I’ve pretty much retired from this blog, as changes in my life over the years have prevented me from keeping up with it daily. With that said, I sporadically post something of interest as an extra post. Today, as it is my 66th birthday, I thought I would provide a listen to some later versions of Bobby Troup’s composition “Route 66.”
The well-known version was originally recorded by the King Cole Trio in 1946 and charted at 11 on Billboard’s singles chart. Part of the song’s inability to make it to the Top 10 was because there was another version by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, which charted at 14. Without the cover version that competed with Nat King Cole’s classic, the original release certainly would have made it to the Top 5. It remains, however, the best-known version of the song.
But today, we are going to veer off Route 66 to some versions that you’ve probably never heard before. Our first example was never a single and it was from an album that was not a big seller. Chuck Berry’s “Route 66” was released on his 1961 album “New Juke Box Hits.” While not a hit, Berry’s version of this classic influenced “The Rolling Stones” to record the song on their first album.
With The Rolling Stones, the UK version (a self-titled album) led with “Route 66,” while the American release, “England's Newest Hit Makers,” placed the song second after the single “Not Fade Away.” This is typically the difference between albums out of England and US, as the UK releases did not necessarily put single releases on albums.
American record companies, however, relied on the single to sell the album. In adding “Not Fade Away,” they removed Bo Diddley’s “Mona (I Need You Baby).” The song later appeared on the US only album release “The Rolling Stones, Now!”
Thanks for spending time with me on my own personal Route 66.
