RUNAWAY DIXIE - Poor Man's Gold
(Info about the songs) (back
to CD page)
Poor
Man's Gold
Online orders now being taken. Stock available
from Tuesday 25th of October.
Digital download available soon (TBA) through
all good online music stores.
1. SOUTHBOUND TRAIN (V. Hermel)
Songs about trains seem to be one of the music staples, and
this new original song, written by band member Virginia Hermel,
sheds new light on a popular subject.
With the story line about a ticket to ride the Southbound
Train home to a loved one, after roaming far and wide, singing
songs, and exploring life adventures, the theme captures much
of what touring and playing music is all about. Featuring
a Martin D18 solo from Virginia, grab a ticket and join us
on the Southbound Train!
2. I DON'T
CARE (Buck Owens)
This song originated in Bakersfield, California, USA, as part
of the famous ‘Bakersfield sound’ of the early
1960’s. Buck Owens had a string of number one hits including
‘Act Naturally’, which was recorded by the Beatles
who were great fans of Buck Owens. The ‘Bakersfield
sound’ has been carried on with great success by such
artists as Dwight Yoakam. ‘I Don’t Care’
was one of Buck Owen’s most popular songs.
3. POOR
MAN'S GOLD (V.Hermel)
Written by Virginia Hermel, the story line tells of a coal
miner who is trapped when the mine in which he is working
caves in. Knowing that his time is running out, his thoughts
go to those he loves and he wishes that if his spirit could
fly ‘like a bird on the wing’ then he would go
home to them. Unfortunately, mining disasters still occur
around the world and this song is still a current subject
for many.
Poor Man’s Gold is an old term relating to coal.
4. THE
CROSSROADS HOTEL (V.Hermel)
Who doesn’t have memories of someone they met at a venue
or place they visited over their lifetime?
Whilst this song is fictitious, the subject could relate to
any one of us.
Whilst there are a few hotels with that name around Australia,
Virginia got the idea to write this story when passing a "Crossroads
Hotel" in western NSW, and it gave her the inspiration
for this song.
5. YOU’RE
THE ONE (In A Million) (Bob Morrison)
This song was a big hit for the Oak Ridge Boys in the late
1970’s. Runaway Dixie gave this song the ‘bluegrass
treatment’ and released it as a single in April 2016.
The song has spent an amazing 16 weeks on some Country Charts
around Australia. A romantic style song, it has the power
to grab the ear with it’s catchy lyrical content and
having the bluegrass style presentation gives this old classic
new voice.
6. MAMA
DON’T ALLOW (Traditional)
This is as they ‘an old standard’ where every
body gets to play a solo on their designated instrument. The
song has been recorded by more artists than can be mentioned
here and as the song says, even though Mama don’t allow
any music playing, the musician’s play anyway!!
A fun live song, and a happy inclusion on this album.
7. THE
OLD WOOD MILL (V.Hermel)
This song relates to the old wood mills or timber mills that
we see around the country side, many disused these days. The
fictitious storyline covers ‘Grandpa’ with his
moonshine "still," ‘Grandma’ with her
Grill, and how a town was built around the workings of the
Old Wood Mill. Humorous comment is heard as ‘Grandpa’
gets slightly grumpy when the Wood Mill is closed down by
modern times and modern ways. A fun live track.
8. MANSION
ON THE HILL (H. Williams/F. Rose)
Runaway Dixie endeavour to include a few classics on every
album, and this is another they have put their own style to.
One of the all time country classics, written by Hank Williams,
‘Mansion On The Hill’, has been recorded by many
artists over the last 60 odd years.
This version retains the true ‘country feel’ of
this old song , whilst its descriptive lyrics never fails
to strike a chord with every lover of a good country song.
9. THIS
TRAIN (Woody Guthrie)
This Train was written by the famous folk singer Woody Guthrie.
Many versions of this song have been recorded. One of the
most famous being by Sister Rosetta Tharpe who was a great
influence on the early stars of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
A gospel song, the lyric is catchy and this upbeat version
featuring Jim Hermel on lead vocals, Virginia and Lynette
on harmonies, suits Runaway Dixie perfectly.
10. LET
THE SUN SHINE IN (W.Shipman)
Written by Bill Shipman, from the mid northern NSW coast,
the song was recorded by Bill, and Virginia heard Bill’s
version and suggested that Runaway Dixie record it. A happy,
light hearted storyline, with positive vibes, the track features
lead work on a Maton ‘Joey’ acoustic guitar by
Virginia. Two lead tracks are recorded, one lead, and then
one in harmony, creating a striking contrast that fits in
perfectly with the song theme.
11. ROUNDABOUT
(V. Hermel) Instrumental
Composed and played by Virginia Hermel, featuring Virginia
on Martin D18, this is a lively instrumental. The track was
released as a single mid 2016, achieving chart success. Playing
acoustic guitar is something Virginia enjoys and is a large
part of the Runaway Dixie performances. This instrumental
showcases Virginia’s clean, precise acoustic playing
style.
12. CLYDE (J.J. Cale)
Clyde was written by country/country blues singer J.J. Cale.
Waylon Jennings had a big hit with the song. With a very ‘blues
like’ storyline of a character who sits around playing
his electric bass, accompanied by his dog with a tambourine
‘tied to his tail’ this song brings variety to
the album with it’s country rock/blues style featuring
Jim Hermel on Lead guitar, and Virginia & Lynette harmonies.
13. GOOD BROWN GRAVY (B.Dean/V.Thompson/B.Kenner)
This is definitely a fun storyline, and a great addition to
the album. Whilst brown gravy is mostly served with meat and
vegies here in Australia, in the USA brown gravy is served
with biscuits (or what we would call scones) and mostly eaten
as a breakfast food. Joe Diffie had a big hit many years ago
with this song which tells of the neighbourhood women, the
army and the navy, trying to get the recipe of ‘Good
Brown Gravy’ !!
14. HE WILL RISE (V.Hermel)
Gospel songs are a big part of Runaway Dixie albums. Every
album has included a sprinkling of both classic and new original
gospel songs. ‘He Will Rise,' written by Virginia Hermel,
is performed by Jim Hermel, with both Virginia & Lynette
supplying the harmonies, and features Virginia on the piano
solo.
15. GONE SO LONG (V.Hermel)
This song was written and recorded by Virginia some years
ago, but not released. Virginia decided the song could be
included on this Runaway Dixie album. The melancholy storyline
of receiving a letter from someone loved, writing of coming
home, gives hope, but the receiver knows since that letter
was written the writer has been sentenced to death in prison
and will never return.
Whilst a sad, thoughtful lyric, the story showcases depth
of writing and the basic instrumentation of acoustic guitar,
bass and dobro give the words space to remain warm and heartfelt.
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DIGITAL
DOWNLOAD
available
for 'Poor Man's Gold' via
DESERT RECORDS PRODUCT for
'Poor Man's Gold' (album).
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PURCHASE Poor Man's Gold - hard copy album via link below.
