Nick Spitzer

Nicholas R. Spitzer (born 1950 or 1951) is an American radio personality and folklorist.

He has hosted the public radio show American Routes since its 1997 premiere. He was Louisiana's first State Folklorist, and the founding director of the Louisiana Folklife Program. He has also been the senior folklife specialist at the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and a commentator and producer for NPR, CBS and ABC.

Spitzer is the editor and co-writer of numerous books, including Public Folklore and Blues for New Orleans: Mardi Gras and America’s Creole Soul. He is a professor of Anthropology and American Studies at Tulane University.

Early life and education Spitzer was born in New York City and raised in rural Connecticut. He became interested in radio at a young age after listening to broadcasts of baseball games.

He entered the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, later graduating in 1972 with a degree in anthropology.

Radio While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, Spitzer joined the staff of WXPN in Philadelphia in 1969. He was introduced to Louisiana music while working at the radio station. and as a host and producer at NPR affiliate KUT-FM.

As of 2023, Spitzer lives in New Orleans with his wife and son.

Publications

The Mississippi Delta Ethnographic Overview (1979) Louisiana Folklife: A Guide to the State'' (1985)