Not going to repeat areas (so hard luck to New England).

With one exception, the day's song is by someone born / raised / worked / lived in the area.

Expect the usual majority of female vocals; as it's America, I have plenty of opportunity to honour minority voices, particularly Black people.

As ever, no repeated songs within a year; indeed, this list is primarily performers I've not worked with before.

Why post on Mastodon when about one other person does it?

Two reasons: a) because I want to, and 2) if the shoe falls on the other place, #AprilAcrossAmerica is something familiar for refugees to orient themselves.

Leave a light on, as someone sang in a previous project.

#AprilAcrossAmerica begins in #NewYork, with "New York, New York" from the musical "On the Town".

Sung by sailors who are excited to get off their ship and begin a day's leave in the greatest city.

Video is from the 1949 movie of the musical, Gene Kelly, Jules Munshin, and Frank Sinatra. A whistle-stop tour of the city at the end of the jazz age.

Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyric by Betty Comden & Adolph Green, New Yorkers all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku5WeNn_unE

#AprilAcrossAmerica salutes #Pennsylvania.

Jeff Townes and Will Smith met in 1985; within a year, they were rapping radio-friendly tales like "Girls ain't nothing but trouble".

MTV loved them, Will Smith was a funny guy who took the mick out of himself. Their big 1990s hits, "Summertime" and "Boom! Shake the room", are not typical of the sound.

From 1988, "Parents just don't understand".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW3PFC86UNI

#AprilAcrossAmerica drops into #Ohio.

#AnitaBaker, born in Toledo, raised in Detroit. A marvellous soul singer, with exceptional vocal control and power. She was massive in the late 1980s, but - like a fine wine - didn't travel well. She's remembered over here for "Sweet love" and little more.

We're going to 1988 for "Giving you the best that I got", which won the R&B Grammies for Song and Performance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeWc0qL3tz8

#AprilAcrossAmerica makes it to #Michigan.

#ArethaFranklin. Greatest soul singer of our lifetime? Very possibly. "Respect" framed the civil rights movement, "A natural woman" showed the Detroit native smooching. "I knew you were waiting" might be George Michael's best moment, "Pride (a deeper love)" moved with the 90s times.

Here's "I say a little prayer", originally a warm-up exercise for Aretha and The Sweet Inspirations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhNzA0RB7ws

#AprilAcrossAmerica does #Wisconsin.

Remember #Timbuk3? Pat and Barbara MacDonald recorded for six years, and had exactly one moment of cool. Early 1987 had "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades", an anti-nuclear anthem disguised as optimism for the future.

Make that two moments of cool - they turned down a million dollars to advertise sunglasses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65YIlwxBuvM

Our continental road trip #AprilAcrossAmerica is in #Minnesota.

This side of the pond, we had Five Star. That side had #TheJets, eight members of the Wolfgramm family from Minneapolis.

You'll remember their big hit "Crush on you" from early 87. The follow-up "You've got it all" is a lovely ballad - later covered by Britney Spears.

The Jets are still performing on the nostalgia circuit, natch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kUv6geUyWc

#AprilAcrossAmerica drops into #Iowa.

#JuleeCruise sang the theme to "Twin Peaks". And much more: dream pop in the same space as #CocteauTwins, regular collaborator with Angelo Badalamenti, and some stage work.

Julee was as picky as #TheBlueNile, released an album every ten years, though kept collaborating with those ethereal vocals. She died in June last year, leaving a small but precious legacy of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVHtl4cGrns

#AprilAcrossAmerica in #Missouri.

#CountBasie was a jazz pioneer, innovating with two tenor saxes, big beats, and (gasp!) arranging the music properly.

His theme tune was "One o'clock jump", improvised from the band's individual riffs. Each performance would be different, because that's #jazz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXq7eb_HJ7w

#AprilAcrossAmerica is in #Kansas.

"Let the joyous news be spread! The wicked old witch at last is dead!"

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg (both from New York province) wrote this song.

It's performed early in "The Wizard of Oz" when a house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East. None of the locals seem sad at the news.

Don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJw2tA0nqaA

#AprilAcrossAmerica reaches #Nebraska

#AnnRonell was born in Omaha, Nebraska, a pioneering woman songwriter in the 1930s.

"Willow weep for me" with versions by Frank Sinatra, and Nina Simone, and Carmel, and many more. While studying at Radcliffe College, Ann had been struck by the loveliness of the willow trees on campus; this simple observation became the subject of a charming song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w82NHDRRGJ0

#AprilAcrossAmerica visits #SouthDakota, and I bump into @steveperez

#ShawnColvin was born in Vermillion, and became big in the late-1980s New Folk scene. Did a very good tour for 1994's "Cover Girl" album, then won big Grammy awards for the song "Sunny came home". But how to follow that?

"Whole New You" was 2001's album, following Shawn's second marriage and first child. The title track sounds like a laidback late-era Beatles song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRukg1mxbGA

#AprilAcrossAmerica gets to #Montana.

#SteveAlbini was raised in Missoula, perhaps it's where he gets his trademark wide open sound and huge drum crashes. He's worked on many hundreds of albums, most often in the grunge / post-grunge / rock space.

We join Steve with #VerucaSalt for their 1996 curio "Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt". Even on the pop songs, Steve Albini produces a noisy, difficult listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nB73gxFkUg

#AprilAcrossAmerica makes it to #Idaho.

#CurtisStigers is a jazz and lounge singer. Raised in Boise, he emerged in the early 1990s with hits like "I wonder why" and "You're all that matters to me". Even after the hit singles stopped, Curtis has continued his live shows and jazz standards.

This reggae-infused take on "Summertime" is based on an arrangement from Curtis's youth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBz7OKKIJvY

#AprilAcrossAmerica hits the Pacific coast in #Washington.

Born in Seattle in 1963, #Sinitta trained in ballet school, performed in "Cats", and had a string of high-energy disco hits in the late 1980s. An early protogée of Simon Cowell, her breakthrough hit "So macho" took a year to bubble into the charts, thanks to the gay clubs of northern England.

For "Toy boy", Sinitta worked with Stock Aitken and Waterman. It's *very* 1987.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0fh_jdhZqs

#AprilAcrossAmerica is in #Oregon.

#SheAndHim - Zooey Deschanel and M Ward - met on the film "The Go-Getter", and have sporadically recorded in the years since. They make ethereal folk-pop, the sound of late night lockins in the snug of your local.

From 2022's "A Tribute to Brian Wilson", here's "Do it again"; consider this a nod to California, which isn't on our route.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Rip5qNcjKc

#AprilAcrossAmerica heads to #Nevada.

#ToniBasil is a choreographer, dancer, and occasional singer. You'll know her work from films like "Legally Blonde", "My Best Friend's Wedding", and co-director of #TalkingHeads' clip for "Once in a lifetime".

Some credit Toni for inventing the music video, a film clip promoted "Breakaway" in 1966. It contained full frontal nudity, so here's the record - complete with early fade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQSZTPe6RU8