Route 66 television theme (covered by Larry Benigno and the Sonic Music Orchestra)

The theme from the television shows Route 66.

It was a sound that haunted me, in a good way, since I was a kid growing up in Southern California in the early 60s. That’s when I first watched the Route 66 television show, and just as important to me, the theme song. I carried that inner haunt throughout my life, trying to keep the song alive by imagining the theme in my head.
It wasn’t until a few years ago when I heard that sound again. Some stations were showing reruns of the series.

It sounded even better than I remembered….and I still can’t get the theme out of my head. So, being a musician/composer/piano tuner, I decided to search for a score and try and recreate the magic Nelson Riddle did so many years ago.

Unfortunately the only ‘score’ I could dig up was a one page transcribed bass line along with a few ill attempts at the piano riff and melody.
So it looks like I’m on my own for this one.

The first thing I did was copy the exact tempo and tempo changes from the original recording, then record the bass line off the chart.
Then it was on to figuring out as many individual parts and can, and play them live one by one.

Now I know with today’s technology you can get pretty convincing, but trying to emulate an orchestra that backed Frank Sinatra was not going to be a quick venture.
But to my pleasant surprise the piece was recorded/mixed in 2 days.

Somehow the haunt is not as haunting anymore. The repetitive and critical listening has somehow taken away some of the unknown magic. But in the end it is, and always will hold a special place in this heart of music!

Orchestra)