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CD
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ABOUT
THE SONGS
The album
opens with a medley of three all-time favourite gospel songs, "Will
The Circle Be Unbroken," "I Saw The Light," and "I'll
Fly Away," featuring Jim on lead vocals and the girls on harmonies.
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is an old traditional gospel song
performed by Virginia, lead vocal, and Lynette, harmonies, with just
a Martin guitar, Fender bass, and sparse drumming accompaniment. The
plaintive vocals and simple backing has this great gospel standard brimming
with emotion.
The title track, "Golden Mile," is a Runaway Dixie original.
This Southern Gospel style song has Jim, lead vocals, being answered
by the girls in harmony, and Virginia's gospel piano solo coming straight
out of the American Bible Belt.
"Amazing Grace" is one of the most popular songs of all times.
It was written right back in 1785 by a pirate and murderer, John Newton..,
who, in later life, turned to religion to atone for his sins.., and
wrote this wonderful song. Some years ago Jim rearranged the lovely
old standard "Amazing Grace" from its original slower style
into a rocking gospel style. The song is a ‘live’ performance
favourite.
"Never Grow Old" is a waltz time gospel featuring vocals,
accordion, fiddle, and mandolin. Written by James C. Moore, "Never
Grow Old" is performed here at a slightly faster speed than when
originally written back in the year 1913.
"What A Friend We Have In Jesus" is an old standard given
a "gospel rock" treatment here by Runaway Dixie. Jim, lead
vocals and guitar, and the girls on harmonies and all other instrumentation,
have revived this song in an uplifting "rockin" style.
"Duellin' Banjos" was originally written under the name of
"Fuedin' Banjos" by Arthur Smith in the 1940's, and it's interesting
to note that Arthur also wrote the most famous guitar instrumental ever,
"Guitar Boogie Shuffle." Eric Weissberg featured "Fuedin'
Banjos" in the 1970 Box Office Hit movie, "Deliverance,"
but for some unknown reason, called it "Duellin' Banjos."
The girls have given "Hobo's Lullaby" wonderful emotion with
plaintive vocal, fiddle, mandolin, and guitar accompanied by subtle
bass and drums. Written by Goebel Reeves in the early part of last century
the song tells of a hobo's final boxcar train ride.
The bluegrass banjo standard, "Cripple Creek" is featured
at a slower speed here than normally played, with more emphasis on the
deep rhythmic bluegrass ‘feel’ in this version. "Cripple
Creek" was originally written with lyrics, and became very popular
when performed as an instrumental.
"Ten Golden Rules" was written by one of Australia's great
songwriters, the late Shorty Ranger OAM. Shorty wrote hundreds of songs
and recorded to much acclaim. "Ten Golden Rules" is one of
his gospel songs, and has been given special treatment by Runaway Dixie.
Jim, Virginia, and Lynette performed with Shorty just before he passed
away in 2008.
"Going To The River" is another Runaway Dixie original. Jim,
lead vocals, the girls on harmony, and Virginia's Southern Baptist style
piano solo, in the vein of the old time Southern Gospel sound of the
Old South.
"Foggy Mountain Breakdown," written by Earl Scruggs in the
1940's, is perhaps the most famous bluegrass banjo song ever recorded.
Runaway Dixie gives this song the "live" treatment to endeavour
to recreate the effect it had when the original song was used as the
sound track in the "car chase" scenes of the 1967 film, "Bonnie
& Clyde," the true story of the infamous bank robbers, Bonnie
Parker and Clyde Barrow, who terrorised the Mid-western and Southern
states of America in the 1930’s.
Jim met up with the famous Cajun band, "The Basin Brothers Band,"
on one of his early concert tours of the USA..., and they taught him
how to play Cajun music. Jim performed with the "Basin Brothers
Band" in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, and this Cajun
song, "Leavin' Louisiana (in the Broad Daylight)," features
Jim, vocals and guitar, Virginia on Cajun fiddle and accordion.., and
Lynette pushing out a terrific Cajun beat on bass and drums.
"Gospel Train" is another original Runaway Dixie gospel rock
song. Virginia's driving lead vocal is cocooned by rockin' lead/slide
guitar, blues harmonica, and "full-on" bass and drums. A "rockin"
train song!!!
The famous fiddle song, "Orange Blossom Special," is played
by Virginia who works it up to an incredible speed, with Lynette right
there on bass and drums…possibly the fastest version ever recorded!!!
"Keep On The Sunnyside," is an old Carter Family favourite.
Whilst keeping this song in the style in which it was originally recorded,
the girls have added layered harmonies, still retaining the simplicity
of the time and place it originated.., in the 1920's, in the beautiful
Clinch Mountains of West Virginia, USA. A favourite at the band's live
shows, this song captures that old time Southern Gospel sound.
"The Fiddler's Lament" features Virginia on the fiddle. Virginia's
own composition, this song conjures up all the emotion of a "lone
fiddler". Plaintive, yet empowering in its delivery, this track
completes the collection.
"We
thank you for listening and sincerely hope that you enjoy the album
as much as we enjoyed putting it together”- RUNAWAY DIXIE
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