There are dozens of songs that are titled "Kalamazoo" and more still that mention the southwest Michigan city. It's been that way since the early days of music recording, and "Kalamazoo" continues to find its way into songs. Why, though? We dig into this question, with a multipronged answer that takes us through an American musical legacy.

• Here's a brief playlist of songs that mention "Kalamazoo"
• Here's a brief playlist of famous uses of Gibson guitars

GUEST: Paul Russell, musician (who wrote a song called "Kalamazoo")

GUEST: John Thomas, law professor, historian, and author of Kalamazoo Gals

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EDITOR'S NOTE: In the original version of this episode of On Hand, the song "Sweet Child O' Mine" from Guns N' Roses is used as an example of a Les Paul guitar. Slash's solo, while iconic, was played on a Les Paul replica, rather than a Les Paul.