist and historian Michael Wallis (born in 1945) summarized this legacy in his 1990 best-selling book Route 66: The Mother Road. “Route 66,” Wallis noted in the book. “It conjures up all kinds of images. Route 66. An artery linking much of the nation. Route 66. An inspiration to literature, music, drama, art and a nation of dreamers.”
One of the most noteworthy paeans to Route 66 and its resonating impact is a song that resulted from a cross-country trip and was introduced to the world in 1946. This rhythm-and-blues standard was composed by Robert William “Bobby” Troup (1918-1999), a songwriter, singer, and pianist. Troup achieved fame as well as an actor; his best-known role was his portrayal of Dr. Joe Early in the 1970s TV series Emergency!
Not long after he had served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, Troup wanted to make his way from the Eastern Seaboard to Hollywood to more fully pursue a career as a songwriter. He and his wife Cynthia Hare Troup (1917-1992) therefore packed up their Buick and left Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, for California.
Their cross-country trip started out on U.S. Route 40 (US 40) and eventually ended up on US 66. During that 10-day journey, Bobby Troup began to dream up a tune about driving on the open road. He initially thought about featuring Route 40 in this song, but his wife evidently managed to persuade him to instead use Route 66 as the centerpiece. She even suggested the following title for the song: Get Your Kicks on Route 66.
After they arrived in Los Angeles, Bobby Troup consulted a map to help figure out which cities and towns along Route 66 he should include in the song’s lyrics. Cynthia Hare Troup later lamented, “What I can’t really believe is that he doesn’t have Albuquerque in the song.” (They would remain married until divorcing in 1955; four years later, he married singer, actress, and Emergency! co-star Julie London [1926-2000].)
The song in its final form was released as a single by Capitol Records on April 22, 1946. This original version, recorded at the studio Radio Recorders, Inc., in Los Angeles, was performed by the acclaimed singer and pianist Nat King Cole (1919-1965) and his fellow members of the King Cole Trio. The other musicians were guitarist Oscar Moore (1916-1981) and bassist Johnny Miller (1915-1988). All three of these men are featured in the accompanying photo taken in 1947.
The day after the official debut of their rendition of Get Your Kicks on Route 66, the Atlanta Daily World reported that “their recording of ‘Route 66,’ released this week, is following the way of all the Trio’s tunes – right to the top.” Over past several decades, this song has remained in the public spotlight as a nostalgic homage to Route 66. A wide range of musical artists have recorded their own versions of the song. Cole himself, as a matter of fact re-recorded it for his albums After Midnight in 1956 and The Nat King Cole Story in 1961.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the song Get Your Kicks on Route 66, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(Get_Your_Kicks_on)_Route_66
A recording of the original version of this song that was performed by the King Cole Trio is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIGmxUaxpCQ&list=RDMIGmxUaxpCQ&start_radio=1
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