Confederate Railroad preview

Confederate Railroad
Grayville Days, Grayville IL
Saturday, September 1, 2007

In his song “Hank Williams, Junior,” David Allan Coe said “A little bit of Waylon sure goes a long way.” Confederate Railroad agree, but would also add Coe and Jr. themselves, Billy Joe Shaver, and The Charlie Daniels Band as well.

These are a few of the songwriters and performers who inspired Confederate Railroad and whose songs have long been staples of the Georgia band’s live set for more than two decades now. So to celebrate Railroad’s 25th anniversary (guitarist/lead vocalist Danny Shirley and drummer Mark DuFresne started the band, then called Danny Shirley And The Crossroads, in 1981) they decided to record a set of their favorite tunes. Among the 11 cuts on Cheap Thrills (Shanachie) are two Shaver-penned tracks, “Georgia On A Fast Train” and “Honky Tonk Heroes” (the title track of Waylon Jennings’ 1973 album), a Daniels song – “Trudy” – featuring guest vocals by the man himself, Shirley doing his best Hank Jr. on “Whiskey On Ice,” and even some Alan Jackson with “Don’t Rock The Jukebox.” Compared to Southern rock brethren Lynyrd Skynyrd their entire career, it’s only fitting Confederate Railroad rip through “I Know A Little” – that is an obvious choice. Less obvious, at least initially, is Dave Loggins’ 1974 ballad “Please Come To Boston.” But that song was later recorded by David Allan Coe, whom Shirley And The Crossroads backed in the ’80s and whose presence is also felt on “Cheap Thrills” from Coe’s 1983 “Castles In The Sand” record. The band tried to stray away from the obvious “hits,” but even stronger choices than “11 Months & 29 Days” exist from Johnny Paycheck’s catalog. With 25 years under their belts, though, who are we to question Confederate Railroad’s ability to choose cover songs?

Railroad return to Illinois at the end of the month for the Fall Fun Festival in Beardstown September 30th.

– Trevor Fisher

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly