If you watch Emergency! on MeTV, you probably know Bobby Troup as Dr. Joe Early, one of the hospital’s most steady and patient doctors at Rampart General Hospital. The classic NBC series still airs weekdays, and Troup remains one of those familiar faces. But did you know that before he became part of one of television’s most memorable medical dramas, he had already written one of the most famous road trip songs ever recorded? Troup wrote “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” the classic tune first recorded by the King Cole Trio in 1946. Over the years, it was later recorded by artists including Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, and Depeche Mode.
Before Troup appeared in Emergency!, he was a singer, pianist, songwriter, and actor, but songwriting brought him early success. Before “Route 66,” he wrote “Daddy,” which became a major hit for Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra in 1941. “Route 66” came after Troup traveled west to California. The song follows the famous highway from Chicago to Los Angeles, and name-checks stops along the way, including St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Flagstaff, Winona, Kingman, Barstow, and San Bernardino.
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
