Travelogue of an American hitchhiker
​in the 1960s and 1970s 


​"Peter Madcat Ruth has been an inspiration, collaborator, master performer, and traveling troubadour extraordinaire since I met him in 1968. His hitchhiking adventures are the stuff of legends in our circle of musician friends. I am glad the explorations of his magical thumb are finally written down so his wild, true stories can be enjoyed by the rest of the world! “ —Chris Brubeck, Jazz Musician and Composer

"While some folks spend their lives focused on the destination, others seek adventure in getting there. Peter Madcat Ruth is the epitome of the latter. Hitchhiking Twenty Five Thousand Miles is the story of how he, as a young musician, sought and chronicled that adventure. At a time when Americans live in fear of one another, Madcat’s story shows how he, and we, can rely on one another. Do yourself a favor and join Madcat on his epic journey." —Antoinette (Tiyi) Schippers, Author, Poet, Artist

​“I found this memoir deeply engrossing as an illuminating, entertaining first-hand report on the origins, flourishing, and eventual demise of the hitchhiking ecosystem. The fascinating travel details—including stunning landscapes, diverse vehicles and wildly distinctive drivers, and homes he was invited into overnight—are skillfully interwoven with thoughtful explanations of cultural and racial aspects of the hitchhiking ecosystem, the essential but now obsolete technology and travel aids he relied on, and the unfolding of his outstanding musical career. I recommend it strongly!” —Judith N. Levi, Associate Professor Emerita, Department of Linguistics, Northwestern University ​
Paperback: — 978-1-62491-215-3 — 17.95
             8.5 x 5.5,” 144 pages 
Ebook:  —     978-1-62491-216-0 -- 9.99

​​For half a century, from 1970 to 2020, I had been a full-time professional musician. So, it was quite a shock in March 2020, when live music performances came to an abrupt stop due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. At first, I thought the cessation of live music would last a few weeks or months, but as the scarcity of gigs continued into the summer and fall, it became obvious that opportunities to play live music would not be returning soon. I went from sixty-five live concert performances in 2019 to just two concerts in 2020. So, what was I to do with all this unexpected free time? The answer was to write a memoir about all the hitchhiking I did in the late 1960s and early 1970s. 

​​Born in Chicago in 1949, Peter Madcat Ruth became a popular musician, joining Chris Brubeck to form New Heavenly Blue and later playing with Dave Brubeck in his group, Two Generations of Brubeck. An internationally recognized harmonica virtuoso, Madcat is an endorser of Seydel Harmonicas. He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife, Connie.