Sunday 9 November 2014

Song of the Day 30 : Wagon Wheel : Johnny Possum's Good Time Hootin' Band (and Bob Dylan and Old Crow Medicine Show)

The first version of Wagon Wheel that I heard was when a friend's band (now just Johnny Possum) made it the lead off the track on their debut album Tickets.  That was eight years ago.

I asked Bryzzie where the song came from and he told me it was an Old Crow Medicine Show song.  Checking that out I also noted that it was a co write with one Bob Dylan.

I could not find it on any official Dylan albums and at that time before youtube was quite so comprehensive I ended up tracking down a great bootleg called Blood on The Saddle which had an outtake from the Pat Garret soundtrack called Rock Me Mama - which is where this great song started.

Last year an incredibly bland version of the song by Darius Rucker from the terminally awful Hootie and The Blowfish had a huge hit with the song. Proving great songs can survive almost any treatment.

I still think Johnny Possum's Version is the best. 

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