Saturday August 14, 2021 “Midnight Special” Johnny Rivers
Our last train adventure will be on the “Midnight Special” which I always thought was a train song but it turns out it is a prison song originally recorded by Leadbelly (Huddy Ledbetter) but listed as a ‘traditional blues song” with no authorship given. According to folk music historian Alan Lomax the Midnight Special was a real train, the Southern Pacific Golden Gate Limited. Leadbelly popularized it upon his release from Sugar Land prison in Texas, where, while he was an inmate, he could hear the Midnight Special come through.
Today's version however is by Johnny Rivers, a very interesting character in the music business in that he is a singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer/arranger/manager, he really did it all.
While still in junior high school, he started sitting in with a band called the Rockets, led by Dick Holler, who later wrote a number of hit songs, including "Abraham, Martin and John" and the novelty song, "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron".
Gigging around LA, Rivers landed a record deal based on his remarkable live performances and on his first album he found success with a rousing live version of Chuck Berry’s “Memphis” which would be a top ten single for Rivers.
Rivers also discovered a then unknown songwriter, Jimmy Webb, whose songs he recorded and then worked with Webb arranging the successful recording of a vocal group Rivers put together, the Fifth Dimension. Webb would go on to write such classics as "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park" among many others.
Stay safe and well...and check out the Amtrak schedule, train rides can be good fun.